Zambia, Republic of the Congo and the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Yombe

Metal, wood, rattan
Early 20th Century
Length: 8.25 in; Width: 3.5 in; Depth: 3 in
Idiophone-Struck Directly – Bell

Kongo hunting dogs cannot bark, so they are located by ordinary bells. A different type of hunter is the diviner or healer (nganga), who is concerned with summoning the spirits to heal or seek justice, by using an elaborately carved bell called madibu (dibu). The focus of the nganga’s power was a nkisi, a container often in the form of a figure, which holds the materials that activate spiritual forces that aid the nganga. In public performances, the nganga would wear a striking costume, jewelry and regalia and would dance to music from whistles, gongs, rattles and bells. The bells’ sound came from the action of the wood clappers inside. The bell’s handle, a figure carved in a seated position, is possibly the power figure (nkisi).