Welcome to Kinukamori Falls and the Hall of Chagga Culture
This modest walkway was devised to introduce you to (Wa)Chag(g)a history and culture by way of local artists’ interpretations through sculpture. In this way, we thought a more heartfelt expression of our culture could be presented to you.
The history of the Chagga has been the focus of study for many ethnographers, anthropologists, and sociologists. This attention has probably arisen from our culture’s proximity to Kilimanjaro and thus early exposure to Western explorers. Because of this attention, much of the writing on our culture is oftentimes at the PhD thesis level, and so, is less accessible to the layman. Hopefully these artists’ sculptures and explanations are easily understood, and prompt you to study more.
Kinukamori Falls and the Maiden at the Top (see large sculpture at the top of the falls)
As legend has it, a Chagga maiden named Makinuka, was pregnant with an illegitimate child, and thus found herself in quite a predicament. As with many cultures the world-over, affairs and illegitimate children were dealt with quite harshly, namely, death. As described earlier, death was by spearing if caught in the act, or by stoning.
The statute atop the falls serves as a monument to poor Makinuka who was set on committing suicide rather than face ritual death. When she was at the top of the falls, she hesitated and backed away after having lost her resolve. But alas the choice was not hers, as a leopard was behind her, ready to pounce. Startled, she lost her footing and fell to her death.
For more information see the article by Muhidin Issa Michuzi in the Sunday News, July 18, 2004.
Traditional Chagga Culture Is Being Lost to Outside Influence.
As with so many traditional cultures, outside influence can affect its evolution, for both good and for bad. Here, the painted, scattered, stones, depict the disuse of traditional Chagga names, and replacement with more Westernized names. The artist may feel that the traditional names are being cast aside, so to speak—this interpretation may serve as a metaphor for what is happening to our culture.
Julius Kambarage Nyerere, also Known as Mwalimu—the Teacher
Tanzania’s first president was formerly a teacher, and thus was affectionately known as Mwalimu. He was well known for promoting a self-reliant Tanzania, and for unifying all the various groups under one flag. In his philosophy there was no justification for social or economic inequality. As a result, Tanzania is now notably, relatively free of tribal rivalries.
As with Most Modern and Traditional Societies, Women Work Harder than Men (wink).
Certainly not intended to offend our male viewers, this artist only wanted to emphasize that the upkeep of the Chagga household and tradition relies heavily on the labors of our women. Here, an artist depicts a woman and her newborn child. Traditionally, Chagga women are also involved in daily or weekly market trade of goods.
It was (is) also believed that most women have magical powers. A woman can use her apron as a protective charm. Even the leopard is afraid of the apron. Women are even renowned for their healing powers and act as professional diviners. So watch out men…you better behave!
(For futher reading see O.F. Raum, PhD. A Description of Indigenous Education in an East African Tribe, Oxford University Press, 1940).
The Owl—A Bad Omen
As with many old African beliefs, the owl is a sign of a bad omen—an impending death in the family. This would occur if an owl settled on your roof at night, and gave a good hoot. If you a familiar with Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible, you’ll realize that this is a common theme among many African cultures.
Oftentimes to avert a death in the family, a witch doctor was called upon to perform a cleansing ceremony. It involved ritual use of a calabash, a wreath of shells, and a cow horn.
The wreath was worn by the head of the family. The cow horn was sounded by the witch doctor to scare evil spirits away. And the enclosed calabash, containing ceremonial medicine, was first shaken around the individual, and then drunk by all individuals order in order to protect the household.
Finally, the head of the family would gaze into a basin filled with water, and would see the hand of the individual who placed a curse on the family.
If you’ve seen the Lord of the Rings productions, or read Tolkein’s book, you’ll recall that Frodo looks into a basin of water poured by Galadriel the witch-elf, in order to foretell the possible future, and identify harbingers of evil.
The Eagle and the Snake
A Chagga story tells of a needy farmer who set out from his home to ask the god, Iruwa for cattle. When he came to the rainbow's end he uttered his prayer for many days, but no cattle appeared. Finally, he was seized with rage (" his heart rose up "), drew his sword, and cut the rainbow in half. Half of it flew up to the sky (eagle); the other half fell to the ground (snake)
(For futher reading see http://www.afrikaworld.net).
The eagle and the snake, once unified as part of a rainbow, are now divided due to man’s action. The snake will eat the eggs of the eagle, and the eagle will eat the snake. This tale can be interpreted as a sort of a fall-from-grace parable, or as life cycle story—each animal is dependent on the other for existence.
