Hutu is the name given to one of the three ethnic groups occupying Burundi and Rwanda. 85% of Rwandans and 85% of Burundians are Hutu. This division is based more upon social class than ethnicity, as there are no significant language or cultural differences between the Hutu and the other ethnic groups in the area, notably the Tutsi. Historically, these groups have differed in average height and physical appearance, but today the differences are blurred. Some scholars also point out the important role the Belgian colonisers had in creating the idea of a combined Hutu and Tutsi race, known as the Hamitic controversy.

The Hutu arrived in the Great Lakes region around the 1st century, displacing the Twa. The Hutu dominated the area with a series of small kingdoms until the 15th century. At that time, it is believed that the Tutsi came into the area from Ethiopia and conquered the Hutu (this is widely disputed--see below). The Tutsi monarchy survived until the end of the colonial era in the 1950s, when the Belgian rulers used the ethnic division to support their rule. The Tutsi monarchy soon fell and the area was divided into Rwanda and Burundi in 1962. The Tutsi nonetheless remained dominant in Burundi, while the Hutu gained a degree of dominance in Rwanda until 1994.

See also

• L'Afrique Hundreds of articles and photographs of Rwanda

External links

• A traveler learns about the Hutu and Tutsi conflict and reflects on it
• http://www.newint.org/issue260/keynote.htm
• http://www.africaaction.org/bp/ethcen.htm

Ethnic groups in Rwanda | Ethnic groups in Burundi

Хуту | Hutu | Hutu | Hutu | Hutu | Hutu | Hutu | הוטו | Hutu | フツ | Хуту | Hutut | Hutuer