Archives for Model Citizenship
Power Struggles at the Court: Kabare and Ruhinankiko
Since the arrival of the Europeans, the Court, aware of its own limitations, had dealt skillfully with the problems and advantages created by the presence of the powerful strangers. Unable…
The Arrival of the White Fathers
Unlike the notables of the central kingdom, other subjects of the mwami overcame their repugnance to the ibisimba and sought protection from them. When the German explorer von Gôtzen had…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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,…
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…