미주 한인사회 첫 남성 전통악기연주단 남풍사의 출현 배경과 활동 분석 (1920∼50년대)

Abstract

This paper examines activities of the first Korean male musicians performing traditional Korean music in the United States to expand the previous discourse of the Namp'ungsa. The Nampungsa, established in Hawaii in 1922, has been known for its short existence due to the Korean societys lack of interest in musical activities. Moreover, previous studies discussing the performing arts of the Koreans in Hawaiʻi during the twentieth century have been focused on the Hyung Jay Club (1927∼1940s) and the Halla Huhm Dance Studio (1950∼), all of which were established and dominated by females. Based on analysis of local newspapers and archival resources collected from the Honolulu Museum of Art, the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, and the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa Center for Korean Studies, I found that the former Namp'ungsa members continued to participate in musical activities until the 1950s. The Korean male musicians played traditional percussion and wind instruments to accompany diverse performances ranging from traditional Korean dances like Monk's Dance (Sŭngmu), a short dramatic play reenacting Korean wedding ceremony, and English-language musical plays adapted from Korean folk tales. Some of the musicians― in terms of their instrumentation, performing styles, and costumes―are assumed to have worked as samhyŏn-yukkak or p'ungmul musicians before leaving for Hawaiʻi to be plantation workers between 1903 and 1905. The middle-aged Korean male musicians, in collaboration with 1st and 2nd generation Korean females of the Hyung Jay Club and the Halla Huhm Dance Studio, played an important role in preserving the Korean diasporas ethnic identity and introducing diverse Korean culture to multi-ethnic, multi-racial local residents in Hawaiʻi.