I don't come out of hiding often, but I thought I'd give my two cents.
I'm a heathen in rl Once, the local Baptist church tried to frighten me into converting. So I wasn't particularly thrilled with the concept of 'converting the heathens' first.

Then I started thinking it through a bit more. I guess my interpretation is that they are faithless in a more literal sense, that they have had some great misfortune and have forsaken all gods, spirits and other deities. The totems are not religious necessarily, more of a symbol of the smaller clans within the tribe, a sign of ownership.

And these little guys are failing miserably at surviving.(Weeping Master Farmer gets to me more than he should)My first thought? Oh man, did I curse these guys? Is this my divine vengeance, did I make the ground barren, put a hex on the ailing healer?

But again, I stopped and thought a little bit more...Our tribes die instantly without my Godhand guiding their every move. There have been tribes I have to babysit on the *hour* to keep them from dying off. And these heathens, they have no guidance only their wits. Our villagers have always been sorely lacking in that department

So the heathens, they are badly in need of help, help I can't give them until they have some faith in me again. My villagers have to be my hands and words for me.

Another thought I had, maybe the masks aren't "real". Because they have no faith in God-me, maybe I can't see the heathens as they are. All I can observe is their behavior and basic personality.

And lastly....Swarm of beeees 8D HAHAHA YEESSSSS