This relationship is largely confined to members of a secret dance society, the Nyago and Ben of the Yao and the Nyao of the Chewa. All Mbunda have a personal relationship with Kalunga, which is celebrated in the inclusive Mkishi dance. Hence the structure of beliefs and their observances varies widely within the societies represented by the sculptors. It is relevant to look at the derivation and origin of the subject matter of the sculpture. Much of it comes from beliefs which are articulated through myth and folklore.
Myth is common to all cultures with culturally-determined variants.
Through its presentation of archetypal situations, myth establishes moral truths and the differences between good and evil. Folklore is the means by which myth is perpetuated. Through folklore archetypal situations are individualised and given a reality to ensuing generations. Both myth and folklore are part of the rich oral history of all the societies represented by the sculptors. If beliefs are based on myth and folklore rather than couched in reality they are none the less real to those who believe, and they determine perceptions of physical phenomena and animal and human behaviour.