Tutsi Genetics! ✅

Hello everyone, hope you are doing well! I recently thought to make an archive on this ethnic group specifically because there is immense state sponsored propaganda that there is no real distinction between the Hutu, Batwa and Tutsi, as a means to "keep peace" in Rwanda-Burundi, but this is total nonsense! Many independent researchers and geneticists have sampled the Batutsi, Banyamulenge, Bahima, Banyankole and other South East African pastoralist groups from that region, and the data revealed that they clearly are associated with an undeniable Cushitic origin! This is in contrast to the Hutus (and other Bantus) who are overwhelmingly of West African/Bantu ancestry and Twas whom are derived from Hunter-Gatherer Pygmies. Everyone I know from my own country (Tanzania) and the neighbouring regions is fully aware of this diversity, and not in denial of the genomic and historical reality. The Tutsi people themselves have even reached out to numerous academic geneticists to actually have a peer reviewed documentation of their genome, but due to political correctness and cowardice no official publications will ever likely be released unfortunately. Therefore, I will link some great resources on their genome that readers can check out, and learn from!

Contemporary DNA Studies:
It was noted early on by researcher Razi Khan that a sampled Tutsi individual (the first independently investigated), showed close genetic ties to the Maasai, than to either Semitic or Cushitic populations. The scientist also spoke about that the reason the Rwandan authorities don't emphasize the differences between Batutsi and Bahutu is because of the legacy of ethnic violence and genocide.
🔗https://www.academia.edu/4110292/Dr_Razib_Khans_Batutsi_genetic_study
In the year 2011, population geneticists and writer Razib Khan had independently analyzed a single Tutsi sample. As pointed out by others, and Razib himself, it is not that representative of the average Tutsi, as the person who sent in the data is confirmed to be partially Hutu. Nonetheless, the individual clearly showed signs of carrying ample Ethiopian/Somali related ancestry.

🔗Tutsi Probably Differ Genetically from the Hutu | Discover Magazine
🔗Tutsi genetics, ii | Discover Magazine

In 2019, after acquiring more data from whole genomes sent to his company, Razib Khan released two entries that showed similarities between the sampled Tutsi, and the Maasai of Kenya and Tanzania whom are known to be substantially admixed with populations from the Horn of Africa, primarily Rift Valley Southern Cushites. What differs them though, is the Maasai have more Nilotic ancestry, and they are Maa speakers which is a Nilo-Saharan dialect. This is not surprising as Nilotes expanded into the area from Southern Sudan during the Iron Age.

🔗Tutsis are genetically very similar to Masai – Gene Expression (gnxp.com)

🔗Tutsis are less Nilotic than the Maasai – Gene Expression (gnxp.com)

Treemix Diagram Showing the Tutsi and Maasai Branching to Somalis

PC1 and PC2 Plot of Tutsi Individuals Overlapping with the Maasai

Admixture Analysis Showing the Sub-Saharan African (Blue) and Western Eurasian (Orange)

Another later entry was released by geneticist Razib Khan in 2020, where he accurately explains that the distinctions between the Hutu and the Tutsi were not invented whatsoever by the European colonialists (Belgians). Before colonization, the Tutsi actually had control of that part of the Great Lakes Region, and unfortunately, the Hutus were serfs in a type of feudal system, though there was some upward mobility amongst these indigenous ethnic distinctions. In general, there is a lot of not known history in Rwanda about how the Tutsi Kingdoms operated, and what actually led up to the bloody conflicts, but getting into those things is not the purpose of this archive, you can look into that for yourself. Once you understand this ancestral difference, a lot of things will start to make sense. Anyway, included as well here is another PCA which shows the two groups plotting separately, with Tutsi pushed towards Horn of Africans.

🔗The Belgians did not invent the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, who have different origins – Gene Expression (gnxp.com)

Genetic Clustering PCA of Hutu and Tutsi Populations

In the year 2023, we got access to probably the best data set ever conducted on the Tutsi-Hima! All coming from our good friend from Rwanda, the Sage Nomad (be sure to check out his 🔗YouTube page please, and watch his amazing videos!). A Tutsi himself, this brother has gone on to collect and scale over 100 samples all derived from his people. The results revealed that the Tutsi have strong genetic and cultural affinities with the Savannah Pastoral Neolithic Culture who were ancestral South Cushites whom occupied Tanzania and Kenya long before the migration of Nilotes and Bantus. It fully confirms that they are largely still of Southern Cushitic extraction even though they language shifted to Niger-Congo, speaking Kinyarwanda and Kirundi. The autosomal DNA via Global 25 Vahaduo runs has them modelled as 55% Cushitic, 25% Nilotic, 20% Bantu, and 5% Omotic or other Hunter-Gatherer peoples related. Included as well are the Y-Chromosome DNA haplotype distributions which can be summarized as 50% E1b1b (mostly E-M293), 30% E1b1a, 15% A, and lastly 5% B. Included in this phenomenal undertaking are the various mtDNA haplogroups as well! 

🔗Tutsi/Hima Y-DNA & G25 Samples Scaled - Google Docs

Other Genetic Findings!
According to data from 1969, the Tutsi and Hima groups possessed the enzyme of milk sugar lactose tolerance, which is highly prevalent in European populations, but the Bantu tribes were lactose deficient. Similar results and conclusions were reached by Tishkoff, Sarah A et al. (2007).
🔗Lactase Deficiency: A Probable Ethnological Marker in East Africa on JSTOR
🔗Convergent adaptation of human lactase persistence in Africa and Europe | Nature Genetics

*credit: 🔗Principal Component Analysis by Awale Ismail

*credit: 🔗3-Way PCA Chart Clustering Tutsi/Hima with the Datooga/Barabaig, Map Plot Generated by Ygor Coelho

Archive Last Edited: 29/10/2024