Hutu Tribe of Southern Africa

The impact of Christianity by Europeans in colonial times converted 90% of the population of Rwanda into Catholics or Protestants (Every Culture). Although most traditional religious holidays have been replaced with Christian holidays, most Hutu people still have strong rituals to preserve their ancestry. Funerals are full of rituals and sacrifices that have been used since the origin of the Hutu culture. Hutu peoples also believe in the powers of medicine men and spiritual healers, but priests and bishops have gained the highest respect of authority in villages.

Hutu art today is very similar to that of the past. Art in the Hutu culture is mainly based around basketweaving, drawings, woodworking, singing, and dancing. Most of these traditional forms of arts have begun to meet their demise, many villagers focusing more on today's technology than the art of storytelling. The oral history of the Hutu tribe may be lost because of the new generations disinterest in cultural customs. The national government of Rwanda is taking steps to preserve the art of Intore Dance "The chosen ones" by giving hard to get government funding. (Rwanda Gateway) The Intore dancers tour all over the country, but the shows are not quite as empowering as in the past. Today, the majority of the music the dancers perform too is previously recorded. The art of creating the perfect flute or drum is being disrupted by the technology of advancing countries in North America and Europe, where these normally handcrafted instruments can be sold as plastic for an affordable price.