While some scholars accepted the idea of Sub-Saharan tribes such as the Tutsi and the Maasai being Hamiticised Negroes , others , such as John Walter Gregory , emphasized that the putative Hamitic element in these peoples was at best minimal . Citing the considerable physical disparity between the ethnic groups traditionally considered Hamites and the aforementioned " Hamiticised Negroes " , Gregory wrote : European imperial powers were influenced by the Hamitic hypothesis in their policies during the twentieth century . For instance , in Rwanda , German and Belgian officials in the colonial period displayed preferential attitudes toward the Tutsis over the Hutu . Some scholars argued that this bias was a significant factor that contributed to the 1994 Rwandan genocide of the Tutsis by the Hutus
Rwandan genocide
Rwandan genocide
Hamites