The meaning of the concept 'umuhinza' in ancient Rwanda

There is a collective acceptance that the term “Umuhinza,” or “Abahinza” in plural in ancient Rwanda refers to the kings of kingdoms that existed before the arrival of the what they called “Nyiginya dynasty.” 

According to proponents of this theory, these “Abahinza” ruled over kingdoms including Bugamba, Buhanga, Buhoma, Bukonya, Bushiru, Bukunzi, Busozo, Bwanamwari, Cyingogo, Ruhengeri, Rwankeri…etc

Given the premise that in ancient Rwanda there were no “Tutsi” and no “Hutu”, which is true, there is no basis for these “Hutu” kingdoms. However, as Biden said that “the United States would have to invent an Israel if it didn’t exist,” Belgium used scholars to create them by deliberately distorting the word “umuhinza” and fabricating kingdoms out of thin air.

To accomplish this, a scholar was recruited from France: Louis de Lacger. The Catholic Church had collected historical information about Rwanda throughout the country and wanted to publish the first book on the subject. Bishop Leon Paul Classe invited Louis de Lacger, his compatriot and fellow French citizen, to come to Rwanda to write this inaugural book.

The Catholic Church and the colonial administration had already created the ‘Hutu/Tutsi’ dichotomy, and a book was needed to legitimize their creation. Louis de Lacger published this book, titled ‘Rwanda’, in 1939, in which he claimed that there were “Hutu” territories in Rwanda, led by ‘Abahinza’, whom he called ‘roitelets’, or kinglets, a term derived from French, meaning “little king,” typically referring to small birds commonly known as kinglets. Among those Louis de Lacger labeled kinglets were Mashira of Nduga, Nkoma of Marangara, and Rutoke of Buhanga. It should be noted that Buhanga was the first royal palace of Gihanga. Yet Lacger attributed it to Rutoke and claimed it predated the sons of Gihanga.

After Louis de Lacger published his book, King Mutara III Rudahigwa was dissatisfied with the publication, deeming it a distortion of Rwanda’s history. King Rudahigwa tasked Alexis Kagame with writing a new book that would tell the true history. He ordered Abiru to provide Kagame with all necessary information. Unfortunately, Alexis Kagame published Inganji Kalinga without debunking Louis de Lacger. Clearly, as a Catholic Church priest, he had to respect his hierarchical superior, Bishop Leon Paul Classe. That is why he did not contradict Louis de Lacger and acknowledged the existence of kinglets in the Kingdom of Rwanda.

Alexis Kagame was compelled to write what he did not believe. He did not believe there were “Hutu” kingdoms that predated the arrival of the  Nyiginya dynasty. This is evident because he himself wrote that the kingdoms existing before the arrival of the Nyiginya dynasty were led by Tutsi kings. He mentioned in his book Inganji Kalinga that these kingdoms predating the Nyiginya dynasty were the Barenge and Bungwe kingdoms. Although I disagree with him on the claim that there were kingdoms led by Tutsi kings before the Nyiginya dynasty, he at least refuted, at the beginning of the written history of Rwanda, the existence of the so-called ‘Hutu’ kingdoms.

If ‘Abahinza’ did not mean kinglets as Lacger wrote, what was the original meaning of this word in pre-colonial Rwanda?

In the course of my study, I discovered that the word’s original meaning has been willfully misinterpreted. The very first writers deliberately misinterpreted this word to support the divide-and-rule policy, which required so-called scientific research to legitimize it.

The name ‘Abahinza’ had another meaning entirely, not kinglets, but leaders of agricultural activities. In pre-colonial Rwanda, there were different leaders for different activities, including hunting, forging, and rain-making. Even Ferdinand Nahimana, who insists on calling them kings, acknowledged in his book Le Rwanda: Emergence d’un État that ‘abahinza’ were “maitres de cultures,” meaning “masters of agriculture,” just as there were masters of hunting (abahigi), masters of forging (abacuzi), and masters of rain (abavubyi). These masters were knowledgeable and skilled in agriculture, hunting, forging, and rain-related activities.

After Louis de Lacger changed the meaning of ‘masters of agriculture’ into ‘kinglets,’ other authors followed suit. The most notable example is Marcel Pauwels’ book, “Le Bashiru et son Muhinza ou roitelet hutu,” published in 1967.