The Emandwa cult is mainly associated with the pastoralists in western and south-western Uganda; its emergence ilatfes from their incursion into this region, from about the seventeenth century. The is popularly associated with the Bacwezi rulers of the former empire of Bunyoro-Kitara, though it was worshipped throughout the whole of the interlacustrine region down to Rwanda and the Unyamwezi region. In terms of historical developments, there must have 'been a tremendous interaction among the various ethnic groups in this region for this religious complex to cover such a vast area. No individual society lived as an isolated group, especially as intermarriage between the ruling families in this area was the order of the day. The Emandwa were more powerful than other earlier religious mediums in the area. In some areas, where Emandwa were very much entrenched, the Bazimu (ancestral, spirits) went underground completely. The people of the area called upon the Emandwa to quieten the rage of the living dead. In Rwanda, Ryangombe, the king of the Emandwa was raised almost to the status of a king. In a society which was wracked by ethnic divisions—Tutsi, Hutu and Twa, in descending order — the ruling family had to devise something to hold society together.