The Tutsi tribe or Watutsi tribe of Rwanda is a tribe in central Africa that suffered through immense warfare and genocide in 1994, known as the Rwandan Genocide. It has been 20 years since the massive outbreak of violence, and this tribe is still recuperating. This blog focuses on the last 20 years in the aftermath of the genocide for the Tutsi tribe, while in turn providing some knowledge of Tutsi culture, through an anthropological perspective.
The Tutsi tribe resides in the African Continent in the areas of Rwanda and Burundi.
References
Radhikarajan Samadder 2009. Marxist, An encyclopaedia of Countries from poorest. Electronic document, http://radhikaranjanmarxist.blogspot.com/2009/06/nigeria-introduction.html, accessed April 15th. Todd Burkes
2009. Confronting Health-Care Hysteria, Part 2. Electronic document, http://www.urbanfaith.com/2009/09/confronting-health-care-hysteria-part-2.html/, accessed April 15th.
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.
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 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
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
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.
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.
