Cattle Herders and Trade Patterns

Cattle Herders

The Tutsi civilizations are located in Rwanda, Burundi, and parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Tutsis lived amongst other civilizations. Compared to the other civilizations, the Tutsis were a small group of people. Fortunately, the Tutsi people were highly skilled in cattle herding. This was important for not only all the civilizations and having food to eat, but being good at cattle herding helped the Tutsis build strong bonds with the other local civilizations (Nyankanzi 1997). Having good relationships with the other civilizations meant that they would be able to keep peace with others and gain their loyalty (Nyankanzi 1997).

Trade Patterns

Along with cattle trading with local civilizations, the Tutsis benefited from being conquered by the Europeans. When the europeans held power where the Tutsi civilizations were located, the Tutsis were able to grow bonds with the europeans. In the 1890s, Germany had power and traded with the Tutsis because the Tutsis were well-known for cattle herding and cattle trading (Shackleford 2014). Germany favored the Tutsis over the Hutus because of the overall fact that the Tutsis offered the Germans something useful (Shackleford 2014). During their rule, Germans found a vast commodity within Rwanda, which happened to be coffee. The Tutsis had cattle and the physicality in which they could be a strong partner of Germanys to harvest the coffee beans. Having such great relationships with the Germans, the Tutsis were favored in benefitting from incoming capital from the Western markets.  

References

Nyankanzi, Edward L. 

         "Genocide: Rwanda and Burundi." Rochester, Vt.: Schenkman Books, 1997.
         Countries and Their Cultures." Tutsi. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Shackleford, Rusty.
         "Colonization and the Rwandan Genocide." Yahoo Contributor Network. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014.

Language and International Intervention

Language

There are many derivations of languages spoken by the Tutsi.  However the Tutsi mainly, speak Rwanda-Rundi as their native tongue.  Rwanda-Rundi is a subgroup of Bantu, which originates from the Niger-Congo language family. Rwanda and Rundi is a mixture of two distinct dialects, Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. It is believed that Rwanda and Burundi each had a specific native tongue, but when they spread through Central Africa they crossed paths and formed this hybrid called Rwanda-Rundi.  In addition, some other Tutsis speak French, which is considered their third official language, right after Rwanda-Rundi.

International Intervention

In 1994, the Tutsi people became victims of a massive genocide.  After the attack was over only one fourth of the population remained alive.  One year before the genocide happened, in 1993, The United States’ attempted to intervene in Somalia, leading to the battle Mogadishu.  This battle lasted 17 hours and throughout it the bodies of dead American soldiers being dragged around the streets, were being televised in news networks; this is considered the longest, bloodiest battle of U.S troop since the Vietnam War.  For these losses, other countries decided to just stand back during the Tutsi genocide, because they believed intervening would have been a waste of time, money, and troops.  Eventually, the genocide came to an end, but it is believe that it did not stopped because an outside force intervened, but because the genocide was finished.

Referenes

Michigan State University

                    "African Language Webbook Homepage."African Languages at Michigan State University (ASC). Michigan State University, n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2014. <http://africa.isp.msu.edu/afrlang/language.htm?id=91>.

Snyder, R.
                    "Operation Restore Hope, Battle of Mogadishu,1993." Operation Restore Hope, Battle of Mogadishu,1993. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Apr. 2014. <http://novaonline.nvcc.edu/eli/evans/his1

Family and Kinship

                   Family and kinship have changed drastically over time in the Tutsi group. Many years ago family clans were highly significant. They lived together in solidarity until geographical mobility forced them to disperse. (Piddington page 178) Marriage plays an important role in society as woman are expected to marry and reproduce. “Unlike in the past, most couples today select their own mates, though approval of the family is expected. “(Culture of Burundi)

                Inheritance through a family stay within the male gender, status and clan affiliation, along with possessions is passed down from a father and divvied between his sons. Families live in close proximity, usually, a wife has her own household while the husbands extend family live within close quarters. Both the wife and husbands kin have important social relations to the family. (Culture of Burundi) Today though clans only serve the purpose of defining marriage partners, their purpose and significance has died out over time, though historically they were of major importance.

