Hakas People are the believers of a religion called as Shamanism by the Russians and Europeans. Shamanism is not a Turkish term even if it is taken into consideration in respect of its composition. Hakas people call their religions as "Akçağan" religion. Akçağan has the meaning of White God. Meanwhile, the colour defined as "gök" (sky) by various Turkish people is equal to the word of "Ak" (White) in Hakas language. For example, the common expression of "Gökbörü" used by Turkish communities is the equal of "Akbörü" in Hakas language. Therefore, it can be uttered that the religious belief of Hakas people called as "Akçağan" religion is the same religion expressed as "Göktanrı" (God of the Sky) by the other Turkish communities. According to Hakas beliefs, the universe is formed of three sections. There is a nine-layered sky above called as "Çağan Çiri" (God's Place). "Akçağan", in other words of Hakas people, "Huday Çağan" dwells in the highest layer. "Akçağan" is the only ruler of Çağan Çiri. In the other layers, there are assistants of Akçağan who represent goodness and undertake various duties. These are interested in the affairs related with soil, plants, animals and the other natural events. Among these assistants, the most famous ones are called as Umay occupied in the productivity and souls of children, Ayzık occupied with the assistance for honest women and upright men, and Çaltırah Çayıçı occupied in cleansing of all badness from the earth's surface through lightning flashes. The other assistants of Akçağan are Hubay Han, the proprietor of mountains interested in the mountains, Sugday Han, the proprietor of rivers, Çildey Han, the proprietor of the wind, Humduzak, the proprietor of the cold, Od ines, proprietor of the fire, etc.
The second section is the underground world. This section called as "Ayna Çiri" or "Erikli Çiri" has seven layers. There are "creatures" related with badness in each layer of this section. The chief of these creatures is "Erlik Han" or in other words, Cinges Han. Erlik creatures had created the reptiles, the small monsters and the diseases. Erlik Han's most famous assistants include Erlik's Son, İtker-Molat and Uçak Tolay. Furthermore, Üzüt Han, the manager of the bad souls and Tamı Han, the manager of the hell on the seventh layer are the most terrifying underground forces.
Some classifications are interesting in Hakas Religious beliefs. These are the inclusion of the Farsi word, "Huda" as Huday among the Akçağan religious beliefs and the including of the Mongolian Khan's name, Cengiz as "Cinges".
"Künnig Çir" is located in the middle where all people live in. "Künnig Çir" is the battle area of the worlds of goodness and badness. Shamans support the people in this war and protect them from badness and diseases. Each shaman shall take the permission of the patron saint of shamans, "Adam Atam" before commissioning into his service. Adam Atam or Adam Han is on the west of the world. On the way to Adam Han, Kormes Han checks the qualifications of the applicants for being a shaman and then gives permission to pass to Adam Atam. The Shaman applicant has not been considered as shaman yet. Those who are would-be shamans are selected by the "assistant" on the sixth layer of "Çağan Çiri" and they are granted with "tös". Tös is the capability for being a shaman and it is believed that this capability is inherited among generations. Komes Han checks whether the shaman applicants have inherited this tös capacity. After taking the permission, the applicant should firstly try to become a "kam". A kam is an apprentice in the service of a shaman in some ways. In order to become a kam, the applicant should know the traditions and prayers of the people. Moreover, he should isolate himself in holy mountainous regions and get education from an old shaman. The training of an apprentice by an old shaman last generally for three months. The young one address to the old shaman as "pastaan paba".
Shamans undertake the profession of a doctor and the duty of the management of religious ceremonies among the people. The ceremonies in the winter are organised and managed by "karaşaman" (black shaman) and the summer ceremonies are organised and managed by "Akşaman" (white shaman). The most significant characteristic of shamans is their duty for medical treatment. Among the Muslim Khirghiz Turks, the institution of shamanism is still preserved with the only capacity of the treatment of patients. Similarly, the Shamans still continue to treat the patients among Tuva Turks who have adopted the religion of Lamaism. Meanwhile, it is possible to state that the attitudes and beliefs of the people called as "Ocak" who are believed to cure some diseases constitute the different form of the same tradition.
As it was stated under the section of Hakas history, Russians have imposed great oppression on Hakas people for the forced adoption of Christianity. As a result of these pressures, the last baptism was carried out in Askiz Village on the date of 15th July 1876. Therefore, all of Hakas people had become Christians in form. Most of men were named as Vladimir while most of women were named as Maria. However, despite all these events, Hakas people maintained their beliefs and traditions of Akçay in the shade of "the Cross".