Thursday, August 28, 2014

The Mermaid Pearl Divers of Japan

In the waters off the Japanese coast pearl diving is both difficult and dangerous.  This occupation was often forced upon women slaves in its early history. These women, known as the "Ama" or Sea Women have been diving successfully for perhaps 2000 years. While the profession's numbers are dwindling, with many of those remaining in their 90's, they are very proud of this tradition and their role in this profession.


Photograph by  Yoshiyuki Iwas



For more information on these amazing women and their legacy please see the following articles & blogs


Japanese Mermaids: Ancient Pearl Hunters of the Sea 
Ama – The Pearl Diving Mermaids of Japan  
The Ama: The Women Pearl Divers of Japan

Labels: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

4 comments :

  1. AnonymousNovember 19, 2014 at 9:49 PM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete
  2. UnknownMarch 8, 2016 at 1:31 PM

    Love these stories! VERY interesting! Thanks for the history lesson!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dawn HillMarch 8, 2016 at 3:03 PM

    So happy you found it interesting! I love these types of history lessons too :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Bushra shaikhMay 31, 2017 at 4:38 AM

    This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

    ReplyDelete

Please tell me what you think! :)

Subscribe to: Post Comments ( Atom )