Abiru (original) (raw)

The Abiru (Kinyarwanda: royal ritualists) are the members of the privy council of the monarchy of Rwanda. They emanate from the earliest pre-colonial Rwandan traditions, and are tied to the monarchy's mythic origins. Due to the mythopoetic nature of accounts of the early history of the Abiru and the Rwandan monarchy, an accurate history of the Abiru is difficult to codify or study. The wider ethnic community that is traditionally expected to provide the membership of the council is also known as the Abiru. Both the council and this community are currently led by Boniface Benzinge.