Culture and Traditions

Our Roots

Mugeni bwnithe. (Greetings to you all). This is an exciting time  for me, and a beautiful journey whose destination is to publicize my county,  real occurrences, create conversations, share knowledge and of course give my readers a chance to drop their burdens for sometimes and live in my story. This blog is meant to bring you the past, present and future of county number 12- Meru County. I bet, especially for the youngies, there is so much you don’t know. Meru did not just come overnight from somewhere or nowhere, and then we found ourselves calling it home! Knowing Njuri Ncheke, ntaano (circumcision) and your grandparents is barely enough. 

Where did we come from

  
So, how did Meru County came to be? As compared to other Kenyan tribes, Meru’s history and mythology is both unclear and fascinating. According to history, our forefathers were at some point slaves of the “red people” at a place called Mbwaa. While still there the red people under instructions from their leader launched a massacre against all the male children immediately after birth. Only one boy escaped this fate after his mother hid him in a basket by the riverside. He was named Mwithe (the hidden one) and later Koomenjoe who later became a respected prophet.

They experienced so problems at Mbwaa so offering sacrifices in form of people, animals, animal products and fruits would maybe ease the situation. To be let free they also had to triumph against very tough conditions. Such were making a shoe with hair on both sides, get an ox that produced diatomite for dung, and get an unknown fruit from an extremely deep pit without anyone descending inside or piercing it. All the three tests were rejected upon delivery of results. The fourth and fifth were the toughest. The fourth called for killing of all the elders so their blood flew like a heavy stream while the fifth was an impossible task as they were required to forge a spear touching the earth and up the sky, and never break at any point. Known as itumo ria mwito, spear that gave them an idea to escape and that would later be used for trekking. 

The biggest and healthiest buck or bull was sacrificed to appease the gods

The escape was such a magical and more alike a famous story Old Testament in the Bible. Remember Moses and the children of Israel while escaping from Egypt? Yes, that one. Then Koomenjoe acted as Moses and the Meru people as Isrealites. He parted the water with the wonder spear creating a dry land immediately. The crossing to the “promised land” went on the entire night, each of the groups (nchienu) at a time. Once the last group crossed, Koomenjoe hit the dry land, and water came back as an immense mass sweeping and drowning the Red People’s army. Same script different cast right! 

'The Ameru crossing the red sea'

The origin myth does not end here. The author of Restatement of Bantu origin and Meru History Alfred M’Imanyara account has a different story to tell. He explains the Meru originated from the primordial Nilotic Meroe empire, that was bounded by White and Blue Nile, and a number of swamps in the south. While it got a little bit of truth because of the linguistic resemblance between ‘Meru’ and ‘Meroe’. Some Meru elders also believe Misiri or Egypt as they call it is their origin. Then the Bantus account that explain that the GEMA community (Gikuyu, Embu, Meru and Akambas) the earliest Bantus arrived in Kenya from southwest, from there they spread east and north across Kenya.

The position of Meru on the Kenyan map, and supposed origins

 Their crossing to north took them to Ethiopia and Somalia, where they met the Oroma military between 1300 and 1500. However, the Oroma pushed them back to Kenya, and lastly they settled near Mount Kenya. Their route back took them to the Coast where we have the Indian Ocean which might have been their “Red Sea”. They again moved west and inland to what is now Meru County. I am certain you as the reader have your side of the story. 

A settled ancient Meru community on a market day

The origin of Meru County is characterized by confusion, imagination, fiction and truth. I am not sticking my neck out too much but maybe the Ameru is a result of different people, some who were real Meru, and others who they found along the way and during enslavement. Some came from the east, others from the north, and some may already have been there prior to the arrival of other groups. The "Red People’s" account sounds so similar to the Old Testament; which makes me think the dominant group of the Ameru were at some time in close contact with the Jewish such as the Falashim of Ethiopia, where the myth was adapted to fit the actual Meru history of enslavement and exodus. As the old saying goes, “curiosity killed the cat”, but satisfaction brought it back”, I am eager to find more about Meru County, and guess what, we will be happy cats.