Inside the caves of Chebonei, a people’s history is curated well

A man washes his hands with water seeping from the rocks at the entrance to the Chebonei Caves in Bukacha, Bomet County.
PHOTO | CAROLINE CHEBET | NATION

What you need to know:

  • Outside the caves are numerous water springs that serve a larger part of Chebonei village.

  • The springs, local folklore goes, are also part of the reason the ancestors settled here.

Caves have always intrigued nature lovers. They might always be dark, damp and intimidating, but they also offer us a glimpse into our pasts: how we lived, what we liked, and who or what lived with us.

That is exactly the role that the Chebonei Caves in Bukacha, Bomet County, play. Tucked away in one of the remotest corners of the county, the caves are an enduring link to the village’s undocumented history.

There is no scholarly tome on Chebonei, and definitely none on the ways, cultures and traditions of those who went before ‘civilisation’ spread here.

Yet that is not to say history is not curated here. The caves, hidden behind a curtain of a waterfall, have preserved the hunter-gatherer traditions of those who lived here hundreds of years ago quite well.

There is what looks like a cow shed in one corner of the caves, tactfully raised from the ground and lined with permeable stones, perhaps to provide warmth to the animals while at the same time quickly absorbing their excreta.

If you are a keen observer, you will also notice the rather unusual arrangement of firestones, and, sandwiched between them, the granular substance that, many believe, is wood ash that has been baked by the elements through the years.

WATER SPRINGS

Mr John Kosgey, on whose land the caves lie, says the firestones and ashes show his ancestors had discovered fire by the time they decided there was a better life outside caves, and that, other than using the fire to boil food, they also used it to keep themselves and their animals warm.

Outside the caves are numerous water springs that serve a larger part of Chebonei village. The springs, local folklore goes, are also part of the reason the ancestors settled here. Watering points were also coveted possessions long before Man discovered damming rivers and piping water.

In a way, then, the Chebonei Caves are a tiny peek into the histories of our people, a way to reconnect with our ancestors, and also a chance to sample the warmth of their abodes, the sceneries around them (which, sadly, have changed through the years), and the environmental factors that drew them here.

As part of celebrating Beautiful Kenya, we invite you to make that reconnection with your past, and to drink from the springs of our forefathers.