Figurines in the form of a human were called iginga (plural maginga), whether they were made from wood or ivory. Each represented a specific character. Unfortunately, many of these figurines – including this one – were collected without the corresponding identity.

Only those who were initiated into the highest rank of bwami society had the right to possess figurines made from ivory or elephant bone.

‘Whoever dies does not come back; no mushroom can grow on ivory.’ This saying was recited during the initiation to the rank of kindi. It equates the ivory figurines with the skeleton of the deceased, and the ivory masks with their skulls – vital parts of ancestors that never disappear, and thus symbolize the continuity between generations.