Clans of Rwanda

Clans of Rwanda: Despite being one of the smallest and most economically advanced countries on the African continent, Rwanda has a rich past, and its citizens continue to be categorized as clans. The Rwandan genocide of 1994, which is regarded as one of the most horrific genocides in history, was primarily driven by the clan setting. The Kinyarwanda language, which is widely spoken throughout the nation, was used to refer to Rwandan clans as “ubwoko,” which means Clan/identity.

An estimated 12.6 million people call Rwanda home, occupying an area of 26,338 kilometers. They are all divided into 20 distinct clans. Clans are essentially distinct families that are closely related, typically recognized by a shared passion in a certain activity or object. Clans are another way that people are identified, and there are various ways to identify oneself as a member of a certain clan.

Rwanda is home to 20 clans, including the;

Abandonya, Abagesera, Abega, Ababanda, Abacyaba, Abasinga, Abashambo, Abahinda, Abazigaba, Abungura, Abashingwe, Abenengwe, Abasita, Abatsobe, Abakono, Abanyakarama, Abarihira, Abahondogo, Abashambo, and the Abongera.

The older generation generally respects these clans, which are present in Rwanda and the southern neighboring country of Burundi. When an elderly person meets someone new, they will cry out a familiar welcome in Kinyarwanda, and the response will reveal which clan the individual is from.

In addition to calling, clans have different names, and when someone introduces oneself, their name typically distinguishes them. There are only three clans—the Umutwa, Umuhutu, and Umututsi—and they are far more divided from the nation’s ethnic groups. The Umutwa are the actual original Rwandans who lived in the Kisoro district of Ruhengeri and further up into Uganda. The Umututsi and Umuhutu are larger and more powerful in the nation.

During Rwanda‘s colonial era, the colonialists started to learn and alter several aspects of Rwandan culture, such as their religion. The ancient Rwandans believed in their native gods but the colonialists introduced Christianity. Under their control, the Rwandan people adopted a Christian lifestyle in order to align with the colonialists, who were unable to comprehend Rwandan culture due to a linguistic barrier.

On the basis of their similar languages and cultures, the 20 clans were eventually combined into three ethnic groups: the Umuhutu, the Umututsi, and the Umutwa.

The clan totems of Rwanda.

Some of these totems are shared, and each of these clans has its own. For a particular group of people, a totem is an object, animal, or other item that is considered sacred. It is an emblem that is held in great regard and is usually an abomination to destroy.

The crested crane, frog, hyena, and leopard are a few examples of Rwandan clan totems; the majority of these clans share totems. This is primarily because one of the clans that share the totem may have split off from another to form a separate clan. While some breaks were forced, others were consensual.

Some of these clans share totems, such as the Abanyiginya, Abatsobe, and Abasindi, who all have the crested crane as their totem; the Abega and Abakono, who share the frog; and the Abacyaba and Ababanda, who share a hyena. The leopard is the totem of both the Abazigaba and the Abenengwe.

These clans are referred to as social groups, and those that divide into two groups—the Abega and Abakono, the Abacyaba, and the Ababanda—are called moieties. Clans that divide into three groups—the Abanyiginya, the Abatsobe, and the Abasindi—are referred to as phyratry.

The squirrel is the individual totem of the Abahinda clan, who came from Tanzania. Prior to their migration to Rwanda, Karagwe was the dominant clan. Although the cause for their migration is unknown, this clan is closely related to the Abazirankende clan, which is a subclan of the Abagesera clan. In Kinyarwanda, the term “abazirankende” describes people who view squirrels as taboo.

The only clan whose totem is unknown is the Abanyakarama clan, who are believed to have originated in Burundi. It is also unknown what the Abashingwe clan’s totem is.

Clan roles

There is a great deal of culture in the kingdom that is connected to Rwandan clans and social class. For instance, queens for the King, who was invariably from the Abanyiginya tribe, were supplied by members of the Abega and Abakono clans. All of the royal secrets were kept by the Abatsobe clan, who also had the royal ritualists.

The common people who comprised the land were the other clans, such as the Abagesera, Abasinga, and Abazigaba. They performed rites for the other clans as well. Every Rwandan you encounter during your safari in Rwanda has a tribe and a tale to share about it. To learn more about Rwanda’s clans, travel there.