The concept of the soul between the Yeche-Hani

For them every person has 12 souls, each one with a different function for the life of this person. They call to these 12 souls as his order of importance from the first one the twelfth one. The first one is therefore the most important, which is tied more intimately to his body; the twelfth one is for his part the minor, with functions of little importance. The closer are these souls of the body, the better they can protect him.

In fact none of them must be missing so that the person enjoys a healthy and lucky life. If one of the souls leaves the body, the sick person. If it is an important soul, he will endure a serious illness; if it it is not, it will be the simple one. If the soul that leaves the body is the principal soul, the person will die. But so that this one leaves him and the person dies already he has had to be left by order the souls of minor importance: the twelfth one, the eleventh one, the tenth one, etc.

In addition to the souls of the persons, the Yeche believe in the existence of numerous spirits. These spirits are related to the souls. There is a spirit in the living beings that it transforms after the death, going on having finished the funerals to the paradise of the ancestors or Da'e. If he benefits the progeny, protecting them and to his cattle, he will be considered to be a good spirit, but if his progeny commits thefts, adulteries or other evil acts, it is thought that it is because his ancestors do not protect them, and it is considered that it is a useless spirit.

When the pregnant women die with his children, or the men who do it out of the village or of violent form, his souls it does not transform in a good spirit, but in the evil one. Unlike the good spirits that they benefit to his progeny, the evil spirits harm the whole world, both his family and other families without distinction. If one of these evil spirits is caught by it to the soul of a person, it is difficult that this one survives.

As Mao Youquan (1) indicates "to ask for the fortitude and integralidad of his soul, every male Yeche realizes a birthday every year with the ceremony of calling to the soul, which there must realize a peima (2) or an adult who knows the form, in which it is called to every soul that returns from the place where the geniuses live. Thus every soul to house resides again along with the body.

(1) More information: Mao Youquan. - Yeche ren of "linghun" guanniang yu yuanshi zongjiao of diaocha (Investigation on the concept of the soul and the original religion of the Yeche) In Yunnan Minzu jigan 1. Without date. Kunming.

(2) Priest or shaman in the traditional religion Yeche.

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