Name: Anonymous 2013-04-21 11:32
There are at least 4 distinct foundations that support differences between Hutus and Tutsis: phenotype, genotype, cultural memory of inhabitants of Rwanda, and archeology/linguistics.
This includes differences in physical appearance, such as height, nose width and skin color, as well as blood factors, such as the presence of the sickle cell trait, lactose intolerance in adults, and other genotype expressions. The Tutsi despite being surrounded by Bantu populations, are closer genetically to Cushites and Ethiosemites. While the sickle cell trait among the Hutu is comparable to that of neighboring people, it is almost non-existent among the Tutsi. The presence of the sickle cell trait is the result of survival in the presence of malaria over many centuries, which would suggest a differing origin for the Tutsis. The ability to digest lactose among adults is widespread only among desert-dwelling nomadic groups that have depended upon milk for millennia. 75% of adult Tutsis have a high ability to digest lactose, while 33% of adult Hutus have a high capacity for lactose digestion, a surprisingly high number for an agrarian people, which is the result of centuries of intermarriage with Tutsis. Significant genetic differences in bi-allelic markers between Tutsis and Hutus have been found.
The Tutsi migrated from the Horn of Africa and the physical differences between Tutsis and Hutus are the result of natural selection in a dry arid climate over millennia. Noting the fossil record of a tall people with narrow facial features several thousand years ago in East Africa, including locations such as Gamble's Cave in the Great Rift Valley and Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, evidence of a dramatic migration can be seen. Migrants from Ethiopia brought civilization to primitive Africans. The Tutsis were civilizing alien conquerors.
Pastoralist migrants and pre-migration Rwandans did not live side by side and did not practice extensive intermarriage. It is not questionable that current Rwandans can claim exclusively Tutsi or Hutu bloodlines.
The Tutsi considered themselves as superior, with the more numerous Hutu and the least numerous Twa regarded, by birth, as respectively, second and third in the hierarchy of society. These groups were largely endogamous, exclusionary and with limited mobility.
This includes differences in physical appearance, such as height, nose width and skin color, as well as blood factors, such as the presence of the sickle cell trait, lactose intolerance in adults, and other genotype expressions. The Tutsi despite being surrounded by Bantu populations, are closer genetically to Cushites and Ethiosemites. While the sickle cell trait among the Hutu is comparable to that of neighboring people, it is almost non-existent among the Tutsi. The presence of the sickle cell trait is the result of survival in the presence of malaria over many centuries, which would suggest a differing origin for the Tutsis. The ability to digest lactose among adults is widespread only among desert-dwelling nomadic groups that have depended upon milk for millennia. 75% of adult Tutsis have a high ability to digest lactose, while 33% of adult Hutus have a high capacity for lactose digestion, a surprisingly high number for an agrarian people, which is the result of centuries of intermarriage with Tutsis. Significant genetic differences in bi-allelic markers between Tutsis and Hutus have been found.
The Tutsi migrated from the Horn of Africa and the physical differences between Tutsis and Hutus are the result of natural selection in a dry arid climate over millennia. Noting the fossil record of a tall people with narrow facial features several thousand years ago in East Africa, including locations such as Gamble's Cave in the Great Rift Valley and Olduvai Gorge in northern Tanzania, evidence of a dramatic migration can be seen. Migrants from Ethiopia brought civilization to primitive Africans. The Tutsis were civilizing alien conquerors.
Pastoralist migrants and pre-migration Rwandans did not live side by side and did not practice extensive intermarriage. It is not questionable that current Rwandans can claim exclusively Tutsi or Hutu bloodlines.
The Tutsi considered themselves as superior, with the more numerous Hutu and the least numerous Twa regarded, by birth, as respectively, second and third in the hierarchy of society. These groups were largely endogamous, exclusionary and with limited mobility.