The Makalanga undoubtedly believe in the immortality of the soul, but they have very vague ideas as to a future life beyond a thorough faith in the transmigration of souls. They do not conceive the existence of a Creator or Supreme Being, their highest conception being _M’uali_, a spirit, who can make their crops a failure and their herds sick, and to this spirit they offer sacrifices. The _M’uali_, judging by native account, is not in any way an ennobling spirit, and they are constantly in dread of him. The witch-doctors in order to acquire wealth for themselves interpret the wishes of the _M’uali_ in the light of their own purposes and interests. With regard to burials the customs, even among the Makalanga, vary considerably. In some instances the bodies are laid lengthwise and on the left side facing the north. This seems to have been the original custom of these people, but it is not now a general one. Burial in a sitting position is very commonly met with. On the Acropolis, during the preservation work (1902–3), about fifty Makalanga graves were found, and the remains in a score of instances were removed. Practically all were in a sitting position, only three having been buried lengthways. These were discovered in entrances and passages, the bodies having been laid on the surface, soil and stones, taken from the nearest wall, placed round and over them. None of these were very old, and most were Mogabe’s people. Their bark hunting-nets, assegais, pots, and other personal belongings, were placed on the top of the grave, and not inside with the corpse. The Baduma, who live in Gutu’s country, and also the Barotse, still embalm or, rather, dry the bodies of their chiefs, and also the dead of certain families, though generally the bodies are buried lengthways on their right side, facing the sun. The body is placed in the hut on a bier made of poles near a large fire, and continually turned, any blisters which may appear being carefully broken, until the body is dry. Then it is wrapped up in a blanket and hung from the roof. Annual sacrifices are made to the spirits, and the bodies are regularly visited and kept in order by a person appointed for that work. The rain-makers, who live on the Sabi, also dry their dead.