Ama (海人?) are Japanese divers, famous for collecting pearls. The majority of ama are women. The word ama literally means "sea person." Japanese tradition holds that the practice of ama divers may be 2,000 years old. Traditionally, and even as recently as the 1960s, ama dived wearing only a loincloth. Even in modern times, ama dive without scuba gear or air tanks, making them a traditional sort of free-diver. Depending on the region, ama may dive with masks, fins, and torso-covering wetsuits at the most. Only divers who work for tourist attractions use white, partially transparent suits. Ama are famous for pearl diving, but originally they dived for food like seaweed, shellfish, lobsters, octopus, and sea urchins — and oysters which sometimes have pearls. Ama divers can keep diving well into old age. Usually they also have another job, typically working on a farm. It's supposed that the majority of ama are women because of how their bodies differ from men. They naturally have more body fat, which ensures that they can stay warmer in colder water. See also Korean haenyo.
In pop culture
In the Ian Fleming James Bond series, Bond travels to Japan in the novel You Only Live Twice. He meets and marries Ama diver Kissy Suzuki. The character was also portrayed in the film of the novel.
External links
- Welcome to Ama Cultural Village in Japanese
- [1] Resource for Identity and Ritual in a Japanese Village, covering Ama divers
