For the Zulu people, the belief in ancestral spirits or the spirits of the dead is the focal point of their belief structure. To them, the spirits of their ancestors act as the intermediaries between the world of the living and the spirit world called unkulunkulu (Von Kapff). For the Zulu people, the idea of life after death are also held as sacred belief and for them as a society the idea of old age or growing old is considered a blessing (Zulu).  By remembering the spirits of their ancestors the Zulu believe that they gain good fortune and to forget them is bring harm to the family of the spirit.

            To gain this good fortune the Zulu people often give offerings and animal sacrifices to the spirits when the need arises such as when illness or other forms of “bad luck” affect the tribe, family, or individual. For the Zulu people, the idea of magic and its uses are very real in that they will call on the inyanga, or doctor, of the tribe to turn to their use of both plants and animal parts to construct remedies to cure situation (Von Kapff and Zulu).  After the Zulu people fell under the control of the British many of them converted to Christianity but for some the idea of combining the belief of the ancestors and Christianity became the norm (Zulu).