Even though this bell has its original clapper attached to the interior of the instrument by a cord, this is more of a symbolic object, an object of prestige, than a musical instrument. The sculptor gave preference to the aesthetic aspect at the cost of the sound quality of the object.

It is often that an African bell is not strictly a musical instrument. Quite the contrary, it is a symbol of power and authority. For the Yorubas, for example, it serves to evoke and invoke the ancestors of the king, of the Oba.

In many African ethnic groups, each newly named chief is obliged to cast a bell in bronze or sculpt one in wood for his son to bear witness to the continuity of sovereign and military power. This passing of an object from father to son explains the theme of birth giving often depicted in the decorations or in the sculptures found on these bells.