Ebe Amẹ refers to a wide variety of plants, particularly the leaves of the water fern or river leaf, found in riverine areas of southern Nigeria ( ). Artists from the Igun-Ẹrọnmwọn used these as a decorative motif in the background of most Ama-Ẹrọnmwọn (bronze relief plaques). The petals of the Ebe Amẹ, like the points of the ἀghàdàgháda (crossroads), represent the four cardinal directions: north, east, south, and west. The number four plays a foundational role in the Edo calendar, which is structured around four market days ( ).

Ẹgogo (gongs) hold significant importance in Benin art and ritual, serving as powerful instruments with both practical and symbolic roles. Ivory gongs, especially “double-bell” types, were highly prized and reserved for the royal court, particularly those made entirely of ivory, which were used exclusively by the Ọba. The whiteness of ivory Ẹgogo symbolises purity and peace and is linked to sacred Orhue (white kaolin chalk) and the deity Olokun (Blackmun 2007, cat. no. 60, p. 315).

When depicted in the imagery of the Emwin Arhe (royal treasures), Ẹgogo are usually held by figures such as the Ọba or high-ranking chiefs, illustrating their historical and ongoing use as idiophones during ceremonies and festivals. The Ọba dances with an ornately carved ivory Ẹgogo during the Emobo festival, which takes place three days after the Iguẹ festival (Ben-Amos 1995, p. 108).