The religion of Hani Yeche

The Yeche are a branch of the Hani. His population belongs to approximately 15.000 persons (1982). They live in the oriental part of the mountains Ailaoshan, establishing his villages in the hillsides of the mountains, to a few heights of between 1500 and 2000 meters. They concentrate especially on three communes or municipalities: Dayangjie, Liangdi and Chegu. They construct his houses in the mountain, with the forest after they and the cultivation ahead, what obviously is the best way of being protected from the floods. The houses generally are faced towards the south. The Yeche have their own language, that The Hague of the Hani is considered to be a dialect of the language. Speaking his dialect they can communicate to themselves with some other branches of the Hani that live in the neighborhood, like the Bugong, That I Licked, Ruby and Rumei.

The garment of his wives, nevertheless, is different from that of other nearby branches of the Hani.

According to his legends and historical traditions, in the dynasty Tang they continued to the thickness of the Hani in his migrations on the south, forming in these dates like an independent branch, which was established to the shore of the river Honghe, in the oriental spurs of the mountains Ailaoshan. According to the genealogy, which like other branches of the Hani they preserve carefully, they take more than 1000 years living in his current location. Yezhe plans his origin to one of the grandchildren of Yingzhe called precisely. It is said that he was the third son of the fifth son of the hero Yingzhe, who according to the legends Hani was the one that led them during his migrations up to this region. Yezhe progeny says 15.000 Yeche to themselves.

His common history with the rest of the Hani until approximately 1000 years ago explains his linguistic and cultural resemblances. His separation since then, his differences.

His religion is based on the cult to the ancestors and on the deification of the forces of the nature. The fundamental concept of the same one is the existence of different souls or "yuela".

They believe that the persons are beings eminently spiritual, that they have really twelve souls. After the death the soul of the persons turns into a spirit. Much more powerful that these spirits are the gods. A person can fight with the spirits, but before the gods he can only surrender. They divide to his principal deities as the place where they live. For it his six principal gods are the following ones: that of the sky, that of the ground, the water, the fire, abysses and forests.

The most important three are those of the sky (Momi), ground (Mishu) and of the forests (Pumaepo). There are other gods of the nature, the called "chang" that are venerated along the territory of the Yeche, which possibly have relation with the structure of matriarchal clans of the ancient society Yeche.

The cult also has for them an essential role to the ancestors. In the house Yeche whenever a room is constructed, at once there are braided three baskets that stick in the rear wall that gives to the forest, in order to which if they return the ancestors could reside in them. It is said that the ancestors only return in the important holidays: those of the month 3, 5 and 7, especially to see his progeny in this family. And on having finished the holiday, they return to the distant Da'e. But if his progeny does not continue the orders, the multitude of ancestors I could not take care of his progeny. To have the Yeche satisfied they do not violate the orders and in the holidays they do sacrifices to them. At home they place a table with 6 rice bowls with meat and a little of wine. And the men venerate the ancestors in the baskets hung on the wall, thinking that from this form the ancestors protect his souls.

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.

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