Description
According to oral tradition, the Tutsi were originally cattle herders & Nilotic who moved south from Ethiopia & conquered the homeland of the Hutu about 600 hundred years ago. Despite their small number, the Tutsi managed to impose a new social political structure based on a Lord-Vassal relationship with the Hutu. Until the colonial period, Tutsi Mwami (King) ruled the Tutsi as well as the Hutu & Twa. During this period, Germans & then Belgians limited the authority of the Mwami & regulated the relationship between Tutsi, Hutu & Twa. Traditional art of Rwanda & Burundi is usually represented by basketry, pottery, metalworking & Jewelry. Little is known about their sculpture. The Tutsi excel in producing these beautiful miniature lidded baskets, which become symbols of the Tutsi culture. These baskets called Agaseki were made from vegetable fibers of sisal & papyrus trees (Nigwegwe). The grasses of these trees were soaked in the water for almost two weeks to make them soft. Then they were beaten with stones & dried. Earlier examples like this were made of the natural pale gold color of the fibers decorated with the patterns in black which came from boiling the root & seeds of the Urukamgi plant or the banana flowers. Recent examples incorporate imported dyes including red, green, orange, & mauves. The range of the patterns is unlimited & shows the creativity of women from Rwanda & Burundi. Many of these designs have specific names. These baskets were used as containers to transport valued foods such as eggs, milk, beans, meat, & other valuable objects. They were presented as wedding gifts to a bride & groom. They were also used as decoration. After the genocide of 1994, the miniature baskets have became symbols of peace, as Hutu, Tutsi, & Twa women sit side by side to weave the “peace baskets”. They have new designs & are more colorful compared to these earlier examples. Also, the straw used for these new baskets is thicker than the traditional ones. Tutsi Tight Weave Basket Rwanda
