Sometime between AD 1200 and 1350, a Native American among the Mississippian people in what is now central Illinois fashioned this mask from red cedar. Influenced by the culture of Cahokia, the mask was probably used in rituals to depict the face of both worldly and supernatural power. The haunting visage evokes the long history of ancient Americans and their impressive achievements. Mask photograph: © 2002 John Bigelow Taylor, www.johnbigelowtaylor.com. Illinois State Museum, Springfield, Cat. No. 273.