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Meru people
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Meru people
The Meru or Amîîrú (including the Ngaa) are a Bantu ethnic group that inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. The region is situated on the fertile lands of the north and eastern slopes of Mount Kenya in the former Eastern Province.
The word Meru means 'shining light' in the Meru language. In Kiswahili, the Meru are called Ng'aa, a word meaning 'Dazzling or Shining' in both languages[citation needed] Ameru in the Meru language means 'the shining ones' or 'new' acts 10:34-35'. The word Miiru was also used to refer to the nearby forests of Mount Kenya, thus the name Amiiru, meaning 'people of the forest'.[citation needed] The Ameru people comprise nine subgroups: the Igoji, Imenti, Tigania, Mitine, Igembe, Mwimbi, Muthambi, Chuka and Tharaka. The Tharaka live in the semi-arid part of Greater Meru and they, along with the Mwimbi, Muthambi and Chuka, form the Tharaka-Nithi County. The Ameru are unrelated to the Wameru of Northern Tanzania.
The Meru speak the Meru language, also known as Kimîîrú. Kimîîrú, Kikamba, Kiembu, Kimbeere and Kikuyu share critical language characteristics. The Meru language is not uniform across the Meru lands, but comprises several mutually intelligible dialects which vary geographically. Each dialect is a reflection of previous migratory patterns, the level of intra-community interactions, and the influences of other adjacent Bantu, Nilotic and Cushitic communities. As a whole language scholars have demonstrated that the Meru language exhibits much older Bantu characteristics in grammar and phonetic forms than neighbouring Bantu languages.
The Meru people are of Bantu origin. Like the closely related Kikuyu, Embu and Mbeere, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya. The exact place that the ancestors of the Meru migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. Some authorities suggest that they arrived in their present Mount Kenya homeland from earlier settlements to the north and east, while others argue that the Meru, along with their closely related Eastern Bantu neighbours moved into what is now Kenya from points further south.
The name "Meru" refers to both the people and the region, which for many years was the only administrative unit. In 1992, "Greater" Meru District was divided into three administrative units: Meru Central, Meru North, and Tharaka-Nithi (Tharaka and Meru South). After the promulgation of a new constitution in Kenya on 27 August 2010, Greater Meru was further re-defined and now consists of the twin counties of Tharaka-Nithi and Meru. The Greater Meru covered approximately 13,000 km2 (5,000 sq mi), stretching from the Thuci River, on the border with Embu County, in the South to the border with Isiolo County in the north.
The Ameru have been governed by elected and hierarchical councils of elders since the 17th century. These extend from the clan level up to the supreme Njuri-Ncheke council. Membership of the Njuri Ncheke is the highest social rank to which a Meru man can aspire. The elders forming the Njuri-Ncheke are carefully selected and comprise mature, composed, respected and incorruptible members of the community. This is necessary as their work requires great wisdom, personal discipline, and knowledge of the traditions. The Njuri-Ncheke is also the apex of the traditional Meru judicial system and their edicts apply to the entire community.
The functions of the Njuri-Ncheke are to make and execute community laws, to hear and settle disputes, and to pass on community knowledge and norms across generations in their role as the custodians of traditional culture. Local disputes will invariably first be dealt with by lower ranks of the elders (Kiama), then the middle rank (Njuri) and finally the Njuri-Ncheke. However, the Njuri Ncheke does not handle matters involving non-Meru people, or those that are expressly designated as being under Kenya's common law. The determination of cases by the Njuri Ncheke, just like is for common law, relies a lot on case law and precedence.
A lesser known, yet important function of the Njuri-Ncheke, is overseeing and enforcing the rules and regulations controlling the use and conservation of open grasslands, salt-licks and forests. Their work as conservators extends to the preservation of the Sacred Sites.
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Meru people
The Meru or Amîîrú (including the Ngaa) are a Bantu ethnic group that inhabit the Meru region of Kenya. The region is situated on the fertile lands of the north and eastern slopes of Mount Kenya in the former Eastern Province.
The word Meru means 'shining light' in the Meru language. In Kiswahili, the Meru are called Ng'aa, a word meaning 'Dazzling or Shining' in both languages[citation needed] Ameru in the Meru language means 'the shining ones' or 'new' acts 10:34-35'. The word Miiru was also used to refer to the nearby forests of Mount Kenya, thus the name Amiiru, meaning 'people of the forest'.[citation needed] The Ameru people comprise nine subgroups: the Igoji, Imenti, Tigania, Mitine, Igembe, Mwimbi, Muthambi, Chuka and Tharaka. The Tharaka live in the semi-arid part of Greater Meru and they, along with the Mwimbi, Muthambi and Chuka, form the Tharaka-Nithi County. The Ameru are unrelated to the Wameru of Northern Tanzania.
The Meru speak the Meru language, also known as Kimîîrú. Kimîîrú, Kikamba, Kiembu, Kimbeere and Kikuyu share critical language characteristics. The Meru language is not uniform across the Meru lands, but comprises several mutually intelligible dialects which vary geographically. Each dialect is a reflection of previous migratory patterns, the level of intra-community interactions, and the influences of other adjacent Bantu, Nilotic and Cushitic communities. As a whole language scholars have demonstrated that the Meru language exhibits much older Bantu characteristics in grammar and phonetic forms than neighbouring Bantu languages.
The Meru people are of Bantu origin. Like the closely related Kikuyu, Embu and Mbeere, they are concentrated in the vicinity of Mount Kenya. The exact place that the ancestors of the Meru migrated from after the initial Bantu expansion is uncertain. Some authorities suggest that they arrived in their present Mount Kenya homeland from earlier settlements to the north and east, while others argue that the Meru, along with their closely related Eastern Bantu neighbours moved into what is now Kenya from points further south.
The name "Meru" refers to both the people and the region, which for many years was the only administrative unit. In 1992, "Greater" Meru District was divided into three administrative units: Meru Central, Meru North, and Tharaka-Nithi (Tharaka and Meru South). After the promulgation of a new constitution in Kenya on 27 August 2010, Greater Meru was further re-defined and now consists of the twin counties of Tharaka-Nithi and Meru. The Greater Meru covered approximately 13,000 km2 (5,000 sq mi), stretching from the Thuci River, on the border with Embu County, in the South to the border with Isiolo County in the north.
The Ameru have been governed by elected and hierarchical councils of elders since the 17th century. These extend from the clan level up to the supreme Njuri-Ncheke council. Membership of the Njuri Ncheke is the highest social rank to which a Meru man can aspire. The elders forming the Njuri-Ncheke are carefully selected and comprise mature, composed, respected and incorruptible members of the community. This is necessary as their work requires great wisdom, personal discipline, and knowledge of the traditions. The Njuri-Ncheke is also the apex of the traditional Meru judicial system and their edicts apply to the entire community.
The functions of the Njuri-Ncheke are to make and execute community laws, to hear and settle disputes, and to pass on community knowledge and norms across generations in their role as the custodians of traditional culture. Local disputes will invariably first be dealt with by lower ranks of the elders (Kiama), then the middle rank (Njuri) and finally the Njuri-Ncheke. However, the Njuri Ncheke does not handle matters involving non-Meru people, or those that are expressly designated as being under Kenya's common law. The determination of cases by the Njuri Ncheke, just like is for common law, relies a lot on case law and precedence.
A lesser known, yet important function of the Njuri-Ncheke, is overseeing and enforcing the rules and regulations controlling the use and conservation of open grasslands, salt-licks and forests. Their work as conservators extends to the preservation of the Sacred Sites.
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