Reading Response Paper #3--"We Wish To Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed With Our Families"

The Hutus and the Tutsis are the two major tribes that live in Rwanda. The tribes have been engaged in a continuous battle over the years, with each one, at times, having the upper hand. The tension between the Hutus and the Tutsis is historical, with the presence of a mutual disrespect for the other tribe, and a battle for social dominance ever present. The tension between the tribes grew and intensified over the years, eventually bringing about a violent and bloody genocide. The historical conflict between the Hutus and the Tutsis is hard to exact, as it has been passed down orally through the generations, but it is an accepted fact that both tribes were immigrants to Rwanda. The Tutsis, who originate from the Nile Region—probably Ethiopia—moved in from the East and North. The Hutus came from the Bantu family and were the first of the two tribes to come to Rwanda. The difference in where these peoples came from, globally, lends to a significant difference in their physical appearances, with the Tutsis typically being tall and gangly, with slim faces, and the Hutus possessing the complete opposite characteristics, being known as short, dark colored, round faced people with big lips. Throughout the years, however, a generation of mixed race has emerged—children who have one Hutu and one Tutsi parent—have made it difficult to distinguish between the tribes. This generation emerged as a result of one-time friendly relations between the tribes. These good relations can be attributed to the fact that they were able to speak the same language and share land, leaders and mutual enemies against whom they could unite. This mixed race that has emerged from the inter-relations of the two tribes makes it difficult to label the Hutus or the Tutsis as a distinct ethnic group. Their respective gene pools have been so intertwined that their distinctions no longer set them apart as separate ethnicities. The harmony between the tribes gradually evaporated, as the Tutsis attained greater status than the Hutus in public social spheres and distanced themselves from the Hutu people. The Hutus were modest famers, while the Tutsis raised cattle (a far more glamorous profession). In 1860 when King Mwami Kigeri Rwabuiri, a Tutsi, gained power, he brought immense wealth and political strength to his people. After his death in 1894, Germany assumed control of the country and, knowing very little about Rwandan culture or societal structure, embraced the pre-existing structure of the country, rather than trying to overhaul it. This only added to the upper hand the Tutsis already had on the situation, because of the German reinforcement of their position. At the end of World War I, authority over the German colony of Rwanda was transferred to Belgium, and the new ruler made life even harder for the Hutus. Tutsis could pretty much make Hutus their slaves, and had the authority to tax them as well. Hutu disdain toward the Tutsis intensified—turning to hatred and the Tutsi mindset that looked down on the Hutus intensified as well, creating a crash course bound to end in fighting. This situation can’t really be looked on as a caste system, as there was a significant degree of social mobility, until Rwanda lost its autonomy to Germany and then Belgium. The distinction between the two groups has definitely changed a lot over time. In today’s terms, it has become more of a distinction of origin and social status, as well as one of political rights and restrictions, than race or ethnicity.