Goats, sheep, pigs, and chicken are raised for meat. The men are responsible for supplementing this diet through hunting, to which they attach great ritual importance. Occasionally, the Bembe lease out some of their land to neighbors for grazing, and recently they have begun to prospect for alluvial gold and tin, which they can sell. Although there is no centralized local authority in Bembeland, government is run quite effectively through a large number of patrilineal clans. The bwami society, which is made up of the influential men in the community, is responsible for making the political, economic, and judicial decisions which affect the community.
Religion is based on individual and lineage ancestor cults.
The Bembe have also absorbed many of the religious ideas of their neighbors.