The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
History
The History of Korea (vol. 1 of 2)
Hulbert, Homer B. (Homer Bezaleel)
Korea -- History
The native account of the people of Eum-nu is quite droll and can hardly
be accepted as credible. It tells us that the people lived in the trees
in summer and in holes in the ground in winter. The higher a man’s rank
the deeper he was allowed to dig. The deepest holes were “nine rafters
deep.” Pigs were much in evidence. The flesh was eaten and the skins
were worn. In winter the people smeared themselves an inch thick with
grease. In summer they wore only a breach-cloth. They were extremely
filthy. In the center of each of these winter excavations was a common
cesspool about which everything else was clustered. The extraordinary
statement is made that these people picked up pieces of meat with their
toes and ate them. They sat on frozen meat to thaw it out. There was no
king, but a sort of hereditary chieftainship prevailed. If a man desired
to marry he placed a feather in the hair of the damsel of his choice and
if she accepted him she simply followed him home. Women did not marry
twice, but before marriage the extreme of latitude was allowed. Young
men were more respected than old men. They buried their dead, placing a
number of slaughtered pigs beside the dead that he might have something
to eat in the land beyond the grave. The people were fierce and cruel,
and even though a parent died they did not weep. Death was the penalty
for small as well as great offences. They had no form of writing and
treaties were made only by word of mouth. In the days of Emperor Yüan-ti
of the Eastern Tsin dynasty, an envoy from this tribe was seen in the
Capital of China.
We have described the tribes of eastern Korea. A word now about the
western part of the peninsula. All that portion of Korea lying between
the Han and Yalu rivers constituted what was known as Nang-nang and
included the present provinces of P‘yŭng-an and Whang-hă together with a
portion of Kyŭng-geui. It was originally the name of a single tribe
whose position will probably never be exactly known; but it was of such
importance that when China divided northern Korea into four provinces
she gave this name of Nang-nang to all that portion lying, as we have
said, between the Han and the Yalu. The only accounts of these people
are given under the head of the Kingdom of Ko-gu-ryŭ which we shall
consider later. But between Nang-nang and the extreme eastern tribes of
Ok-jŭ there was a large tract of country including the eastern part of
the present province of P’yŭng-an and the western part of Ham-gyŭng.
This was called Hyŭn-do, and the Chinese gave this name to the whole
north-eastern part of Korea. No separate accounts of Hyŭn-do seem to be
now available.
Before passing to the account of the founding of the three great
kingdoms of Sil-la, Păk-je and Ko-gu-ryŭ, we must give a passing glance
at one or two of the great border tribes of the north-west. They were
not Koreans but exercised such influence upon the life of Korea that
they deserve passing notice.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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