Kuba masks have traditionally been used in the context of teaching history and cultural values through performance, thus contributing to the forming of identity and the maintenance of the social order. The bwoom is one of three generic types of royal Kuba masks. Although less elaborate than the other two types, the bwoom mask expresses its power through scale and dramatic sculptural form. These masks reflect the spiritual life of the Kuba people. They function as mingesh (singular ngesh), or nature spirits, and accordingly function as intermediaries between the supreme being (Nyeem) and living humans.

This bwoom mask is representative of the genre, with its bulging forehead, prominent nose, and sunken cheeks. The intensity of ornamentation with cowrie shells and beading is what truly sets this piece apart. Some scholars have suggested that the facial features represent a pygmy, perhaps a specific member of the Tshwa Pygmies, one of the many hunter-gatherer groups that lived in lands close to the Kuba villages. The symbolism of the pygmy is appropriate in so far as the mask is meant to represent the common people. Other sources indicate that the mask is a representation of a hydrocephalic prince, while others argue that it is an image of a ngesh.