Fri, 29 Apr 2022 10:26:16 +1000
Katherine Phelps <muse [at] glasswings.com.au>
Beautiful. Just be warned that some images are not safe for work!
On 29/4/22 05:55, Andrew Pam wrote:
On 29/4/22 05:55, Andrew Pam wrote:
https://rarehistoricalphotos.com/japanese-pearl-divers-1950s/
"For nearly two thousand years, Japanese women living in coastal
fishing villages made a remarkable livelihood hunting the ocean for
oysters and abalone, a sea-snail that produces pearls.
They are known as ama. Ama, meaning “sea woman”, are freedivers,
women who make their living by diving to depths of up to 25 meters
without using oxygen tanks or other breathing apparatus.
Instead, the ama relies on their own skill and breathing techniques
to propel them to the bottom of the ocean and back to the surface
again while holding their breath for up to two minutes at a time.
The history of the ama dates back at least 2000 years. There are
references to the ama in famous texts such as the 8th century
Man’yoshu collection of Japanese poetry and Sei Shonagon’s Pillow Book
from the 10th century. The ama has also been immortalized in ukiyo-e
woodblock prints from the Edo period."
Via Muse.
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
