Marangu field trip

Yesterday we went on a field trip to Marangu, which is a town at the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. This area of Tanzania (Moshi included) is similar to the Bay area in that there are almost micro climates. It is much cooler and more tropical in Marangu than in Moshi (30 minutes away). We went to see blacksmiths - and i got to take a chance keeping the fire burning for one of them. They told me that the Chagga tribe make spears for the Maasai but they do not know how to use them ( and Maasai do not know how to make them).

We went to a cave where Chagga people would hide a long time ago because then the Maasai believed ALL cattle belonged to them and would fight the Chagga to take it from them and since they are known as good fighters the Chagga people and small animals would hide in the caves and they would hide the cattle up on Kilimanjaro until the threat moved away.

We saw a traditional Chagga house, which is much like a Maasai house now in that it is circular with a grass roof. (Previously Maasai had square houses with windows which look more modern than their current dwellings). Since Maasai would steal cattle, Chagga people lived in the house with their cattle (the house is not that big so I can only imagine) and their children until the time their children reached puberty and the father would make a new house and move he and the boys into it. Unlike the Maasai, Chagga men make houses not the women. There are pineapple bushes surrounding them to prevent snakes (since the thorns on the pineapple leaves would hurt them). There would also be a hole in the grass above the door of the house where the owner would put a Yuka (I think?) leaf - tied if he would not be back all day or longer;folded if he was going to return if you just wait. If he and the wife were doing the "hokey pokey"then he would put a spear in front of the door and the visitors would know they weren't to be disturbed. hee hee. We were told this information by a Chagga historian at the Chagga museum who was really great, they even have the family line of the Chagga chiefdom and how they began in Kenya.

After that we went to Marangu waterfalls where the water from the top of Kili falls. It was beautiful as all water falls are and cold due to it being from snow.