Countries of the World/COUNTRYS.BIN/dp/0066/00661.txt

Text File | 1991-06-24 | 22KB | 383 lines

$Unique_ID{COW00661}
$Pretitle{283}
$Title{Burundi
Chapter 4.    Population, Including Ethnic Groups and Languages}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{Gordon C. McDonald}
$Affiliation{HQ, Department of the Army}
$Subject{tutsi
hutu
population
burundi
language
social
ch
country
percent
family}
$Date{1970}
$Log{}
Country:     Burundi
Book:        Burundi, A Country Study
Author:      Gordon C. McDonald
Affiliation: HQ, Department of the Army
Date:        1970

Chapter 4.    Population, Including Ethnic Groups and Languages

     The most recent official census, taken in 1965, enumerated a population
of 3,210,000 persons. Government estimates indicate a 1967 total of 3,340,000
based upon a yearly growth rate of between 2 and 2.5 percent. If this yearly
increase is maintained, the population will reach 4,500,000 by 1980.

     Density for the entire country averaged 325 persons per square mile.
Regions varied from 93 to 847 per square mile, making the country one of the
most densely populated in Africa. The population is overwhelmingly rural, with
small clusters of family groups dispersed throughout the hilly terrain.

     Approximately 46 percent of the people in the 1965 census were under 15
years of age, indicating a relatively young population. Another 46 percent
were between 15 and 59, and only 8 percent were over 59 years of age.

     The African population of Burundi is composed of three distinct ethnic
groups: the Hutu, who make up about 83 percent of the population; the Tutsi,
16 percent; and the Twa, less than 1 percent. Group memberships are somewhat
indistinct since considerable intermixing has taken place between the dominant
Tutsi minority and the Hutus. Social differentiation between the two groups is
obvious in occupational distribution. The Tutsi minority fills most
administrative positions and about 85 percent of all important Government
posts. The Hutu are usually farmers and laborers, although a few have achieved
administrative positions. Small numbers of Europeans and Asians, comprising
less than 1 percent of the total population, also live in Bujumbura, the
capital, or in commercial centers. The Europeans function mostly as
missionaries, teachers, and administrators in business and Government; most
Asians are traders, small businessmen, clerks or technicians.

     The national language is Rundi (Kirundi), a Bantu language closely
related to Kinyarwanda, the language of neighboring Rwanda. Although minor
regional variations and dialects are found among the three ethnic groups,
Kirundi is generally understood throughout the country. French, which was
introduced by the Belgian administrators and missionaries, is used in official
documents, newspapers, and radio broadcasting. Swahili, the trade language
used throughout East Africa, is spoken in trade centers, especially Bujumbura.

     Population trends have been greatly influenced by periodic famines,
depletion of usable lands, and immigration and emigration. Jobs on plantations
and in mines in Uganda and Tanzania have drawn workers out of Burundi;
meanwhile, civil unrest in Rwanda and the Congo (Kinshasa) has driven refugees
into this crowded country. Burundi's Five-Year Plan for the period 1968-72, by
outlining programs designed to encourage greater food production, reflected
governmental recognition of the problems of feeding a growing population in a
nation where pressure on the land is already intense.

Ethnic Group Characteristics

     Although there has been a great deal of intermixing, the three ethnic
groups still differ somewhat in physical appearance and social position.
Intermarriage, especially between Hutu and Tutsi, has blended physical traits
and brought at least some reduction of intergroup conflict.

     The Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa share similar kinship structures, social values,
and language throughout most of Burundi and her neighbor, Rwanda. They adhere
to essentially the same religious beliefs, which include forms of animism,
Christianity, and a combination of these beliefs (see Religion, ch. 5).

     As the Hutu and Tutsi cultures have become more interrelated, it has
become difficult to determine in which ethnic group certain cultural features
originated. Clan membership, still a strong cultural feature, probably began
with the Tutsi, and the focus on cattle, which became the basis of the
society, evolved from the Tutsi pastoral tradition. On the other hand, the
common language, Kirundi, is the Bantu language of the Hutu.

     For several centuries the Tutsi have functioned as feudal lords, granting
the use of cattle and land to Hutu cultivators in exchange for services and
goods (see Historical Setting, ch. 2). As part of the agreement, the Tutsi
provided their Hutu clients protection against other feudal lords. The
client-sponsor agreement could be terminated by any time, but it was most
likely to persist through many generations, passing to the male (patrilineal)
descendants of deceased patrons and clients. This feudal relationship was the
primary framework for a whole system of dominant-subordinate roles which has
continued for several centuries (see Social Structure, ch. 5).

     The Tutsi and the Hutu have essentially the same kinship system, in which
the smallest social unit is the local kin group of the male descent line, or
umuryango, which includes all married male members of a family and their
wives, plus unmarried male and female children.

     The largest kin group is the patriclan. Persons in this group recognize a
common paternal descent line, but are unable to identify a specific ancestor,
who may have been a mythical figure. In spite of their ancestral differences,
both Tutsi and Hutu may belong to the same clan. Nine major clans are
established in Burundi: the Abarunga, Abararo, Abasapfu (exclusively Tutsi),
Abayogoma, Abahanza, Abarango (the royal families), Ababibe, Abenengwe, and
Abanyakarama (see Historical Setting, ch. 2).

     A common way of intermixing ethnic groups has been the acquisition of
Hutu concubines by Tutsi males. It was rare for a Hutu male to marry a Tutsi
female, but when this occurred, the Hutu's social and political status was
elevated. A substantial bride-price, usually in livestock, was generally
required for a marriage. Local exogamy, or outgroup marriage, was most
prevalent (see Family, ch. 5).

     The marriage system before the advent of Christian influence was
polygamous. The Tutsi husband housed his wives on separate properties, but the
Hutu spouse lived in his wives' hut. Biological paternity was considered
important but not essential, since legal fatherhood was based on the
acceptance of the child by the man. Divorce has always been commonplace and
continues to occur frequently, although it has been discouraged by Christian
missionaries, who have been active in Burundi since the end of the 19th
century.

     The Hutu and Tutsi who have not been converted to Christianity share
traditional animistic religious beliefs in which a powerful spirit called
Imana is regarded as a creator. Although this dominant figure is frequently
mentioned, there are no rites for his worship. The term Imana also refers to
the force of good, a pervasive power which causes fecundity, prosperity, joy,
and peace.

     Other central values of the society are a belief in inherited
hierarchical positions of superiority or inferiority, the importance of
intelligent judgment, and the benefits of luck. These are recognized as
factors in gaining political power and wealth. Desirable qualities include
respect and love for others, good manners, and the ability to attain and hold
material possessions (see Social Values, ch. 5).

     Women and the earth are related symbols of fertility. There is great
veneration for fecundity and for the soil as the Supreme Mother and the source
of all food.

The Hutu

     The Hutu, who make up most of the population of Burundi, are identified
as part of the Rwanda cluster of the East African Lake Region Bantu tribes.
All of this group, which includes the