(Picture: Hutu compound) The Hutu people represent 90 percent of the population in Rwanda and about 85 percent of the population in Burundi. There are 12-13 million Hutu people in both countries combined and they have many things in common with the two other main groups in these countries, the Tutsi and Twa. One of the chief similarities is that the majority of the people in all three groups speak different dialects of the same Bantu language. Just like the Tutsi, the Hutus speak Kinyarwanda in Rwanda and Kirundi in Burundi. Many Hutus speak French and have French first names, and often times they have names that are long but mean a phrase. (For example, Mutaramibirwa means "the one who never gets tired.")
The Hutu have the same religions as the Tutsi. (Christian and other traditional beliefs). They also celebrate the same holidays. Relationships are also very similar; they are valued and both groups have different greetings for morning, afternoon, and evening. It is also common for young people to date and hang out in large groups (rather than couple dating). All of these similarities are surprising to me because the genocide against the Tutsi was so great but the Tutsi and the Hutu have practically the exact same culture. They have lived together for centuries and their peoples are intertwined. How could you try to exterminate or "ethnically cleanse" your country of the people that share your same values, culture, religion, language, and much more? This baffles me.
Before the Tutsi people invaded Rwanda in the 14th or 15th century, the Hutu were clan based and all the power was held by clan kings called bahinza. Social relationships were changed after European rule; both countries were colonies between 1890 and 1962. Both the Germans (ruling from 1890-1918) and the Belgians who followed Germans favored the Tutsi people and considered the Tutsies to be of superior race to the Hutu (even though the Tutsi were the minority). This caused angry and resentment in the hearts of many Hutus and caused many problems along the road of history.
Before the Tutsi people invaded Rwanda in the 14th or 15th century, the Hutu were clan based and all the power was held by clan kings called bahinza. Social relationships were changed after European rule; both countries were colonies between 1890 and 1962. Both the Germans (ruling from 1890-1918) and the Belgians who followed Germans favored the Tutsi people and considered the Tutsies to be of superior race to the Hutu (even though the Tutsi were the minority). This caused angry and resentment in the hearts of many Hutus and caused many problems along the road of history.
Sources:
http://www.everyculture.com/wc/Rwanda-to-Syria/Hutu.html
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/africa/hutu.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rwanda
http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/cultural/oldworld/africa/hutu.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Rwanda
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