Oral Tradition, Genealogy and Korean Village Morphology

Abstract

Korean rural settlements are generally clustered at midslope sites on the flanks of hills or mountains. The settlement sites and forms were determined both by Fengshui and by palrilineal inheritance system. Feng-shui, intertwined with people's needs, intentions and imaginations about life, influenced the concept of an ideal settlement site. Palrilineal system of inheritance tied with Confucianism encouraged the branch households to cluster around a main household. Folk oral tradition and written genealogy serve as sources for the reconstruction of Korean settlement morphology.