Cows have always been important in the culture of Rwanda. There are even royal cows with really, really long horns. There is a musem in the southern province of Rwanda where the royal cows live. You can go and touch the cows and tour the palace of previous kings. (Rwanda used to be ruled by kings, but now it has a president.) I really want to go to the musem before I leave Rwanda. My friend visited and sent me a picture of the royal cows for all of you!
Traditionally, when two people get married in Rwanda, there is a dowry involved. A dowry consists of money or goods given to the future bride's parents to thank them for their daughter. The two sets of parents, the bride's parents and the groom's parents, would talk and negotiate about the amount of the dowry before the couple could get married. The amount of the dowry used to be measured in cows. For example, the parents might decide that the groom would need to give two cows for the bride. The more beautiful or educated the bride was, the more cows were offered. If a bride has a bachelor's degree, you typically give more cows, or today, usually money. Some families who are very traditional still say "cows" when discussing dowries, but now most people just refer to an amount of money.
Yes! Cows help the environment in Rwanda. Lawn mowers are not common, especially in the villages, so many farmers have cows graze in places with tall grass to help stop different bugs from hanging around and biting people. These insects can make people sick, so the grazing helps the village.
