Who are Chagga People?

The Chaga (or Wachaga, Chagga, Jagga, Dschagga, Waschagga, Wachagga) are Bantu speaking indigenous African tribe and the third largest ethnic group in Tanzania. They live on the southern and eastern slopes of Mount Kilimanjaro and Mount Meru, as well as in the Moshi area. They are among East Africa's wealthiest and most educated people. Their relative wealth comes from not only the favorable climate of the area, but also from successful agricultural methods which include extensive irrigation systems and continuous fertilization. They were one of the first tribes in the area to convert to Christianity. This may have given them an advantage over other ethnic groups, as they had access to education and health care as Christians.

They are descended from various groups who migrated from all directions into the once forest covered foothills. While the Chagga are Bantu-speakers, they do not speak an undifferentiated language but rather a cluster of related dialects. These dialects are related to Kamba, which is spoken in the northeast along with other languages spoken in the east such as Dabida and Pokomo. Although the Chagga are referred to as a tribe, their land is traditionally divided into a number of politically independent chiefdoms with a relatively egalitarian social system. The Chagga are closely related, culturally, to the Pare, Taveta and Teita peoples. They follow a patrilineal system of descent and inheritance. The Chagga subsist primarily by agriculture, using irrigation on terraced fields and manure to develop the fields. Although bananas are their staple food, they also cultivate various crops including yams, beans, and maize. The Chagga are best known for their Arabica coffee, which is exported to American and European markets, resulting in coffee being their primary cash crop.