The common food among the Tutsi included beans, corn, peas, millet, sorghum, cassava, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Within their diets they receive carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals, that are provided by fruits and vegetables. They receive very little fat and protein. Due to this lack of protein a disease called kwashiorkor is common.
The Tutsi have several traditions regarding certain foods. An example is the sacredness of cows. They can only drink their milk on occasion, and they are only consumed when the cow dies on its own.They then bury the horns of the cow to bring good luck. They also drink beer in times of celebration such as weddings.
The Tutsi are a people that live in Rwanda, Burundi and the northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. They are very similiar to the Twa and Hutu which are other groups in the same region.
In the past the Tutsi were cattle herders but they were considered a minority of the group. Most of the upper-class rulers were however, Tutsi. Cattle herding actually was a way of keeping peace among the different groups. The Tutsi (upper-class) would often lend cattle the the Hutu (lower-class) in return for labor, loyaly and political support.
Social relations in both Rwandi and Burundi were changed in 1890 when the Germans took power until World War I. After the Germans left the Belgians then took control until 1962. During this time the Tutsis were always treated better than the Hutu until the 1950's when the Belgians pushed the Hutu to fight for control. This led to the Hutu overthrowing the Tutsi monarchy in Rwanda causing many Tutsi to flee to nearby countries. An agreement of peace was attempted by the mwami which was the Tutsi king, but this did not last as the Hutu tried to forcefully gain power but were defeated by the Tutsi.
When the European rule ended,
the Tutsi and Hutu both held their own rule. The Tutsi in Burundi and the Hutu in Rwanda. The Hutu held Rwanda until 1994 when Tutsi rebels attacked and forcefully overthrew the government. Genocide erupted in Rwanda and 800,000 people were killed and/or murdered. The Tutsi still control both Rwanda and Burundi to this day.
References:
Nyankanzi, Edward L. Genocide: Rwanda and Burundi. Rochester, Vt.: Schenkman Books, 1997.
Twagilimana, Aimable. Hutu and Tutsi. Heritage Library of African Peoples. New York: Rosen Publishing Group, 1998.
The Tutsi tribe's native tongue is Rwandi-Rundi which is a member of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family. Rwanid-Rundi is broken into two dialects; Kinyarwanda in Rwanda and Kirundi in Burundi. Due to their former Belgian rulers, many Tutsis also speak French, which is also used in schools and is considered their third official language. Because of this many people in both countries have French first names. Some Tutsi who have beebn refugees in Uganda may also speak English.
In the Tutsi society women are not viewed very highly. Their main role is to take care of the children, clean the house, and cook meals. They also sometimes work in agriculture doing much of the planting. Women are unrepresented in both aspects of business and the government. Women are also expected to follow any of the wishes of a man.
In 1994 gender issues lead to genocide among many of the Tutsi people. It also resulted in a lot of sexual violence among these women.
References:
Stanford, E. Leanor
2012 Culture of Burundi. Electronic document,
http://www.everyculture.com/Bo-Co/Burundi.html#b
Green, Llezlie L.
2002 Sexual Violence and Genocide Against Tutsi Women. Electronic document,
Social status is very important in both Rwanda and Burundi. Signs of status include a person's posture, body movements, and way of speaking. Upper-class people are supposed to act with dignity and not show their emotions.
In the past, most people had arranged marriages to someone of the same social class. Today, Tutsi may choose the person they will marry. When there is a marriage the Groom gives money to the bride's family.
Group activities are more common than dating in couples. However, some young Tutsis in the cities practice Western-style dating and go out to nightclubs.
Tutsi mother and her child.
Tutsi and Hutu families are patrilineal (the family name is passed on by males). In the past, marriage in Rwanda and Burundi was based on the relations between the two families. Today most Tutsis choose the person they will marry. When a baby is brought into the world they have a naming ceremony on the seventh day. Intertribal Relationships In these married couples, for example, one partner is drawn from the Hutu tribal group and the other from the Tutsi group. Fighting between these two ethnic factions has been the trigger for genocidal campaigns in both Rwanda and Burundi during the past years. The animus against such mixed marriages is so great that the United Nations created a special refugee camp for these families for fear they would be attacked by other refugees. Forced marriage or group sexual slavery Some Tutsi women chose to stay with Hutu men who forced them to marry them during the genocide. They built these men up for not doing them any harm, despite the killings they might have committed of other Tutsi families. Rape, as well as the killings and torture of family members, kept these women in a form of coerced slavery. In terms of sexual slavery, Human Rights Watch reported in 1996 that "women were subjected to sexual slavery and held collectively by a militia group or were singled out by one militia man, at checkpoints or other sites where people were being maimed or slaughtered, and held for personal sexual service. The militiamen would force women to submit sexually with threats that they would be killed if they refused."
Kinship Modern-day genetic studies of the Y-chromosome suggest that the Tutsi are largely of Bantu extraction(80% E1b1a, 15% B, 4% E3). Paternal genetic influences associated with the Horn of Africa and North Africa are few (1% E1b1b), and are ascribed to much earlier inhabitants who were assimilated. The Tutsi, in general, demonstrate a close genetic kinship with neighboring Bantu populations, particularly the Hutu.
References:
BBC News Africa 2011 Rwanda: How the Genocide happened. Electronic document, http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-13431486, accessed November 13, 2012 Nyankanzi, Edward L.
The combined
population of Rwanda and Burundi was about 13 million in 1994. However, many
refugees fled Rwanda that year from the Rwandan genocide. 800,000 Tutsis were
killed but, many Rwandese Tutsi returned from Uganda after the Hutu army was
defeated in 1994 bringing the population of Tutsi back up to nearly 11 million.
References: The History Place 1999 Genocide in the 20th Century: Rwanda 1994 800,000 Deaths. Electronic document, http://www.historyplace.com/worldhistory/ genocide/rwanda.htm, accessed November 13, 2012.
Rwanda, Burundi,
northeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire) in Africa.
Rwanda and Burundi are
mountainous countries in East Central Africa. Their combined total area is
about 20,900 square miles which is almost the combined size of the states of
Maryland and New Jersey.
Tutsi also live in the
northeastern part of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. They live near the
city of Bukavu in the Mulenge region.
Reference: Nyankanzi, Edward L.
1997 Tutsi. Electronic document,
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Brazil-to-Congo-Republic-of/ Tutsi.html#b, accessed November 13, 2012.
Social relations in both Rwandi and Burundi were changed in 1890 when the Germans took power until World War I. After the Germans left the Belgians then took control until 1962. During this time the Tutsis were always treated better than the Hutu until the 1950's when the Belgians pushed the Hutu to fight for control. This led to the Hutu overthrowing the Tutsi monarchy in Rwanda causing many Tutsi to flee to nearby countries. An agreement of peace was attempted by the mwami which was the Tutsi king, but this did not last as the Hutu tried to forcefully gain power but were defeated by the Tutsi.
The Tutsi tribe's native tongue is Rwandi-Rundi which is a member of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger-Congo language family. Rwanid-Rundi is broken into two dialects; Kinyarwanda in Rwanda and Kirundi in Burundi. Due to their former Belgian rulers, many Tutsis also speak French, which is also used in schools and is considered their third official language. Because of this many people in both countries have French first names. Some Tutsi who have beebn refugees in Uganda may also speak English.
