The
Ameru tribe inhabits the
Meru region of
Kenya. They speak the
Meru language.
The Ameru are a community living primarily on the agricultural northeastern slope of Mount Kenya in the Eastern Province of Kenya. The name "Meru" refers to both the people and the location, as for many years there was only one geo-political district for the Meru people. This changed in 1992 when the district was divided into three Meru, Nyambene, and Tharaka-Nithi. These people are unrelated to the Meru people in north Tanzania, other than that they are both Bantu-speaking. The Meru are primarily agrarian, with some animals. Their home life and culture is similar to other Highland Bantus. The Tharaka live in the dry desert area, a much harsher life than most Meru.
Meru people are divided into seven sections namely Igoj, Imenti,Tigania, Miutuni, Igembe, Mwimbi and Muthambi. The Chuka and Tharaka are now considered Meru but have different oral histories and mythology
The Meru were traditionally governed by elected and hierarchical councils of elders from the clan level right up to the supreme "njuri ncheke" council that governed all the seven sections, making Meru perhaps the only pre-colonial democratic nation in sub-Saharan Africa. The Njuri is the only traditional judicial system recognized by the Kenyan state.
