The Accession of Musinga
In late 1896, Yuhi Musinga acceded to power as king of Rwanda. Located just south of the equator in central Africa, on the highlands that mark the geographic backbone of the African continent, this was a region of remarkable ecological…
XIII. Epilogue
If Ruanda was a State at all, it was a State before the Europeans occupied it. It had been an isolated area, with only a trickle of trade goods entering it and these were used largely by the ruling class.…
XII. Recent Political Developments
THE SOCIAL STATUS QUO It is practically impossible to describe the status quo as it was when the writer arrived in Kibungu Territory in May 1960, unless one takes a look at the immediate past history of Remera and its…
The Process Of Infeudation
The Tutsi seem to commend themselves to the chieftains as a matter of course, or else he can force them to it. There is one instance of a Tutsi on Remera who seems to have refused to pay allegiance to…
The Cow As Token
Tostand alone is a tragedy. For sheer survival, the weaker individuals or lineages are driven to beg for a cow from someone more powerful than themselves. Asking for a cow is the equivalent of asking for material acknowledgment on the…
Ubuhake And Uruharo
Ubuhake is the institution through which an individual - be he head of a family or of a lineage - commends himself to a patron. The patron grants protection (most often from himself, as well as from other rapacious notables),…
The Nuclear Feudal Cluster
It has been seen in the preceding chapter on social organization that the chieftain is the head of a group which is called the "nuclear feudal cluster." By the author's definition, this is the smallest socio-political group of the hierarchy.…
XI. Tribal And Proto-Feudal Aspects Of The Chieftainship Of REMERA
If we consider the chieftainship of Remera before the various administrative reforms had their effect, some aspects are very similar to those found in tribal chiefdoms elsewhere in Central Africa, , among the Bemba, Swazi, Ngoni, Sotho, and Luapula. Land…
X. Historical Background Of REMERA
If one were to characterize the Banyaremera, their life, their philosophy, in one single word, the best word would be "pragmatism". To the Banyaremera, if something works, it is good and it is correct. This explains a great deal of…
