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The ''baekjeong'' (백정) were an “untouchable” outcast group of Korea, often compared with the ''burakumin'' of Japan and the ''dalits'' of India and Nepal. ==Social history== Before the Mongol invasions in the mid-thirteenth century, the outcasts in Korea, called the ''gorisuchae'', were divided very lightly into two camps: (1) the ''hwachae'' or ''suchae'', who hunted and butchered, and were seen as crude; and (2) the ''jaein'' (재인 才人), who were principally actors, entertainers, minstrels, prostitutes, and so on, and were sometimes described as "frivolous". Near the end of the Goryeo era, the term ''hwachae-suchae'' replaced ''gorisuchae'' to refer to the outcasts. The term ''baekjeong'' itself means "common people". In the early part of the Goryeo period (918–1392), the outcast groups were largely settled in fixed communities. However, the Mongol invasion left Korea in disarray and anomie, and these groups began to become nomadic. The latest theory in Korea is that the baekjeong were the surrendered Khitans from the Third Goryeo-Khitan War. Following the decisive defeat of the Khitans by General Gang Gam-chan, the surrendered Khitan tribesmen were scattered throughout Goryeo in isolated villages to keep them from rebelling ''en masse''. As the Khitan Liao dynasty fell to the Jurchens in Manchuria, the Khitans had nowhere to return to and were slowly absorbed by the Koreans in the following centuries. Befitting their nomadic origin, the Khitans were prized for their skills in hunting, butchering, skinning, and leather tanning. Over time, they became the meat- and skin-working underclass of Korea. They also brought dog eating, which is a nomadic staple, to the peninsula, spreading dog eating to other members of the Korean underclass. Following the Mongol invasion a century later, Koreans looked at the ''baekjeong'' as potential fifth column allies of the Mongols and mistreated them. This became institutionalized following the ousting of the last Mongol contingents from Goryeo under King Gongmin. By the beginning to Joseon Dynasty, the ''baekjeong'' had solidified as the lowest class among Koreans. Although they did not strictly obey Buddhist prohibitions, the Koreans did not eat a great deal of meat until the arrival of the Mongols. The nomadic ''baekjeong'' brought horses and cattle with them to the peninsula to satisfy their desires for meat, and, being expert butchers, both slaughtered animals themselves and trained other outcasts in the practice. In the early part of the Joseon Dynasty, King Sejong had attempted to assimilate the outcast groups, who had been engaging in banditry. He ordered that they be registered, settled into fixed communities, made to work in agriculture, and even ordering their intermarriage with other commoners. However, this policy was a failure, in no small part because the outcasts themselves refused to cooperate with the authorities, having little interest in farming and agriculture, and instead continued to thieve cattle and operate as nomads. By the 15th century, attempts to assimilate the outcasts were abandoned, and the outcasts were forced into fixed ghettos on the outskirts of towns and villages. The ''baekjeong'' were not given free rein over their own ghettos, and as the population increased, they were not generally allotted any more land, resulting in overcrowding. The communities themselves were largely autonomous, with strong internal organization and solidarity. In all but the most serious crimes, order was maintained from within. Although they were not registered citizens and had no civil rights, this worked to their advantage in several ways; they were excused from military service, compulsory labor, and paying taxes. Most importantly, the ''baekjeong'' had a monopoly over their special occupations, with both social control and strong resistance preventing others from entering their fields of work. The ''jaein'' continued to exist as one variety of ''baekjeong''; the other were those formerly called the ''hwachae'', but now simply the ''baekjeong'' proper. While the ''jaein'' continued to remain nomadic to some degree, the ''baekjeong'' had become largely settled into segregated ghettos. The primary occupations reserved for them were basketry, butchering, leather working, and the making of straw sandals. Although these positions were considered the most polluted and degrading, they were “not merely an imposition; they were also a privileged monopoly.” When in the twentieth century others began taking up these occupations for themselves, the ''baekjeong'' protested, seeing their control over these enterprises as an exclusive right. Throughout much of the Joseon Dynasty, they were also forced to serve as executioners. The ''baekjeong'' found this task deplorable and often assigned the job to the most wretched of their people, sometimes those bordering on psychological illness. They were also assigned to be dogcatchers and to kill feral dogs, even as late as the twentieth century. The Hyeongpyeongsa later worked towards ending this imposition, believing that it created a very negative impression among the common people regarding the ''baekjeong''. Essentially, then, the group was assigned to the most demeaning tasks in Korean society. They were also considered in moral violation of Buddhist principles, which led Koreans to see work involving meat as polluting and sinful, even if they saw the consumption as acceptable. This is clearly demonstrated by an ordinance in 968 CE, which prohibited the slaughter of cattle but also explicitly allowed for the continued sale and consumption of meat. The ''baekjeong'' themselves appear to have considered butchering a polluted act, and often ceased slaughtering for three years after the death of a parent. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「Baekjeong」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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