Suku helmet masks of this type (hemba) are used by several other ethnic groups including the neighboring Pende and Yaka. These masks appear during the male initiation rituals when the young men in isolated camps are taught their first initiatiory secrets. The masks are then danced during the celebrations that mark the end of the initiation period and the circumcision that completes the boy's transition into manhood. The masks represent the worldly and spiritual participants in the long and complex initiation period.