The Cult of M'dweshuu was a brutal religious sect that originated on the Nikto homeworld of Kintan. The cult, which predated the Republic, worshiped the nearby star M'dweshuu, whose radiation caused a high Nikto mutation rate. Followers of the Cult sought to appease the star through blood sacrifices. As such, its followers were common among violent or dangerous professions. The Hutts put down the M'dweshuu Cult "on numerous occasions", but never quite succeeded in eradicating it. The Cult once ruled Kintan, which necessitated the planet's brutal annexation by the Hutts centuries before the Clone Wars.