Qugax̂ [shaman’s assistant spirit], Qugaadax̂ [small spirit, amulet]

A human being, unassisted, is as weak as a finch. This is why we work together, why we share our thoughts. This is why the shaman needs his spirit assistants, and why the hunter carries his ivory sea otter amulet, out on the lonely sea. * You take a little thing that people believe in and promise them more from it than they would hope for on their own accounts. This is how a shaman acquires his power.