E2024-G117

Village Guardians: Local Trees and Shrines

Narrative

Traditionally, villages were considered to have a local guardian spirit (dangsansin) who was often embodied by a large, old tree, grove, or sometimes a guardian post, at the entrance or center of the village. Gwangju has many such village guardian trees and village guardian rituals. A shrine for the local guardian deity was often made near the tree, and offerings and prayers were made to the tree on holidays in the form of veneration rituals. These such village guardian rituals continue to be held in Gwangju today, including those in saw-leaf zelkova in Hak-dong, the ritual for the gingko in Chilseok-dong, the ritual for the saw-leaf zelkova in Cunghyo-dong, and the ritual for the saw-leaf zelkova on Mudeungsan Mountain, with many of the trees protected by the local government as Gwangju Protected Trees or Gwangju Monuments. These trees and their related rituals attest to Korean folk religion's roots in nature and community.