Rwanda's Complex Ethnic History

▪ 1995

  (See also Map—> and Chart—>.)

      Historically, the geographic environment of the Great Lakes region of central Africa erected an effective barrier to all but the most determined intruders: neighbouring ethnic groups, slave traders, and, for a time, European invaders. Three immigrant groups, the Twa, the Hutu, and the Tutsi—known collectively as the Banyarwanda—established their homes there. While Rwanda's prehistory is not yet conclusive, the Twa (who now constitute less than 1% of the population of Rwanda) are believed to have been the first occupants of the region, arriving before the first millennium and followed shortly by the Hutu.

      The origins of the Hutu are obscure. They exhibit the physical characteristics of other Bantu-speakers of central Africa as well as some Nilotic components stemming from their fusion with the Tutsi. Their language is Kinyarwanda, a branch of the Niger-Congo subfamily, and is spoken by the Twa and Tutsi as well, suggesting that these groups have lived together for centuries. Before the recent mass killings and population shifts, the Hutu made up 90% of the total population, although their distribution and density varied greatly from one region to the next. Hutu "toparchies" (small principalities) were situated principally in the northern and western regions of Rwanda. They farmed, bred cattle, raised goats and woolless sheep, chickens, and dogs, and typically lived in small fenced enclosures containing grain stores and ritual huts for ancestors.

      The Tutsi represented about 9% of Rwanda's total population. Many authorities believe that they might earlier have inhabited the upper Nile valley. The date of their migration is not known, but they drifted southward onto the central plateau of Rwanda with their long-horned cattle in search of pastureland and sanctuary from cattle raiders. The Tutsi herds contribute little toward subsistence; milk production per cow is quite low, about a litre and a half per day in the good season. Rather, the Tutsi's cattle are a status symbol and sign of wealth. Before independence, elaborate rituals surrounded stockbreeding, and cattle figured prominently in royal rites as well as in literature. The Tutsi hunted but only for sport, to show their prowess and courage. Their daily life differed little from that of the Hutu, however; some farmed, others bred cattle, and many probably did a little of both.

      These three groups lived in relative harmony and intermingled with relative equality until the Tutsi began to consolidate power and expand politically from their core area, centred on Kigali, in the 13th century. Social distinctions between the ethnic groups soon became a reality, however, enforced by consolidation or assimilation, custom, and ritual. The Tutsi invaded and colonized independent Hutu areas in the 16th and 17th centuries. The final phase of incorporation occurred in the late 19th century.

      The German colonial government, begun in 1898 and continuing until 1916, pursued a policy of indirect rule that strengthened the hegemony of the Tutsi ruling class and the absolutism of its monarchy. Belgium took control of Ruanda-Urundi after World War I and administered the colony indirectly, under the tutelage of the League of Nations. The Belgians governed in concert with the Tutsi oligarchy, which had the effect of further enhancing Tutsi power in terms of access to educational opportunities and tenure of key civil and technical posts. Some Hutu began to demand equality and found sympathy from the Roman Catholic clergy and Belgian administrative personnel. The independence movement, which began in 1952, was often violent and convulsive. The mysterious death of King Mutara Rudahigwa III in July 1959 and the accession of King Kigeri V increased the ethnic violence and precipitated massacres and a mass exodus of Tutsi from the colony. After independence in 1962, unease between the two groups periodically led to mass killings and struggles. (LEARTHEN DORSEY)

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