Ivory tobacco or snuff boxes were called tesa ya makany by the Tshokwe, kwy by some central Pende and shinga by Lunda and Pende from Kasai.

The Tshokwe and Lunda specimens have an elegant slight hourglass shape, while Pende snuff boxes are completely cylindrical. Among the Lunda, the leather stoppers are hemispherical, while those of the Tshokwe and Pende are disc-shaped. Thus, this delightful, lightly curved tobacco box with a disc-shaped stopper probably originates from the Tshokwe.