Simmani who is gathering a wild ginseng as a profession is the job that keeps going away gradually. In the strict meaning, tradition and folkways of Simmani have been changing because of rapid social change, rather than the job disappear. The folkways of Simmani that had been unsociable and local get blurred increasingly. The consciousness has gone more and more in the ritual conduct, the only has left behavior.
The causes of this change were as follows.
First, a full-time activity of Simmani is illegal due to various regulations and laws regarding forest and land use. Second, Simmani that was active in one region moves to another region because of the traffic development, so the regional distinction tends to be weakening. Third, the wild ginseng that had been in the mysterious elixir became something that known well by the development of community. Fourth, the group life so called ‘Modum-life was simplified because of reducing the period of temporary residence in the mountains. Fifth, the folkways of Simmani have been interfered by various groups that have suddenly appeared, as well as the sideline Simmani.
The results were as follows.
First, Simmani, as the person who is collecting a wild ginseng with jobs, were called traditionally ‘Simmemani , ‘Simkun , ‘Samkun , ‘Chaesamin and ‘Chaesamkun . The general name that is called is ‘Simmani , ‘Simmemani , ‘Simkun and ‘Samkun . ‘Chaesamin and ‘Chaesamkun are marked in Chinese character. However, ‘Sancheok that is known commonly as Simmani is the person who was picking medicinal herbs, so he should be separated the full-time Simmmani in that folkways.
Second, the folkways of Simmani who prepares going to the mountains before tend to have been simplify gradually. There was in the case that he went to mountain alone without the group. And portable tools tend to have been gradually replaced by a ready-made, the amount also has been reduced. In addition, the folkway of ‘Setting a date did not appear after in the 1970s, the season that goes to mountain was not also steady. The distinction between full-time and sideline Simmani has been blurring, and the difference in compare with village rites in taboo did not appear in that much.
Third, the folkways tend to be gradually weakened in the group-life, excluding being careful in his speech[Sineon folkways] and the jargon that Simmani used. The folkways of group-life tend to be weakened by the change of period that dwells in the mountain. And the idea of dream got also weakened. There remained just act, but consciousness was disappearing gradually in the group-life. However, the types of ‘Chiseong-je are various, the attitude of ‘Chiseong-je is still being maintained.
Fourth, the idea of a wild ginseng that was existing tends to have weakened gradually in the folkway of picking ginseng. When he has looked for habitat of a wild ginseng, he considers not any ‘The great site[Myungdang] but the characteristics of the surrounding environment. An iron-ware appeared in action that picks ginseng. And the folkway of ‘Gamjang was disappearing. In addition, the song of Simmani is not longer handed down. And the distinction of between Simmani and Yakchokun, the person that picks medical herbs, was disappearing. Simmani did not gather other herbs without a wild ginseng in mountain. Since the 1970s, he has gathered different medicinal herbs.
Fifth, the jargon did not distinguish by region. However, ‘Sammun[ginseng-gate] as an important meaning that unknown while is picking ginseng has been investigated. And the existing research on ‘Sangdae of jargon should be modified in the sense of ‘the ginseng that has two stem.