We call upon the spirit of land and the ancestors who hold the umbilical cord of our birth and theirs, to bridge where we belong to this unceded Ohlone land where we all live with the Ohlone ancestors and their descendants.

 

As immigrants, settlers and guests, we learn to find our ancestry through this place where our ancestors had to migrate, leaving their birthplace where they buried their placenta to connect to their ancestral lands. Our ancestors arrived here to live life again and pass down culture, spirit, and knowledge to the next generations.

 

Living in the U.S. as Asians in diaspora, we have faced many of the same challenges that our ancestors, grandparents, and parents faced. Even now, our generations are confronted with the same issues due to the systemic oppression of our vital life. We call out the causes of our sickness: white supremacy, patriarchy, and capitalism – all of which destroy the value of human life and earth, nature, and environment.

 

We are calling out and naming our sickness to purge and deconstruct all these systems that oppress our people, our communities, and beyond – where cultural and ancestral values are ignored, controlled, buried, and exploited.

 

We, as 1st, 1.5, 2nd and 3rd generation, dedicate this ritual to the struggling earth where we all confront our identity, ancestral blockage, climate change, natural disasters, and a global pandemic that has taken so many lives.

 

We are here to reclaim ancestral, and cultural identity, to connect with the land and correct history, to delve into cultural practice and our own diasporic identity – for healing. Especially for this site ritual, I call out the oppressors’ destruction of humanity and the white supremacy of our colonized land.

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Ritual progression

칠성 새남굿- Chilseong SaenamGut (Duringut): Ritual for Sickness

“Chilseong Saenamgut,” a ritual for sickness, illness and destruction from Jeju Island, my hometown, because we need to confront the sick and to heal. This ritual is for facing and naming challenges, for purging destructive and monstrous spirits (Heomaengyee-허맹이 *) white supremacy, patriarchal culture in here and back to homeland and inviting vital spirits (Chilseong-칠성신 **) back to humanity and land.

 

*Heomaengyee: a doll represent monstrous spirits

**Chilseong: snakes represent vital spirits

 

Ritual performance by Puri Arts, CoRazOn, Ieumsae MU Ritual drummers and ARU CRE Cohorts.

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Part 1 Music: Adria Otte and Dohee Lee

Lighting design: Jose Maria Francos

Ritual garments: All members

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Part 1 by CoRazOn, ARU CRE Cohorts and Puri Arts

Adria Otte, Amy Huỳnh, Dongyi Wu, Emily Encina, Judy-Jaeeun Jun, Katie Tao, Frances Cachapero, Laura Coelho, Rebekah Olstad, Inhui Lee, Sol Rhee, Trang Tran, Katherine Kim Tom and dohee lee

 

Prayer of creation

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Prayer for calling our ancestors and land deity (Seongjoo)

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Naming our sickness (Click to read the prayers)

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Ritual for sickness (Duringut)

 

Part 2 by All and Ritual Drummers

Adria Otte, Codie Otte, Emily Encina, Eugene Kang, Judy-Jaeeun Jun, Sol Rhee and Yong Chan Miller and Somi: MiKyung Kim

 

Pudashi/ purging for Heomaengyee (Monstrous spirits (Heomaengyee-허맹이 * which cause the sickness)

Opening a new gates for ancestors, land deity Seongjoo

and Chilseong deity (Vital spirits (Chilseong-칠성신 ** Life force)

Offering song for Jijang

Offering song for Chilseong

Offering dance for the directions

Pudash (Releasing) for all

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We also need support from you to continue to practice this community ritual through ARU’s Program