Yemaek or Yamaek () was an ancient tribal group in the northern

Korean Peninsula Korea ( ko, 한국, or , ) is a peninsular region in East Asia. Since 1945, it has been divided at or near the 38th parallel, with North Korea (Democratic People's Republic of Korea) comprising its northern half and South Korea (Republic o ...

and

Manchuria Manchuria is an exonym (derived from the endo demonym " Manchu") for a historical and geographic region in Northeast Asia encompassing the entirety of present-day Northeast China (Inner Manchuria) and parts of the Russian Far East (Outer Manc ...

who are regarded by some scholars as the ancestors of modern

Koreans Koreans ( South Korean: , , North Korean: , ; see names of Korea) are an East Asian ethnic group native to the Korean Peninsula. Koreans mainly live in the two Korean nation states: North Korea and South Korea (collectively and simply refe ...

. They had ancestral ties to various Korean kingdoms including

Gojoseon Gojoseon () also called Joseon (), was the first kingdom on the Korean Peninsula. According to Korean mythology, the kingdom was established by the legendary founder named Dangun. Gojoseon possessed the most advanced culture in the Korean Pen ...

Buyeo Buyeo or Puyŏ (Korean: 부여; Korean pronunciation: u.jʌ or 扶餘 ''Fúyú''), also rendered as Fuyu, was an ancient kingdom that was centered in northern Manchuria in modern-day northeast China. It is sometimes considered a Korean ki ...

Goguryeo Goguryeo (37 BC–668 AD) ( ) also called Goryeo (), was a Korean kingdom located in the northern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula and the southern and central parts of Northeast China. At its peak of power, Goguryeo controlled most ...

, and tribes including Okjeo, Dongye (Ye), Yangmaek (양맥; 梁貊) and Sosumaek (소수맥; 小水貊).

History

Yemaek is believed to be a combination of Ye (濊·穢·薉) and Maek (貊·貉) people of two neighboring cultures. The main culture is the Seodansan culture. He Qiutao (何秋涛) said Ye is the short name of

. Dongye first appears in history as a vassal state of

until its fall to the

Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by the short-lived Qin dynasty (221–207 BC) and a warr ...

in 108 BC. It was known as the Huiyetou (穢邪頭) state in ''

Shuowen Jiezi ''Shuowen Jiezi'' () is an ancient Chinese dictionary from the Han dynasty. Although not the first comprehensive Chinese character dictionary (the '' Erya'' predates it), it was the first to analyze the structure of the characters and to give ...

''. It later became a vassal of the increasingly powerful

. According to the Chinese

Records of Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220– ...

, Ye worshiped tigers, whereas the Chinese characters 貊 (OC ZS *''mɡraːɡ'') & 貉 (OC *''mbraːɡ''), which were used to transcribe ''Maek'', were sometimes also used to as a

homophonic In music, homophony (;, Greek: ὁμόφωνος, ''homóphōnos'', from ὁμός, ''homós'', "same" and φωνή, ''phōnē'', "sound, tone") is a texture in which a primary part is supported by one or more additional strands that flesh ...

phonetic loan character All Chinese characters are logograms, but several different types can be identified, based on the manner in which they are formed or derived. There are a handful which derive from pictographs () and a number which are ideographic () in origin, inc ...

to write 貘 (OC *''mraːɡ''), which means "white

leopard The leopard (''Panthera pardus'') is one of the five extant species in the genus '' Panthera'', a member of the cat family, Felidae. It occurs in a wide range in sub-Saharan Africa, in some parts of Western and Central Asia, Southern Russia, a ...

" according to ''

Erya The ''Erya'' or ''Erh-ya'' is the first surviving Chinese dictionary. Bernhard Karlgren (1931:49) concluded that "the major part of its glosses must reasonably date from the 3rd century BC." Title Chinese scholars interpret the first title chara ...

''; yet

Guo Pu Guo Pu (; AD 276–324), courtesy name Jingchun () was a Chinese historian, poet, and writer during the Eastern Jin period, and is best known as one of China's foremost commentators on ancient texts. Guo was a Taoist mystic, geomancer, collector ...

