Terracotta figurines from this early period are typically monochrome and often show fine sculptural qualities. Small figures, such as this handsome example, were probably made as cult objects. This particular one appears to be male, but the exact sex seems to have been of little importance, or simply taken for granted. The seated position, with legs spread wide and hands on thighs, is characteristic and may represent the manner shamans sat during ritual ceremonies. The unadorned simplicity only accentuates certain features, such as the earspools and mushroom shaped hat. The one was a symbol of rank and wealth, while the other suggests the use of hallucinogenic mushrooms. Since shamans were highly regarded, an image of one involved in a ritual trance may have possessed its own supernatural power, and would have been an object of worship.