Hutus

’ And Tutsis’ Essay, Research Paper

The culture of the Hutu and Tutsi tribes of Rwanda, Africa interests me for many reasons. One reason is that they are so diverse from our American way of life. Another reason is that I have heard a little bit about them in the news and by talking to people. This sparked my interest and made me want to learn more about them. I will cover a wide variety of information in my report. This will include the land where they live, their way of life, their history and ancestry, and what the government is like in Rwanda. I don’t expect the reader to become an expert on the Hutus and the Tutsis, but I do hope that the reader gets a general understanding about what is going on in their section of Africa. I have learned lots of new information from doing this report, not only about the Hutus’ and the Tutsis’ culture, but about the whole continent of Africa.

The first topic that I will cover is about the people that make up the tribes of the Hutu and Tutsi. The total population of the country of Rwanda, where most of their events have taken place is 7,800,000. The population of the Hutus is 3,000,000 and the Tutsis number only 1,000,000. The physical traits of the Hutus and Tutsis are very different from each other. The Hutu have larger noses and larger all around facial features than the Tutsis. Most Tutsis are seldom less than six feet tall, while the Hutu are very short people. The Tutsis are related to the Masai and the people along the Nile, while the Hutus have a Buntu history. As you can see the people that make up the tribes of the Hutus and the Tutsis are a very diverse group of people.

The way of life for the Hutu and the Tutsis is considerably different. Traditionally, the Tutsi were the wealthy, upper class and the Hutu were little more than slaves. Now the power is a little more equally divided, but is still more in favor of the Tutsis. The Hutu are mainly peasant farmers, while the Tutsis are mainly animal stock breeders. One thing that the Hutu and the Tutsi have in common is that they are both a Buntu language speaking group. The basis of the natives’ religion is a belief that there is a supreme principle of good known as Imana. Followers of this religion use magical amulets in their rituals. One half of the people in Rwanda are Christian, and most of the Christians are Catholic.

The staple foods of the Hutu are cooked bananas, maize, and millet. The staple foods of the Tutsis are dairy products, and agricultural foods that are bought from the Hutu. Only a minimal percentage of both tribes go to school. The children that go to school either go to a religious mission or to a public school. The way of life for the Hutu and Tutsi differs from our lifestyle very much.

Right now the economy is in shambles because of the devastation of the long enduring civil war between these rival ethnic groups. I will expand on this topic later. The industry crashed because most of the country’s efforts were being put into the war effort and not much work was getting done. Very little economic activity is going on and, as a result of this, millions of people are suffering. The agriculture consists of Hutu farmers’ products. Stock breeding is done by the Tutsis who are cattle herders. Tin mining is the leading industry in Rwanda. As you can see the economy was never very strong to begin with, and now with the civil war raging it is worse than ever.

The history of conflict between the two tribes began four centuries ago. The Tutsis are a warrior tribe of Hamatic origin. Sometimes called the “Watutsi”, they invaded the Hutu in Rwanda from the North. The Hutu couldn’t defend themselves and they were taken over by the Tutsi and reduced to serfdom. Each Hutu chose a Tutsi Lord who gave them use of cattle. There wasn’t much conflict until 1959 when a civil war broke out when the leaders of both tribes were killed. The Hutu tried to get equality through the National Party of Hutu Emancipation. This did not work however. In 1960, elections were held under Belgium supervision. More Hutus won and the Hutus took over the government. The Hutu Gregoire Kayibanda was elected president. Two years later Rwanda won independence and the Hutus started mistreating the Tutsis. After independence, violence erupted between the two tribes. In 1973 Kayibanda was accused of being lenient with Tutsis who slaughtered thousands of Hutus in Burundi. The army was unhappy about this so they took over the government. General Habyarinew was appointed president of Rwanda. In 1990 the Tutsis began a civil war against the Hutu government. The Tutsis forced the Hutus to Zairian refugee camps. Since Zaire is a poor country and they couldn’t support the Hutu refugees they forced the Hutus back to Rwanda. Finally in 1994 settlements seemed to be working out. Later in 1994 a plane crashed at Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, with a Hutu leader on board. The Hutus thought the Tutsis were responsible for this act. Hutu extremists began their campaign of genocide after this. 500,000 Tutsis were killed by the Hutu extremists, who also killed Hutus who wanted to live peacefully with the Tutsis. 2137 of the killers were under 18. Trials for the minors are supposed to take place in March of 1997. Altogether since independence, more than half a million people have been killed and just as many have fled to Zaire and Uganda.

Today Rwanda is dominated by the Hutus, and