Archaeologists believe that these totems, which often had carved gold masks placed on them, played an important ceremonial role in Sanxingdui culture. No one knows exactly what they were used for, but it seems likely that they represented the dead, perhaps even specific ancestors, and that the Sanxingdui people believed they could help and protect the living. The totems received ritualistic offerings, and their masks may also have been worn by human participants impersonating dead spirits and other supernatural beings during important rituals.