's commentary indicates that 貘 means a kind of bear, now identified as the

giant panda The giant panda (''Ailuropoda melanoleuca''), also known as the panda bear (or simply the panda), is a bear species endemic to China. It is characterised by its bold black-and-white coat and rotund body. The name "giant panda" is sometimes us ...

since 1970s. Gomnaru, the capital of

Baekje Baekje or Paekche (, ) was a Korean kingdom located in southwestern Korea from 18 BC to 660 AD. It was one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea, together with Goguryeo and Silla. Baekje was founded by Onjo, the third son of Goguryeo's founder Jum ...

, also means the "bear port". Historians suggest tigers and bears may have been

totem A totem (from oj, ᑑᑌᒼ, italics=no or ''doodem'') is a spirit being, sacred object, or symbol that serves as an emblem of a group of people, such as a family, clan, lineage, or tribe, such as in the Anishinaabe clan system. While ''the wo ...

s worshiped by Ye and Maek tribes. A recent study considers the ancestor of Maek (貊) to be Bal (發). According to

Records of the Grand Historian ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

, the Bal were adjacent to

Shanrong Shanrong (山戎), or Rong (戎) were an Old Chinese nomadic people of ancient China. Origin Shanrong literally means the Rong of mountain. The Rong were a collection of tribes that lived in Northern China during the Spring and Autumn period, it ...

and

Sushen Sushen is the modern Chinese name for an ancient ethnic group of people who lived in the northeastern part of China (in the area of modern Jilin and Heilongjiang) and what is in modern times the Russian Maritime Province and some other Siberi ...

. According to Guanzi, Bal-Joseon sold patterned fur skins and visited the Royal Court. In

Yi Zhou Shu The ''Yi Zhou Shu'' () is a compendium of Chinese historical documents about the Western Zhou period (1046–771 BCE). Its textual history began with a (4th century BCE) text/compendium known as the ''Zhou Shu'' ("Book of Zhou"), which was possibl ...

, there are Ye and Bal in the book, but there are no Maek. According to this, at least Bal and Gojoseon are believed to have lived in adjacent areas. In 705 BC,

(山戎) carried out the plunder based on the

Guzhu Guzhu () was a vassal state of the Shang Dynasty, Shang and Zhou Dynasty, Zhou dynasties located in the vicinity of modern Tangshan, Hebei province. It was a Dongyi state and had close relations with King Tang of Shang. During the Western Zhou dyna ...

(孤竹國) between the

Yan Yan may refer to: Chinese states * Yan (state) (11th century – 222 BC), a major state in northern China during the Zhou dynasty * Yan (Han dynasty kingdom), first appearing in 206 BC * Yan (Three Kingdoms kingdom), officially claimed indepe ...

, Qi and Zhao kingdoms. However, it was defeated by the allied forces of the Yan and Qi of 660 BC and pushed northward. There were numerous northern peoples within the

Alliance for plunder, one of which was the Bal (發). This seems to be why Goguryeo people think they came from Guzhu (孤竹國). After the

Gojoseon–Yan War In the late 4th century BC, the Yan feudal state invaded the Gojoseon kingdom. The military campaign was led by General Qin Kai. The invasion resulted in Yan's conquest of the Liaodong Peninsula The Liaodong Peninsula (also Liaotung Penin ...

and

Han conquest of Gojoseon The Han conquest of Gojoseon was a campaign launched by Emperor Wu of Han China against Wiman Joseon between 109 and 108 BCE. It resulted in the fall of Gojoseon and the establishment of the Four Commanderies of Han in the northern half of the ...

, Bal (發) who is from north of Gojoseon is thought to move east and become a Maek family. Several history books suggest

, the first Korean kingdom in history, was established by the Yemaek. :*In

Dangun Dangun (; ) or Dangun Wanggeom (; ) was the legendary founder and god-king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gran ...

's ancestry legend of

recorded in

Samguk Yusa ''Samguk yusa'' () or ''Memorabilia of the Three Kingdoms'' is a collection of legends, folktales and historical accounts relating to the Three Kingdoms of Korea (Goguryeo, Baekje, and Silla), as well as to other periods and states before, duri ...

