2025 PARKHILL GRANTEE REFLECTIONS 19
“I had the privilege of attending a “haenyeo camp,” where I learned freediving techniques from active haenyeo, explored culinary cultural practices, and visited with a group of several elder haenyeo.” last of the haenyeo who have inherited this practice from their mothers, though women (and men!) who want to learn the freediving culture and skills can attend “haenyeo school” and take up the practice. The final leg of my journey took me to the spice island of Zanzibar, Tanzania. Women rule the shorelines when it comes to seaweed and sponge farming, especially divorced and widowed single mothers. The practices align with sustainability efforts on the island, as they provide otherwise limited economic opportunity. I had the pleasure of some scuba diving on the spectacular coral reefs of Zanzibar, and got to know some of the restoration and sustainability efforts founded by an ecoeducator named Okala, who introduced me to some of the sponge farming women. What was most extraordinary about this trip was the throughlines I witnessed in all three communities of women: 1) grandmothers are the natural leaders (this is true among orca whales, too!), 2) reciprocity between humans and the marine environment is key, and 3) the most sustainable and successful communities reject human dominance of natural systems. I believe that CSW students will certainly be intrigued by these concepts individually, but I am very excited to explore the confluence of the three throughlines with students and further uncover the roles that ecofeminism can play in addressing some of our most challenging societal issues.
science, art, and culture as endeavors to overcome generational harm caused by gendered and racial impositions by colonizers in the past 200 years. While Jack stayed stateside with my parents, I ventured across the Pacific to Jeju Island, South Korea, home of the haenyeo, Korean for “sea women.” These revered and respected freediving fisherwomen, mostly older than 50, have defied gender roles for generations and uphold traditions of balance and sustainability. They can hold their breath for several minutes at a time, plunging beneath the waves to gather shellfish, and hold substantial economic and political sway in their island community. I had the privilege of attending a “haenyeo camp” where I learned freediving techniques from active haenyeo, explored culinary and cultural practices, and visited with a group of several elder haenyeo, hearing their incredible life stories of salt and sea. These are the
This was a trip of a lifetime, and I am deeply grateful for what it has taught me, and will continue to teach me, as students help unpack the meaning behind this connection that is paradoxically ancient and futuristic: women and the oceans keeping humanity in balance.