Prof . Manirambona : The period between 1924 and 1934 changed history . The colonial power , Belgium , undertook profound administrative reforms in Burundi and Rwanda .
Before that , nobody was born Tutsi or Hutu . A person was born Umuhanza , Umwega , Umunyiginya , Umushubi , Umucyaba , or Umunyakarama . Those were family or clan identities ( amoko ). Today amoko ( identity ) has changed meaning . In addition to those identities , one could be a Hutu or Tutsi depending on his or her socioeconomic status .
During my research I interviewed elders . I asked them “ What ' s your identity ?” Those above 80 answered
“ We are Abajiji , Abahanza , Abanyakarama , etc ”. Then I would ask their sons the same question . They would respond “ we are Tutsis ” or “ we are Hutus ”. Then I would ask the elders , “ How is it possible that you , the parents , have different identities from your children ?” They would say that the children were born under a new governance regime ( abo nabo kungoma nshasha ), meaning the colonial order .
Something else surprised me . Some of the respondents above 80 years said : “ We were Hutus twice then Tutsis 3 times .” Others would say , “ We were Tutsis three times and we are now Hutus .” I asked them what this means .
A Tutsi was someone of economic means . Since surplus wasn ' t for the market , this was someone who could provide for themselves and still have something to give to others ( Umuntu ufite ibyo arya nibyo aha abandi ).
A Hutu was someone under conditions of economic dependency . A person who depended on another for his livelihood . More interestingly , anyone could be a Hutu and a Tutsi at once .
In that case , you were a Hutu to the person from whom you expected patronage and a Tutsi towards the person you extended favours ( Yari umuhutu imbere yuwo asaba ; akongera akaba umututsi imbere yuwo yagabiye ). That ’ s how the society was organised .
Since 1933 , in Rwanda , there were administrative reforms that changed history and institutions . One colonial report says : Anyone below 10 cows was made Hutu ; above 10 , Tutsi . Since then , people began to be born as Tutsis and others as Hutus - with new identities . But surprisingly , they kept parents who were neither Hutu nor Tutsi in ethnic terms . Moreover , people who were born as Tutsi or Hutu still kept their clan identities ( Igitangaje , bagumanye ya miryango ).
During those colonial reforms , parents with three or five children could have some of their children made Hutus and others made Tutsis depending on the number of cows they ( the children ) possessed .
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