Hunting Dog or Goat BaKongo Bell

As in Europe and around the world, African peoples used locally-made bells and rattles made from a variety of materials as identification and tracking devices for their livestock and hunting dogs. A former Somali camel herder who resettled as a refugee in Minneapolis reported to a friend in an interview how the soundscape of his animals (big bells on big camels and smaller bells on smaller camels) kept him informed as to the distribution of his livestock, even in thicker thorn brush. No two wood bells will sound exactly alike, and by deliberately outfitting one’s hunting dogs with different sized bells, hunters can keep better track of their charges’ locations, even when they are not barking or in hot pursuit of game. Today, such bells are more often made from recycled materials, such as cans and plastic jars. This example is from the mid-twentieth century and was carved from wood with natural fiber. Custom base. $120

5″ W