The Yeodal Cooperative
The Yeodal Cooperative (est. in Suwon by tenants of the Model Farm for the Promotion of Industry, Gyeonggi-do, 1907) was the first tenants’ union in Korea, which was composed of tenants farming at supervised rice paddies (gamdokdab). It was named the Yeodal Cooperative as the tenant land was located between Yeogisan (mountain) and Paldalsan (mountain). The Japanese authorities established model farms for the promotion of industry nominally to investigate and teach agricultural technologies in Korea. To compare the effects of reforms they constructed a supervised field (gamdokdab) and a normal paddy field (botongdab) farmed with traditional methods. The Yeodal Cooperative was a tool to control tenants.
Description
- Yeodal warehouse, a common storage facility for the village at the Suwon Model Farm for the Promotion of Industry, Gyeonggi-do (white building in the middle)
- Dadajo (a Korean traditional rice variety) and Josinryeok (a Japanese improved rice variety)
- Rice paddy harvest
- Statement commemorating the completion of the framework of the Yeodal warehouse (May 15th, 1917)
- Yeodal warehouse
- Statement commemorating the activities of the Yeodal Cooperative (1920)
- Garments and palanquin for a wedding ceremony, 1917
- Funeral bier, 1920
- Furniture for a new bride
- Wine glass inscribed with wedding anniversary date
- Bongbaehoe, the gathering of landlords and tenants on the vernal equinox
- Isunhoe, an annual event held on July 7th to honor tenants over 60 years old
- Lyrics of Pungnyeon-ga, a song about a bountiful year resulting from agricultural improvements
- Parade along the rice paddy after a bountiful harvest
- Sinsuje was an annual event held on November 23rd. On this day the newly harvested rice was cooked and tenants’ families invited to dance, celebrate a bountiful year, and hold a costume parade.
- Okyongjeong, an improved well, held a great volume of water all year around