Kholai is the Ket mistress of the prey animals, a named female owner-spirit standing beside Kaigus among the masters of the wild. Where Kaigus owns the forest and its beasts generally, Kholai is specifically the patroness of the hunted game; some accounts blur the two and treat her as mistress of the forest as well. Hunters direct offerings and ritual respect to her to open the chase, and her displeasure spells failure and want.