This week I was able to visit the Iringa Boma, a museum and cultural center that tells the story of the town of Iringa and how proud its people are of their history. The museum talks about how the local tribe, the Hehe, were able to hold of the German foreigners from moving into their home for over 100 years. The museum also displays traditional tools that have been (and in some cases, still are) used for cooking, music and farming. What I learned was that the Hehe people of Iringa are very proud of their history and their traditions.
I was able to hold some traditional cooking tools, such as the mortar which is used to pound corn into a traditional dish called ugali. In the dish, corn is reduced to a doughy texture and eaten with vegetables and meat. I was also able to see a rattle instrument that was made by melting iron into two spheres that are tied on a string and spun in the air to make music. The people of Iringa are very proud of their culture and it makes me very happy to be a part of it now. Understand the past helps me better understand my new neighbors and classmates.
