The exhibit from the museum’s collection represents cult images of the nine daughters of the Altai deity Ülgen — Togus-pash. The Altai people believed that the world consisted of many layers: 17 upper tiers formed the sky, the realm of light, and seven or nine tiers made up the underworld. Ülgen was the supreme light deity in the shamanism of the Altai, Khakas, Shors and Mongols. According to their ideas, he was the creator of the universe, lived in the upper world, on the ninth (according to other sources — on the seventh) layer of the sky behind the moon and the sun.

Ülgen was considered to be the creator of the sun, the moon, the firmament and the rainbow. The peoples believed that he controlled the celestial bodies, produced thunder and lightning, sent rain and hail. Ülgen’s appearance was either not depicted at all, or featured conventionally, in the form of an anthropomorphic figure whose head was radiant.

The myths mention seven or nine daughters and sons of Ülgen, but no wives. It was believed that his children were not born, but split from their father. The daughters were called white maidens, but they were not given their own names.

The exhibit and other similar figurines were displayed in the place of honor at the front of the yurt. They were used by Altai shamans in the 19th and early 20th century. The shaman carried them on his back while performing shamanistic rituals. According to beliefs, the figurines had the power to exorcize evil spirits.

The anthropomorphic figures of the museum exhibit were crudely carved with a knife from flat wooden slats. All of them are solid and uniform and have a flat back side. The top of the head of the eight figures was rounded, and only the leftmost one was pointed. The eyes were made of lead pellets hammered into the wood under the image of the brow arches. The feet were made in the form of narrow flat slats.

The surface of the figures, except for the lower part of the face, was roughly and unevenly painted brown. Each of them was dressed in conventional clothes made of two elongated rectangular strips of cotton cloth not sewn together. These strips were tied to the figures below the head with thin ropes. The craftsman tied all nine figures to each other with two ropes twisted from bundles of hemp fiber.