The concept of the multiple souls between the Hani

Each of the branches of the Hani has a different idea on the soul of the persons, to which they call also in different way. Many branches believe that every person has a good number of souls, each one specializing in a task.

For example, the Hani of the village Zhongqiao in the Yuanyang district call to the soul "sula", having every person, independently of his sex and age, twelve sulas. Each of these souls has its own name:

- Azuo is the first one, it is the one that gives to the persons the aptitude to rise to a tree.
- Ezhu is the second one, he provides to the person the aptitude to swim.
- Hengsu, it allows to sit down on a high rock or mountain, that is to say controls the dizziness.
- Mingcha, provides the aptitude to run for the mountains
- Suluo, is a soul that floats on the surface of the water.
- Esisula, it is desirable to float between the colors clouds.
- Eniusula, it is desirable to flutter for the firmament.
- Enisula, plays between the clouds at the dawn, when it salts the sun.
- Juefusula, he likes playing between the fog of the peaks of the mountains.
- Ena, plays in the black clouds.
- Emazange, it is desirable to play in the Milk Route.
- Yeluohengsula, finally, is the soul that it is desirable to play in the palace of the gods there in the sky.

The last one is, precisely the biggest of the souls, it resides in the crown of the head of every person. Other souls, each one has a residence place inside the body of every person: this way there is two that two reside in two armpits, two in the knees, in the ankles, other two in the backs of the knee, one in the back, other one in the cavity on the stomach and another in the nut of the neck.

Whenever some of them leaves his position, the person can fall ill.

The Hani of the district of Luchun also think that every person has twelve souls, to which also they call sula, but the functions and names of every soul are different, as we see next:

- Kala, the first one, deals with the cultivation.
- Chanengsula, it deals with the body of this person.
- Angma, is the one that takes part in the ceremonies for the god of the village long.
- Angwo,
- Ema, is the one that prevents the hail from striking the person.
- Nengmapa, is the soul that allows the sun and the moon to protect the person.
- Momian, allows to the gods of the sky to protect the person.
- Hunzhepipaapi, allows to the spirits of the ancestors to protect the people.
- Chare, allows to the tripod of iron of every house to help the people.
- Aniu, allows to the oxen to help the people.
- Ahurangmi, specialized in supporting the peace between the brothers.
- Heren, which does that the 4 corners of the people help the people.

These two (there are many other different classifications) ways of understanding the soul of a person, provide an attempt to us for separating and analyzing the psychic activity of the person.

While in case of the Hani of the district of Yuanyang we see an attempt of planning the activities of the soul from some more or less common activities, but that need a certain workmanship, like rising to a tree or swimming; another series of activities shows a plane purely abstract and spiritually, not in vain for them, of the half a dozen of souls that like to stroll around for the astral spaces, the most important it is the one that pleases to sit down in the palace of the gods.

An interpretation in view of experiences of deep meditation or the conscience states chamánicos it might throw light on this division of the souls at first sight impenetrably.

Compared to this deep and abstract concept, the souls of the persons between the Hani of the district of Luchun, they are much more attached to the daily existence, and his principal mission seems to consist of looking for the harmony of the person with the ambience in which it moves, and obtain the help and the spiritual forces that surround him so that the life of the person passes in balance.

Source: Zhongguo ge minzu yuanshi zongjiao (Religion cause every village of China). p. 217-8

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