A promising young child was sometimes
chosen by the elders and the shaman of a community to become an apprentice.
The child was put into a small snow house where he or she hope to acquire a
spirit helper and a name. Warmth, food, and human companionship were
withdrawn in order for the child to undergo the trials that would allow them
to leave their physical body and journey into the spirit world. This
deprivation of food and warmth sometimes lasted up to a full moon cycle, 15
to 30 days. The child was encouraged to remove themselves from humanity and
commune from the spirit world, opening themselves up as a vessel for spirits
to come into their thoughts. If the child was meant to become a shaman, an
animal spirit would appear, make itself known and pass a name to them. The
child in this sculpture is shown sitting in a fetal position with bears,
wolves, seal, and loons around him in a circle.
