Tutsi

Describes works produced by the African people of the same name living mainly in Burundi and Rwanda, including traditional crafts of weaving, pearl bead-making, and basketry. The Tutsi monarchy had rich traditions of dynastic poetry and courtly music. The Tutsi are an ethnic group of probable Nilotic origin who came into the area in the 14th or 15th century. They were nomadic herders and warriors who gradually dominated the resident Hutu through generally peaceful infiltration and the establishment of a feudal system headed by the Tutsi king and aristocracy, at the same time adopting the Hutu's Bantu languages. The European colonial period created tensions between the two groups that remain problematic.