Many of the materials on these four masks demonstrate the wide-ranging cultural exchange that occurred globally and across the African continent. Cowrie shells are closely associated with the royal court of the Kuba Kingdom. Harvested from warmer salt waters of the Indian Ocean, cowrie shells had to be transported great distances to the land-locked Kasai region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Similarly, glass beads like the ones featured on the Mikenga, Ngaady Mwaash, and Bwoom masks often originated from European sources and circulated widely across Africa, further emphasizing the interconnectedness of trade routes throughout the continent.