In The Valley of Death

One of the main purposes of the shaman is to encounter and retrieve lost or stolen souls. In rare and more intense rituals, the shaman can also encounter and guide the souls of the dead. We are mediators, channelors, and communicators between the worlds. In healing rituals, we are responsible for the spiritual and energetic direction of spirits and souls, living and non-living. This is the shamanic vocation, a condition in which shamans can transcend the condition of human beings, passing from one region to another, from Earth to the sky, or Earth to the dark and cold valley.

There are many realms in The Valley of Death. This is a place for sick and lost souls. It is a place where the deceased must enter and be guided to surpass. Hmong shamans also call these places the "Realm of Darkness." In Hmong, some of these places are called, "Ntuj txias zias, Teb tsaus nti" or "Tub tuag teb, Ntxhais plog chaw." Others call it "Ntuj ntsiag toj, Teb ntsiag nti" which can be translated to "The World of Silence." Hmong shamans also reference to the path of sickness and death, which can be translated to "kab ploj, kev tuag."

Then, it gets more complicated. In the afterlife, it is believed that souls go through a series of stages and realms. This explains why at traditional Hmong funerals, individuals must use a Hmong bamboo instrument, known as the qeej, to guide the deceased through a series of places and direct them back in time to the land of their ancestors. However, Hmong shamans can also enter these afterlife realms (different names for different realms) for the sake of healing a terribly ill person. When a soul or spirit enters these afterlife realms, and the person is not yet deceased, they often are considered very ill, near death, or also terminally ill. A shaman must then go retrieve this soul and bring it back to its body. Only then, will that person get better and defeat the illness.

The retrieval of a soul that has gone to the Valley of Death or any of the afterlife realms is not an easy task and is not for the faint of hearts. There are many lost and hungry souls and dark entities in these places. An encounter against one can be intense. Such entities can also latch itself on to the shaman or follow them back home. Not only this, but the soul of the shaman can get stuck in these realms if not performed correctly and with caution. If the soul of the shaman gets stuck there, they will become extremely sick, and in some cases, die.

So, what happens when a shaman does travel to the Valley of Death and what is needed to retrieve the soul of that person? In my short seven years of being a Hmong shaman, I've encountered going to the Valley of Death and retrieving souls of sick individuals many times. In one case, I've had to fix the home of the grave of a deceased soul and send them off to the afterlife to be reincarnated. I share the photo above as one of the more recent rituals involving a soul retrieval from the Valley of Death, done for a very close family member. Shamans almost have to be strategic and we must know how to convince the spirit or soul. When souls leave on their own volition, it is harder to convince them to come back because they voluntarily leave and want to die. Each person and each soul has their own reasons for doing so, the shaman must observe and get to that reason. In other cases, the shaman must use their shamanic guides to not only retrieve the soul, but fight off any entity that is holding that spirit against their will. Using an animal sacrifice is necessary for this reason; the shaman can then raise the person's soul and use the animal's soul in their place. They will typically create a hexing doll made out of joss paper and use that as a substitute to replace the soul of the person.

In more serious and intense cases, if the person's soul has gone very far, a traditional white Hmong dress must either be worn onto the shaman or placed directly under the shaman bench during the ritual. Doing so, symbolizes to the Universe that the shaman is acting as "Mother Earth" and is claiming the power of Niam Huab Tais Ntuj or "Mother Earth." Only a mother, who has power to give life, can go and retrieve the soul of that life. In some cases, wearing the traditional white dress also requires the shaman to take on the identity of "Ntxhiav Maum Nkauj Ntxawm." This goddess entity is the entity that grants the "clothes for the dead" to each and every soul when they pass on. In order for a Hmong soul to pass on, they must receive clothes for the dead from this goddess entity. This is also a reason why Hmong families gift sets of traditional deceased clothes to their loved ones and the deceased must then wear these clothes when they die. Therefore, a shaman must wear or take on the identity of Ntxhiav Maum Nkauj Ntxawm in order to have the power to retrieve the soul. Only then do they have the ability to see and retrieve the soul of that person.

Because the travel to the Valley of Death is far, some shamans lessen the weight of the travel by releasing their shamanic guides or holding them back from traveling with them. It's like when traveling on a horse. The more weight and baggage you have, the slower and more tired your horse will be. If you lessen the weight, you can conserve the horse's energy. In these types of rituals, the shaman will need to physically step down from their shamanic bench to retrieve the soul (as seen above). It requires great focus and support from those all around. From securing the bench, to physically guiding the shaman on the floor, to spraying their holy water (dej zag), burning the hex doll, and also helping to raise the shaman's soul and their shamanic guides after the ordeal. Through these rituals to the Valley of Death, the shaman must hide their identity (soul) and their footsteps so that dark entities cannot find them or latch onto them. Failing to do so can bring great harm and sickness to the shaman.

After the shaman retrieves the soul, they must hide it and protect it. They bring it back to the person and demand for household and ancestral guardians to continue guarding and protecting that soul.