The Past and Present Anguish of the Chagga People
The artist renders a very literal, and impactful interpretation of the anguish suffered by the Chagga (as well as by other African peoples) during the various colonial regimes (Portugal, Persia, Germany, and Britain) that have dictated our history for several centuries. The Trade Wind patterns prompted heavy trade through the Tanzania area. The land was also “mined” for ivory, gold, and spices for markets in Persia, India, and America. Unfortunately slaves were also part of this trade. Slaves were captured inland, kept in caves on Zanzibar, and then auctioned in Zanzibar Town.
Close to the end of the walkway, and to the left, you will observe two slaves suffering from exhaustion, and at near death. One has collapsed from carrying huge amounts of ivory. It was reported that such slaves, were killed on the spot, for fear that they would warn others of capture by slave traders.
Today our anguish is AIDS/ HIV. Every Chagga individual in the town of Marangu knows of several people (both relatives and friends) who have died of AIDS/ HIV. Those plagued by HIV are often abandoned by their own family. When a local “muzungu” (foreign) teacher asked her class if they knew anyone infected with AIDS, the entire class raised their hands. It is estimated that about two million Tanzanians after infected by AIDS/ HIV.
The Requisite Virgin Sacrifice
Long ago, as with other societies of the time, sacrifice of a human life was conducted to appease unhappy gods or ancestors. Oddly, such practices occured the world over, and thus it becomes more important to understand, rather than judge, the motivation behind these strange rituals:
…the spirit of the dead demanded from a parent the sacrifice of a child in return for redemption of other children”
…where a heavy curse had been placed on the father, the death of his child could free him of it… [similar to Job or Moloch].
… sacrifices was customary in some Chagga countries at the death of a chief and required sacrifice of an unusually beautiful child, or of children undefiled by mutilating ceremonies.
…Ruwa (Sun) is the supreme being, receives sacrificial offerings in times of crisis…
…as long as a child was unscathed—that is, had received no ritual incisions or mutilations [ie, circumcision]—it was considered to be pure…a child had to be given as a tribute to the monster irimu lest the latter should harm the inhabitants.
…the parents were often described a “loathed” [to put it mildly] to part with their children…indeed, it has been speculated that the historical reason for the introduction of the rites of mutilation (eg, circumcision) stem from the desire of parents to protect their children.
(For further reading see O.F. Raum, PhD. A Description of Indigenous Education in an East African Tribe, Oxford University Press, 1940, and http://www.lawrenceesullivan.com)
Burial Rituals—That Office Plant Is a Forgiveness Plant
…at death, the family “bursts forth” into dirge and cries. The individual’s ornaments are removed and replaced by rings and wreaths of Dracaena leaves, so that he can enter the underworld without feeling shame [This ritual is not that far from placing coins on the eyes of the deceased to pay S(C)haron to cross the River Styx].
…the spirit transverses the treeless plain, morongo, which separates the land of the living from the underworld [This is not dissimilar from crossing the River Styx, or the Elyssian Fields, as discussed in Western mythologies].
…ritually untouched children have been buried to act as a safety measure against a sudden invasion by providing an insurmountable obstacle, or by uttering a warning signal…a similar virgin sacrifice was customary at the death of a chief.
(For further reading see O.F. Raum, PhD. A Description of Indigenous Education in an East African Tribe, Oxford University Press, 1940).
Note the Dracaena plant as a mark of ceremonial death. The Dracaena is also considered a forgiveness plant. When burying the dead, one must renounce all grudges, and all debts must be settled. Ironically, you probably recognize the Dracaena as the houseplant at your office. Remember that it is the forgiveness plant (wink).
Circumcision of Young Women—A Practice of the Past with Some Interesting Motive
As with other cultures the circumcision of young women has become a past practice. This is especially depicted by the artist sentiment, whereby a young woman is shown being dragged, by her mother, to the circumcision ritual. It was obviously not something that a young woman looked forward
to. But as discussed before, there may have been strong reason to follow to such an odd tradition…namely, your daughter is no longer an ideal candidate for a virgin sacrifice.
Some Chagga also speculate that these customs were devised to ensure no obstruction to the fetus during birth. Another purpose may be been linked to maintenance of hygiene. “Only the circumcised youth can be a victorious warrior”. However, this reasoning may have been devised to obtain compliance from children--an educational threat, so to speak.
(For further reading see O.F. Raum, PhD. A Description of Indigenous Education in an East African Tribe, Oxford University Press, 1940).
A Cautionary Tale about Setting Bushfires
Along with the sculpture of the young boy relieving himself in the wrong place, the sculpture of skulls stuck in the tree is also a cautionary tale. Intentionally set bush fires, to clear land can cause more harm than good. These individuals had run up a tree to escape a bush fire that went out of control, but became trapped and perished.
