Shakaim is the male forest-being of the Shuar and Achuar, the creator of the trees of the jungle and the patron of men's work. Inspired by the fertilising rain, he embodies the strength and dexterity required for felling timber, clearing the swidden, and the other heavy tasks that are men's responsibility, just as Nunkui embodies the women's domain of garden and pottery. The two are paired in Shuar thought as the archetypal married couple, and a man undertaking forest work may invoke Shakaim in song to obtain his vigour and skill.