The Origin of the Chaga People
According to Chaga tradition, the first Chaga people emerged from the sacred caves on the slopes of Kilimanjaro. Long ago, a great famine drove people from the surrounding plains to seek refuge on the mountain's fertile slopes. There, Ruwa led them to hidden caves where underground rivers flowed and the soil was eternally rich. The first Chaga clans divided the mountain among themselves — those who settled on the eastern slopes became one clan, those in the west another, and so on. Each clan was given a sacred grove where they could communicate with Ruwa and the ancestors. The mountain's volca