, a tiger and a bear prayed to

Hwanung Hwanung (Korean for the "Supreme Divine Regent") is an important figure in the mythological origins of Korea. He plays a central role in the story of Dangun Wanggeom (단군왕검/), the legendary founder of Gojoseon, the first kingdom of Korea. ...

that they may become human but had to stay in a cave eating only garlic and mugwort, and while the tiger shortly gave up and left the cave, the bear remained and after 21 days was transformed into a woman who later married Hwanung and then gave birth to

Dangun Wanggeom Dangun (; ) or Dangun Wanggeom (; ) was the legendary founder and god-king of Gojoseon, the first Korean kingdom, around present-day Liaoning province in Northeast China and the northern part of the Korean Peninsula. He is said to be the "gran ...

, which is believed to symbolize combination of Ye and Maek tribes into one Yemaek tribe. :*Tombstone of Yeon Namsan (연남산) found in

Luoyang Luoyang is a city located in the confluence area of Luo River (Henan), Luo River and Yellow River in the west of Henan province. Governed as a prefecture-level city, it borders the provincial capital of Zhengzhou to the east, Pingdingshan to the ...

says Yeon, son of

's leader

Yeon Gaesomun Yeon GaesomunSome Chinese and Korean sources stated that his surname was Yeongae () and personal name was Somun (), but the majority of sources suggest a one-syllable surname and a three-syllable personal name. (594–666) was a powerful militar ...

, is a

Joseon Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

person. :* According to

Shiji ''Records of the Grand Historian'', also known by its Chinese name ''Shiji'', is a monumental history of China that is the first of China's 24 dynastic histories. The ''Records'' was written in the early 1st century by the ancient Chinese hist ...

records, to the east of

Xiongnu The Xiongnu (, ) were a tribal confederation of nomadic peoples who, according to ancient Chinese sources, inhabited the eastern Eurasian Steppe from the 3rd century BC to the late 1st century AD. Modu Chanyu, the supreme leader after 20 ...

were Yemaek and

Language

There have been some academic attempts to recover Yemaek words based on the fragments of

toponyms Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...

recorded in the

Samguk Sagi ''Samguk Sagi'' (, ''History of the Three Kingdoms'') is a historical record of the Three Kingdoms of Korea: Goguryeo, Baekje and Silla. The ''Samguk Sagi'' is written in Classical Chinese, the written language of the literati of ancient Korea, ...

for the areas once possessed by Goguryeo and Buyeo-Baekje.

Legacy

According to

Silla Silla or Shilla (57 BCE – 935 CE) ( , Old Korean: Syera, Old Japanese: Siraki2) was a Korean kingdom located on the southern and central parts of the Korean Peninsula. Silla, along with Baekje and Goguryeo, formed the Three Kingdoms of K ...

was established as a confederacy of six clans composed of

refugees, and the Royal Seal of Ye (예왕지인; 濊王之印), previously used by

's kings, was found in

in 19 AD and presented for King

Namhae of Silla Namhae of Silla (?–24, r. 4–24 CE) was the second King of Silla, one of the Three Kingdoms of Korea. He is commonly called Namhae Chachaung, ''chachaung'' being an early Silla title. Namhae is the only king who is called Chachaung. Accordi ...

. It is estimated that the replacement of the Yemaek and Gojoseon language, which is a superior position in the existing three kingdoms, was accelerated by the southward movement of northern people in the late 3rd century. The Yemaek culture can be seen as ancestral to the modern

Culture of Korea The traditional culture of Korea is the shared cultural and historical heritage of Korea and southern Manchuria before the division of Korea in 1945. Manchuria refers to the ancient geographical and historical region in Northeast Asia, includ ...

as well as to the various kingdoms in Korea and parts of northeastern China. Some nationalist historians such as Yeo Ho-kyu go so far as to argue that the origins of the Korean people lay in the Yemaek tribes. The historian Sang-Yil Kim claims that the Koreanic Yemaek tribe did also influence the early Chinese culture. He suggests that the Yemaek tribe had a large cultural impact on

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both geographical and ethno-cultural terms. The modern states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. China, North Korea, South Korea and ...

and that at least some of the

Dongyi The Dongyi or Eastern Yi () was a collective term for ancient peoples found in Chinese records. The definition of Dongyi varied across the ages, but in most cases referred to inhabitants of eastern China, then later, the Korean peninsula, and Ja ...

were of proto-Korean origin.

References

{{Korean peoples Early Korean history Ethnic groups in Korea History of Manchuria Ethnic groups in Chinese history

History

Language

Legacy

See also

References