Are the Hutus and Tutsis different ethnic groups?
Unlike other African countries, Rwanda does not have tribes or even ethnic groups. The three designated groups that make up Rwanda are the Hutu, the Tutsi and the Twa. These three groups all speak the same language, share the same culture and live throughout the country. Many Rwandese are actually of mixed background with one parent being from one group and another parent being from another group. Certain historians hypothesize that the Twa were hunters and were the first to occupy the land, the Hutu supposedly came afterwards and were farmers while the Tutsi came last and were cattle raisers. In a country where famines were frequent, the owners of cattle survived better than farmers did. This led to a feudal system where the cow was the means of payment for the work done. Generally those owning 10 or more cows were considered Tutsi and those with fewer than 10 cows were Hutu. Today in Rwanda in an attempt to quell the tension between the three groups, a distinction is no longer made b
