Ancient Marangu Chagga Caves

The Chagga Caves were constructed in the 18th century as a defense mechanism for the Chagga people against Maasai invaders. Seeking food and water during dry seasons, the Maasai would attack Chagga settlements, seizing their resources. The Chagga designed these man-made caves to shelter up to 70 families, incorporating features for security, water collection, ventilation, and individual living spaces. They drilled ventilation upwards and planted poisonous trees above as camouflage.

These caves and tunnels had one end near flowing rivers and served as temporary shelters during Maasai attacks. When the Chagga retreated into the caves, they took all their belongings, leaving nothing visible above ground. This made it difficult for the Maasai to capture them. The Maasai employed two main tactics:

• They tried smoking fire and chili through the tunnels. However, the Chagga used animal skins to divert the smoke away from their living areas within the tunnels.
• After the first attempt failed, the Maasai attempted to flood the tunnels. However, the Chagga had anticipated this, designing the meandering cave structure to divert water to the river’s other end. When the Maasai threw rocks, the Chagga would break water-filled pots to mislead them into thinking the tunnels were full of water.

The tribal conflict was also fueled by the Maasai’s practice of forcibly impregnating young Chagga girls. In response, the Chagga would kill children with Maasai lineage before they reached the age of five to maintain their tribal purity.

This rivalry between the Chagga and Maasai ended after Tanzania’s independence with Mwl. Nyerere’s Ujamaa policy, and the two tribes have since lived harmoniously.