This was once one of the poorest regions of Switzerland, points out Adrian Schnyder of the local tourist board, and simple hunger could, he thinks, be at the root of the Tschäggättä legend.
"There is the story of the 'Schurtendiebe'," he explains. "People who lived on the shady side of the valley and didn't have enough to eat."
"So they came over to the sunny side, where people were richer and had more food - to steal. And they wore masks to disguise themselves."
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