Review of the 'Mana Moana' Special Exhibition at the National Museum of Korea
Hello!
Recently? Or was it before?
I'm going to write a review of the 'Mana Moana' special exhibition at the National Museum of Korea.
Before I start, why is the National Museum of Korea so crowded these days?
Before (even just 3-4 months ago), I could enjoy it very comfortably, but this time it was no joke.
I originally went once on a weekend to see this exhibition, and it was only about 10 AM, but the line in front of the museum...
(Special Exhibition Hall ———————— Main Exhibition Hall)
...was several rows long, completely filling the space between the two buildings. As soon as I saw that, I thought, "Nope! Not today," and went back home.
So, thinking weekends wouldn't work, I came back on a Monday.
I naturally assumed it wouldn't be crowded since it was a weekday, but although I didn't have to wait in line like on the weekend, there were still a lot of people inside the museum.
Is it because of the school vacation...? Or the influence of a recent popular movie...?
Anyway, the National Museum of Korea is really crowded these days. Weekends there might not be a good choice anymore.
(Especially since there are many families with children, it can be hard to focus.)
The Mana Moana special exhibition was held in the special exhibition hall on the first floor inside the main exhibition hall of the National Museum of Korea.
Right in front of the entrance, they were also selling souvenirs, but I deliberately ignored them because I wanted to look at them after seeing the exhibition.
But wait, what should I do??
Now that time has passed since I took the photos, my memory of what was what is...evaporating...;;
I'll have to go to the National Museum of Korea's website and try to jog my memory.
Okay, I've been to the website...
But alas...!
It's not there! LOL
In that case... I'll just go with whatever I remember~ :)
This exhibition introduces the culture of 'Oceania'.
Honestly, even if you don't know the word 'Oceania', or what the exhibition title 'Mana Moana' means, you know 'Moana' from the Disney movie, right?
So, if you like Disney, you can watch it thinking, "Is this an exhibition related to that character?" and you'll be able to understand it easily!
And while thinking about the Moana character, you can consider, "These cultural artifacts must have been referenced to create Moana," and "The meaning of those artifacts is this," then I think you'll have a more enjoyable viewing experience.
First of all, the name of this exhibition is in Polynesian.
'Mana' means 'divine power residing in all beings', and 'Moana' means 'vast ocean'.
They crossed the sea, met each other, and developed culture. They carved their wishes into the prows of canoes, and it was fun to see these carvings.
Also, the carvings were large and imposing, which was also attractive.
And in a limited environment, in order to protect themselves effectively, they made the most of the environment.
For example, armor made of coconut fiber, or (I didn't know what the helmet was made of, so I searched) a helmet made of porcupine fish.
Oceania's unique cultural properties were unique to me, so I was able to enjoy them with interest.
In Oceania culture, crocodiles appear in the creation myth?
There was a story about a crocodile pulling up land from the sea.
Creation myths are always fascinating, no matter what country they come from.
I think I should find it and read it when I have time.
(But I didn't.)
I wondered what this was and looked at it.
It was a necklace used like currency.
But when I looked around in another place,
There was a necklace with a similar appearance,
But that one wasn't used like currency, it was just a simple necklace.
I wondered if it was heavy...?
You might know this...
Have you ever seen the 'Crayon Shin-chan' episode about the dolmens?
I naturally remembered Shin-chan's mom telling him to "Protect the stone money!"
While looking at this, I thought, "Disney probably included this cultural artifact as a reference artifact,"
Because in the first Moana movie, when they tell the tribal children, "There's a legend like this...",
I think I saw these patterns!
Also, I think there were these patterns in Maui's tattoos!
That's what I thought.
This is a headdress worn by the bride on her wedding day.
When I see these cultural properties,
I think, "People in this era and region decorated the bride's head like this," and at the same time,
I imagine the villagers choosing the most beautiful materials from that era and region,
Carefully selecting those materials,
To beautifully decorate the bride.
And creating that scene in my head,
Diving into that fiction for a moment,
I think that's the fun of seeing and experiencing cultural properties.
I'm confused whether this is a totem or a different totem,
But the purpose of the totem is to connect with ancestors using the totem.
(Maybe the other totem is for connecting with ancestors, and this totem is probably for protection or wishing for good fortune!)
What I feel while seeing these various cultural properties is that,
In Oceania, they earnestly accept the given environment,
And when there are difficulties in that environment,
I felt that they overcome them together with their ancestors.
Why in the Disney movie Moana, when Moana has difficulties in her village,
She seeks advice from her grandmother,
And gains strength from her ancestors while sailing,
The ancestors come across as her companions?
The appearance of these companions
Felt different from the appearance of our ancestors in Korea, so it was fresh and fun.
This exhibition doesn't have much time left, so I think it would be good for those who haven't seen it to go and see it :)
And I thought about buying some merchandise after it ended, but the pretty merchandise was really expensive!!!
Among them, I was most interested in the jam spoon,
But that one small jam spoon was 40,000 won...
As soon as I saw the price tag, I immediately gave up...
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