References:
Every Culture

2004 Culture of Burundi. Advameg Inc. Electronic Document. http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Burundi.html, accessed on March 13, 20014

Piddington, Ralph

              1965. Kinship and Geographical Mobility. 
              Electronic document.http://books.google.com/book
              Accessed on March 13, 2014

 

Zar, Maryam

2010. Stand Up if you Know about Ruwanda. The voice of Womanfound. October 24. Electronic Document. http://womenfound.wordpress.com/category/tutsi/ Accessed on March 13, 2014

Gender Roles Within

               In the Tutsi group gender plays a big role in the division of labor. Gender inequality is still very evident as men have much more power than do woman.  Women are held in high regard, as none are generally put down or oppressed, however, they are usually never the one to make the decision in anything regarding important acts.

                  Women are respected for their contribution to the community as child bearer and taker of the home. They work at home and have little to do with the outside business world. Their jobs include taking care of the children, cleaning, cooking and “In rural regions, women also work in agriculture and do most of the work of planting, as their fertility is believed to be transferred to the seeds.”(Culture of Burundi) Their skills make them highly respected yet it is the man who is head of household and makes the decisions for the family. In this indigenous group both genders are highly respected and honored as a vital part of the community, yet for very distinctive reasons. Men work in the outside world, provide for their families and make the important decisions, while the woman do the inside work of caring for the household chores and children.

References:

Every Culture

2004 Culture of Burundi. Advameg Inc. Electronic Document. http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Burundi.html, accessed on March 13, 20014

Horse, Lazer

2013. Burundi-A Tiny Country With A Rough Past. October 27. Electronic Document. http://www.lazerhorse.org/2013/10/27/burundi-tiny-country-rough-past/ Accessed on March 13, 2014.

The Struggling Tutsi Population

The Rwandan Genocide of 1994 brought a large death toll for the country of Rwanda, especially the Tutsi tribe. Estimates of 800,000 people were killed during the genocide (Konduza 2012).  Most of those were murdered and raped were Tutsi, others were Hutu who opposed the violence. Many women were raped and 20,000 children were born as a result (Konduza 2012). More than half of the women that were raped attained HIV. HIV and AIDS left many children orphaned. These are the effects of sexualized violence used as a weapon of war. Today, the country is trying to create national unity only to prevent this from ever happening again. However, the genocide left psychological effects that still create a dividing line between Hutus and Tutsis. Many survivors today still live in fear that they are still being targeted. They do not feel safe and Hutus and Tutsis still do not mix. Although it has been 20 years, Rwanda is still healing from scars the left by the 1994 genocide.

References

Coleman, Isobel

       2010 Rwanda: Road to recovery. Council on foreign relations. April 7. Electronic Document. http://www.cfr.org/rwanda/rwanda-road-recovery/p21853, accessed on March 26, 2014.

Konduza, David

       2012 Zambia: Rwanda Genocide aftermath- survivors still haunted. All Africa. May 3. Electronic Document. http://allafrica.com/stories/201205030661.html?page=5, accessed on March 26, 2014.

Torgovnik, Jonathan

       2011 Intended Consequences: Rwandan children born of rape. The Paley Center for Media. May1. Electronic Document. http://www.paleycenter.org/p-intended-consequences-rwandan-children-born-of-rape, accessed on March 26, 2014.

Tutsi Religion and Traditions

RELIGION:

Beginning in about 1880,  Roman Catholic missionaries arrived in the Great Lakes region. Later, when German forces occupied the area during World War I, the conflict and efforts for Catholic conversion became more pronounced. As a result, today most people in Rwanda and Burundi are Christians. However, some traditional beliefs still survive. These include the belief in a distant creator called Imaana. This god has the power to grant wealth and fertility. The king shares in this power. It can be seen in his sacred fire, royal drums, and rituals. Spirits of dead relatives, called abazima , carry messages between Imaana and the human world. However, the abazima may bring bad luck to those who do not respect them. People offer gifts to protect themselves from the abazima. They also try to learn the spirits' wishes by seeing fortune-tellers.

FOLK LAW:

Tutsi folklaw includes poetry, proverbs, folk tales, riddles, and myths. Some Tutsis used to know the names of their ancestors at least six generations back. Many believed they were descended from a mythical king named Gihanga. One popular folk tale tells the story of Sebgugugu. He was a poor man who was helped by God. God performed miracles to provide food for him and his family. However, each time Sebgugugu wanted more. Through his greed, Sebgugugu lost everything in the end.

