I've read several accounts that though Hutu and Tutsi existed together since time immemorial, the almost non-existent division between the two was intensified by pure fantasy, when the Belgian colonizers just up and decided that the Tutsi were closer to white- measuring heads, noses, height and whatnot- and therefore the natural leaders. Once upon a time, from what I've read, since the people were intermixed, Hutu and Tuti became signifiers of proximity to the king's court.
II. RACIAL CLASSIFICATION AND COLONIALISM
In order to strengthen their control, the Belgian colonists divided Rwanda’s unified population into three distinct groups: Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa. In order to do this, the colonists created a strict system of racial classification. Both the Belgians and the Germans, influenced by racist ideas, thought that the Tutsi were a superior group because they were more “white” looking. The colonists believed that the Tutsi were natural rulers, so they put only Tutsis into positions of authority and discriminated against Hutus and Twa. The size of the nose and the color of the eyes were factors that determined whether a person was classified as Hutu, Tutsi or Twa. Even though prior to colonization, the people of the region that became Rwanda lived together, the Belgian colonization put one group above the other https://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/rwanda/documents/Jigsaw1_History.pdf
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