2. The shaman’s helper assists him from behind the bench and must listen for the shaman’s message.
3. The grandma has a pocket sewn on the back of their shirt. In these cases, the shaman must retrieve their spirit that has wandered off. Their adult children will offer a meal of rice and meat to extend their mother’s life, hopeful she can live until old age with white hair.
4. This child is wearing a metal chain and necklace made of twisted cloth on their neck. On the back of their shirt is a figure sewn with red cloth. The child is often sick, this indicates the child's spirit is not with the body. The shaman who has performed a ceremony has brought back the child’s spirit and sewn a figure onto the shirt so the child will get well.
5. The branch symbolizes protection, meaning a shaman has cleansed a home. Those in the home should not leave, and outsiders should not enter for 3 days. It is likely that this child is sickly, so the shaman has performed the ritual and they must refrain from leaving or having outsiders enter the home.
6.“If your child is sick, you put the “3 Bridges” down in the road. You ask the first person that passes by to be your child’s Godmother – beg them if necessary. They cannot refuse. According to the Shaman, this is what the spirits require and your child will get better. “ - Blia Vue, St. Paul
7. When the shaman finishes inside the home, he requests protection from the spirits called fiv yeem (fee yeng). When the unwell person has recovered, the shaman will pauj yeem (bao yeng) or return to complete the ritual by sacrificing the animals and food that was promised. When a shaman performs a ritual, the men kowtow to show the shaman and his spiritual guides gratitude and respect. When the shaman has finished, they kowtow again and prepare a meal to be shared with the shaman to give thanks.
8. The shaman uses a turban to cover their eyes, allowing them to the spirit world. The bench symbolizes the shaman’s horse, taking them to the spirit world. The shaman calls to the spirits by tapping her feet on the floor while riding the horse.
9. More women became and were recognized as shamans beginning in the 1960s because the men were at war.