Social Organisation in Pre-colonial Rwanda

1Around the evening fire

After supper, Ishimwe's grandmother gathers the children. She tells a story, asks riddles and sings an old song. "Long ago," she says, "every evening was like this. That is how children learned our history, our values and how to behave."

2The family

The family (umuryango) was the heart of society. A family lived together in a homestead (urugo), often with grandparents, uncles and aunts nearby.

• The father was the head of the family. He protected it and looked after the cattle and land.
• The mother cared for the children and the home, farmed and prepared food.
• Children helped with work, such as fetching water or herding goats, and respected their elders.
• Grandparents taught children through stories, proverbs (imigani), riddles (ibisakuzo) and songs at evening gatherings called igitaramo.

3The clan

Families who believed they came from the same ancestor belonged to the same clan (ubwoko). Rwanda had many clans, such as the Abanyiginya, Abega, Abasinga and Abazigaba. People from every walk of life, rich and poor, belonged to the same clans, so clans joined people together across the whole country.

4Itorero: a school for values

Itorero was a traditional school where young people learned:

• values such as bravery, honesty and love for their country;
• how to speak well in public;
• dances (the famous intore dance), songs and poems;
• sports and skills for defending the kingdom.

Rwanda still uses itorero today to teach citizens good values.

5Helping each other

6Important values

Rwandans valued ubupfura (good character), ubunyangamugayo (honesty and integrity), ubutwari (bravery), respect for elders, ubumwe (unity) and love for their country. Many of these values are still taught today.

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