Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses about the perspectivism and two sets of dicotomy soul/body, universalism/relativism of the Chepangs, an indigenous people of Nepal, by examing their prey/predator relations, and the traveling and tranformation of souls.

Paper long abstract:

In Chepang of Nepal, people hunt deer, which are typical animals as preys, with arrows. When humans eyes get bloodshot occasionally, people interpret that was caused by special power of deer eyes.

On the other hand, humans are also hunted by tigers, powerful and dangerous figures some of whom are not simply animals but transformed souls of the dead. In addition, humans are supposed to have tigers that activate people's hearts and cause hiccups inside their bodies. This kind of perception indicates that the concept of their souls connotes 'corporeity' instead of opposition to the bodies.

Shamans can send their own souls into underground world for saving the people's souls captured by the evils. Ordinary people who don't have such abilities are called as 'people of surface'. Their perception of the world shows such dichotomy of underground/surface.

The perception of the two divided world can refer to the relativism of the people, but the souls traveling through the two divisions shows their perspectivism and the universalism.