Andrea,+Emma

__**Language**__ The Tutsi native language is Rwanda-Rundi, which is part of the Bantu subgroup of the Niger–Congo languages. This language was originally a Hutu language. Many Tutsis also speak French, which is the third official language of Rwanda and Burundi. The national languages of Nwanda are French and Kiswahili. Kiswahhili is not the native, or original language of the Tutsi, but the dialect in which they speak it reflects Rundi. Kiswahhili is a sub-language of the Niger-Congo language family. The Tutsis have different greetings for morning, afternoon, and evening.When choosing names for their children, they may choose names based on events, beliefs, or poetry.

The Tutsi tribe has many different behavioral aspects in their culture. The typical Tutsi diet is based on curdled milk and butter. Like most of Africa, the approximately 94% of Tutsi lives in rural areas and their main profession is farming and cattle herding. Unlike other cultures, married women do not take their husband’s name, and children do not adopt the names of their parents.
 * __Behavior__ **

__**Values**__
The values of the Tutsi have scarcely changed throughout time. Since they first migrated to Nwanda and Burundi in the early fifteenth century, their values have mainly been based off of religion, family, rites of passages, and wealth. The value that has shaped the Tutsi community the most is their need, or urge, for great wealth. When the Tutsi and Hutu tribes were just beginning their ongoing ethnic war, Tutsi were not only distinguished by their physical features, but the number of cows they had. If a person had more than ten cows, they were considered Tutsi. Since then, the ownership of cattle has been a symbol of wealth and prestige, and the general wealth of the Tutsi is a very large value. Family is also a value, as many of their traditions, rituals, and practices are based off the root of the family. At weddings, the groom gives the family of the bride cows, goats, and beer. This is called the brideswealth and is considered a token of respect. Children are important to families, because their god Imaana is supposed to provide fertility to families, and children are also considered useful because they are an extra set of helping hands. There are three rites of passages in the Tutsi community: a naming ceremony held seven days after the birth of the child, the wedding (which occurs in the early teens for women and 20s for men), and a death respects ceremony which is held after the death of a person, in which family members are not allowed to eat meat or engage in sexual intercourse. After the mourning period has ended, a ceremony is held in celebration of the deceased.

__**Beliefs **__ The Tutsi culture is rich with varying and exotic beliefs. For example, cattle ownership is a symbol of wealth and being a cattle herder is one of the highest honors in the community. Religion is very important in Tutsi culture and today, more than half of the Hutu and Tutsi living in Rwanda are Christian, particularly Roman Catholic. Other Tutsi follow their religion of origin (some in relation with Christianity). They worship a god named Imaana. They also believe in the existence of witches, sorcerers, and ghosts of the dead. Imaana is a distant god who provides wealth and fertility, who is the king of the Tutsi shares this power. They also believe spirits of dead Tutsi (called abazima) can bring messages from Tutsi to Imaana, or vice versa if disrespected, abazima can give bad luck. To protect themselves from the abazima, people offer gifts to keep them happy. A certain belief they had inn the 1500s-1600s, was that it was their destiny to create a political hegemony over the Hutu people. This belief was supported by the legend that the “north”, heaven, was sending them water, cattle, fire and other necessities to rule.

__ **Effects of Globlization** __ The dress of the Tutsi men and women has greatly changed throughout globalization. Traditionally, men and women wore robes that were made along the coasts of Africa. Women wore white robes and white headbands. Since Western-style clothing became popular out the world, this has become what is normally worn by the Tutsi, replacing even religious clothing. Women wear dresses and scarves made from textiles not natively created in Africa, and men wear pants and shirts.

Overpopulation in Nwanda and Burundi has caused a serious issue, especially for the native clans who made their living as cattle herders or farmers. However, the growing size of the country has led to very high unemployment rates, and the Tutsi people have been migrating to neighboring countries, such as Uganda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Religion has also changed throughout time. The original religion of the Tutsi involved a god named Imaana, who provided wealth and fertility. These beliefs were only practiced by the Tutsi clan. Now, most Tutsi identify as Christian, more specifically Roman Catholic. Changes in religion have also caused changes in holidays. Before, the holidays celebrated by the Tutsi were entirely religious and involved traditional chanting and drum-playing. Now, the only holidays celebrated are May Day, Independance Day, New Year’s Eve, and all Christian holidays. This has also changed some Tutsi’s stance on arranged marriage.


 * Primary sources (2) **


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 * We used this source because there was a lot of information, not only on the genocide of 1994, but also on the cultural changes that it has caused and the reasons it happened. It was definitely beneficial to us because it helped us better understand what happened and what effect it had on their society. **


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 * The World Factbook is one of our favorite resources, particularly for Model UN. This source is government official and very factual. **


 * Secondary sources (1) **


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 * The Wikipedia article was very helpful for general information, but we mostly used it for finding baseline information. **


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 * Print sources (1) **


 * [|http://books.google.com/books?id=stl97FdyRswC&pg=PA300&lpg=PA300&dq=tutsi&source=bl&ots=uZToEzgzy4&sig=ZFYpoPFEGNYnX0Ama0fgbAVOWOE&hl=en&sa=X&ei=rCI9UJHsBYLl6QHP5YGwAQ&ved=0CEQQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=tutsi&f=false] **