Dibu (or Ndibu, the plural form is madibu), is a bell used in types of hunting rituals by Congo ritual specialists (or Nganga). They are commissioned by men to be strapped around the necks of dogs during a hunting ritual (which has both literal and spiritual components). 

The two types of dibu serve different functions in the hunting ritual. The smaller and simpler dibu serve a practical purpose . As dogs in the Congo typically don’t bark, the bell’s sound is used by owners to locate their dog as it chases game. 

The larger and more decorated examples were used by Nganga diviners or healers in hunting down witches. They invocated spiritual forces, acting as “mystical percussive instruments that allude to the dogs’ heightened sensory abilities” when sounded. (“Rattle: Face | Kongo Peoples | the Metropolitan Museum of Art” 2015). They vary from the first bell especially because of their “sculpted handle[s] and the geometric decorations that have been applied to the sound chamber.” (“Bozomu” 2022).