The name Kisokolo may be linked with the Chokwe word chisokolu, a forked hunter's staff with protrusions for the attachment of amulets. The hooked nose on masks of these types is often discussed as a phallic symbol. It may also have had a functional use. The neophytes have to bite a piece of manioc bread and goat meat from the nose of the mask, and its hooked shape certainly would have suited that purpose. The black curve that appears on the forehead and cheeks and ends at the nostrils represents a scarification known by the Nkanu as n'ganzi, which probably also occurred among neighboring peoples.

The mask has a whitened face with a black frame, and "horns," which represent the raised arms of a dancer expressing his joy. The piece of otter (mfuki) skin that is supposed to fit between the horns is represented in paint. The white face and the lines underneath the eyes are tokens of the traditional clan chief's power. Both are meant to protect the chief when he contacts the ancestors.