Kutu people
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Wakutu | |
|---|---|
| Total population | |
| 45,000 (1987) | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Tanzania
| |
| Languages | |
| Kutu & Swahili | |
| Religion | |
| Majority Islam, Minority Christianity and African Traditional Religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Zaramo, Kami, Nguu, Kaguru & other Bantu peoples |
| Person | Mkutu |
|---|---|
| People | Wakutu |
| Language | Kikutu |
The Kutu also sometimes spelled as Khutu or sometimes called Ziraha [1] (Wakutu, in Swahili) are a Bantu, matrilineal ethnic group from northern Morogoro Region of Tanzania specifically indigenous to southern Morogoro District and Kilosa District of Morogoro Region in Tanzania. In 1987, the Kutu population was estimated to number 45,000.[2]
There were 17,982 Kutu in the Morogoro Region in 1957, mostly residing in the southeastern Kilosa District and southern Morogoro District. There is no information on population distribution, and a large portion of their land is unusable during the rainy season. Their roughly 2,000-square-mile geographical area, which is primarily in the southern Morogoro District, has unclear borders and is largely deserted. Significant flooding results from the region's twofold rainy season and low plains elevation of less than 500 feet.[3]
Matriarchy
Only a small amount of historic material has been written on the Kutu; historian Gower has summarised the early findings. It's uncertain how much the Kutu resemble the Luguru and Zaramo peoples. During European colonial times, their region had colonies of Nyamwezi and suffered from Arab slavery and Swahili caravan activity.[4]
The Kutu had historically been matrilineal, but Arabs and European colonialism have corrupted them to favour patrilineal succession. Like the Luguru, their matriclans (lukolo) are separated into matrilineages (tombo), each headed by an elder (mwenyemzi,, rnndewa or phazi) who is in charge of ancestor rites and land distribution. Senior women (mke kolo) and younger elders assist the seniors. These positions were passed down through marriage. Matrilineages were historically in charge of managing land, but this may have shifted. The father's mtala, or matrilineage, is equally important. Clans have connections as wagongo, or joking mates.[5]
Land rights
In the past, the Kutu family leader would assign land to an individual, granting the individual the right to own it. Non-members could access land by paying an optional fee, and unused land automatically became clan property. Even though land is typically inherited from the father's side in the current system, a sister's son is nonetheless entitled to a piece of it, known as kome.[6]
Although the individual who made the improvements may be compensated, land improvements such as permanent crops or trees that are placed on land that will eventually return to the family also become part of the reverted property. In the past, a maternal uncle's son would inherit riches and power from his sister, but this tradition has now changed to one that is largely patrilineal.[7]
Marriage
An initial Kutu dowry (vilana) was required before marriage arrangements could be finalised through an intermediary (msenga). The bride's and groom's family received an equal share of this sum. The average bride price in the 1950s was between ten and one hundred and twenty shillings. Earlier payments were frequently made in installments and frequently involved goods like fabric, chickens, salt, tobacco, and hoes, but today's transactions are conducted in cash. Women who remarried received a significantly smaller bridewealth.[8]
Economy
In addition to selling tobacco in inland areas and caravans, the Kutu people also sell cotton and kapok seeds today. They probably rely on maize and sorghum as their primary food sources. In addition to hunting and fishing, they raise a few sheep, goats, and chickens.[9]