MAJOR HOLIDAYS:

National holidays include Independence Day, May Day, New Year's Day, and the major Christian holidays. The Tutsis' traditional holidays were celebrated with dancing and sacred drumming. These holidays are no longer observed.

RITES OF PASSAGE:

Hutu and Tutsi rites of passage are very similar. The first one, the naming ceremony, takes place seven days after a child's birth.  The tradition is that, when a mother gives birth to a baby, they must stay in a separate house alone for seven days. The child is then named on the seventh day during the naming ceremony. There is no ritual other than marriage to mark the beginning of adulthood. Marriage is made legal by payment of the bride wealth. It is paid by the groom's family to the bride's family because they are losing her labor.  The bride price is mainly in heads of cattle, goats and traditional beer. The bride has to undergo a series of traditional events to prepare her for the marriage. For example, sleeping in separate rooms and having her body washed with herbs and milk to purify her. Death is marked by prayers, speeches, and limits on many activities. Close family members are supposed to avoid physical labor and sex after a death. When the mourning period ends, the family holds a ritual feast.

CULTURAL HERITAGE:

Royal dancing and drumming groups performed for the kings of Rwanda and Burundi. For rituals, two dozen tall drums were placed around a central drum. The drummers moved around the drums in a circle. Each one took a turn beating the central drum. This style of drumming is still practiced, and it has been recorded. Singing, dancing, and drumming are important in rural life. People compose many kinds of songs—hunting songs, lullabies, and ibicuba (songs praising cattle).

CRAFTS AND HOBBIES:

Traditional crafts of Rwanda and Burundi include basket weaving, pottery, woodworking, metal working, and jewelry making.


References

Author Unknown
        n.d. Brazil to Congo, Republic of >>Tutsi. Countries and Their Cultures. Electronic document, 

http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Brazil-to-Congo-Republic-of/Tutsi.html, accessed March 23rd.

Landess, Harriet.
        2011. Society and Culture: The Rwandese Hutu, Tutsi and Twa. The Examiner. Electronic document, http://www.examiner.com/article/society-and-culture-the-rwandese-hutu-tutsi-and-twa, accessed March 23rd.
Citron, Bob
       2011. Royal Watutsi Dancers. Youtube. 

MusicalArk. 
       2013. Lama (Tustsi Tribe) [Love Song]. Youtube.

Politics and Power

Ever since the uproar of violence in 1994 and the conflicts that led up to the genocide, the Rwandan is still not entirely stable. President Paul Kagame is currently leading the post-genocide government of Rwanda. He is of Tutsi descent and his rebel force ended the genocide in 1994 (Chothia 2010). He was elected president in 2003 and in 2010 (Chothia 2010). He has been accused for repressing freedom and was known for his anti-genocide legislation. From the time of the genocide to Kagame’s election, the Rwandan government did not have an actual constitution, but was governed by a combination of the Arusha Accords and Preseident Habyarimana’s 1991 constitution (Gasmagara 2007). Kagame created a new constitution for Rwanda that sought to prevent any conflicts over power especially between the Tutsis and the Hutus. However, his strong opposition to any form of dissent has caused some disruption of freedom, especially in the media. Furthermore, he supported the rebellion in the Democratic Republic of Congo to overthrow its president, delving into another war, while his own country is still recovering from its own civil war. Kagame, with opposing parties from the Hutu ethnic group, is growing intolerant to political threats because he failed to end the ethnic conflict that caused the genocide in the first place. Therefore, although it has been 20 years since the genocide, there is still Hutu and Tutsi resentment, especially in politics.

References

Chothia, Farouk
          2010 Profile: Rwanda’s President Paul Kagame, BBC News. December 10. Electronic Document. http://www.bbc.com/news/10479882, accessed on March 25, 2014.

Gasmagara, Wellars
          2007 The constitution making process in Rwanda: Lessons to be learned. 7^th Global Forum for Reinventing Government, June. Electronic Document. http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/un/unpan02662 0.pdf, accessed on March 25, 2014.