Chief Sina of Kibosho
The most powerful and extensive Chagga Chiefdom was that of Kibosho (Kiwoso) which reached its peak under Mangi Sina in about 1870 (for more info read http://itiko.tripod.com/background.htm). Individuals born in the early 1900 are still able to recall this famous chief, and report him as being an Africa “Goliath”, a mountain climber, and the most popular honey factory owner (honey was used to make local beer for the chiefs).
Mangi Sina had developed a large army and was active in agriculture and cattle raids by 1870. However, all was not rosy with Chief Sina; he was also a notorious slave trader. He was still in control of his empire upon the arrival of the Germans in 1891 (For further reading see http://www.ntz.info/gen).
The Chagga Flag—Leopard as Symbol of Power and Authority
Prior to unification and nationalization of Tanzania, tribal pride and celebrations were commonplace. However, to unite all the various tribes under one Tanzanian flag, such celebrations were discouraged. This was not necessarily to erase distinctions and unique cultures, but to unite everyone under one umbrella. But now that the nation is securely unified, some expression of tribal origins is encouraged, as it makes for a more colorful Tanzania. In the future we will be scheduling performances of traditional dances that were used in Chagga Day celebrations (November 10th). These dances were conducted to round-out day-long celebrations.
The Chagga flag was also brought out that day, but is now seldom seen. We have chosen to discuss it here as it was very emblematic of our culture. The flag consists of five emblems, four of which center about, of course, Kilimanjaro, locally known as Kibo. It has been our water source for irrigation of crops, and is thus our livelihood. The Dracaena plant, the symbol of forgiveness and peace, encircles Kibo, and a leopard sits a top Kibo. The leopard is logically, a symbol of power and authority.
Interestingly, this symbolic arrangement was also touched upon by Ernest Hemmingway, in his Snows of Kilimanjaro. The protagonist of the book is obsessed with a sighting of a leopard carcass on the snowy portion of Kibo—why did the leopard go up so high out of his territory?. It is fun to speculate that this theme may have been prompted by the Chagga flag, where the leopard sits atop the snow of Kibo.
Within the circle, and below Kibo, are the banana plant and a coffee tree branch—both are the means of our prosperity. The whole circle is set within green (flora), then encircled by white (snow), and then blue (the mountain).
Our Future Prospects as a People and Culture—Maintenance of Our Environment Is a Must for Our Livelihood
This artist depicts a rather interesting physical exhibition with important metaphorical meaning…don’t piss upstream of your drinking water source. We are mindful of the fast devolution of our environment, and the impact that it will have on our society. The young boy represents our younger generations, and we hope that they do not do what this young boy is doing. We need to keep our environment clean in order not to poison ourselves with our own waste. This is especially underscored just by your current view of Kilimanjaro (“Her Majesty”, Kippoh, Kimawenzi). Ask any local how much snow was atop “Kili” only 20 years ago, and they will tell you that it was covered. Locals believe the snow will disappear within 20 years. Current research indicates that the Greenhouse Effect, stemming from environmental pollution, may be melting the snow on Kili. Our tourist-based livelihood may change dramatically when Kili looses its snow.
Other interesting sites in the Marangu area:
Mamba Chagga Caves
Early western visitors had noted the absence of cattle in the open villages. However, one Western explorer followed some Chagga individuals handling a cow. “The animal seemed to be blind and its hoofs were very peculiar, having grown out to a great length at the front”. Later, it was found out that cattle were kept in dark, mountain-side huts. Chagga villagers were often then observed to cut grass at the foot of the mountain and carrying it up to shelters. This strange practice of sequestering the cattle may be attributed to the constant warring with neighboring tribes (For more info see http://www.ntz.info/gen).
The caves that you can view just up the mountain from Marangu, is just such an example of a hiding place for cattle and other precious items. The caves were carved out of the ground and used to sustain a small group of villagers for days or weeks during enemy raids. They are a bit claustrophobic, and require squat-walking throughout. But if you are a spelunker, you’ll have a great time exploring. Be sure to bring along you head-lamp or a good flashlight, as the flash light/ torch they provide is a little weak.
Further donations would be most appreciated. If you have any loose change that you’d like to relieve yourself of, you can deposit it at the front desk. It will go straight toward the development of our cultural programs. Also, we have a suggestion box, and welcome any comments.
Our future plans are to expand the Hall of Chagga Culture, and include more sculpture and more sophisticated text and physical detail. We also would like to include a daily traditional dance program for our guests. This takes time and, of course, money, so any further donations will be most welcome.
We hoped you learned something new and we hoped we prompted further interest in our culture.
For brochure:
Take a short walk and guided tour of our Hall of Chagga Culture. This modest walkway was devised to introduce you to our culture by way of local artist rendering of major points in Chagga history and culture. A guide will briefly discuss the interpretation of each sculpture.