The Meru (''Wameru'' in Swahili), also known as the ''Va-Rwa'' (''Rwa'' being the root word), are a Bantu ethnic group native to the slopes of

Mount Meru Mount Meru (Sanskrit/Pali: मेरु)—also known as Sumeru, Sineru or Mahāmeru—is a sacred, five-peaked mountain present within Hindu, Jain and Buddhist cosmologies, revered as the centre of all physical, metaphysical and spiritua ...

Arusha Region Arusha Region () is one of Tanzania's 31 administrative Regions of Tanzania, regions and is located in the northeast of the country. The region's capital and largest city is the city of Arusha. The region is bordered by Kajiado County and Narok C ...

and Meru County in Kenya. The Meru people share the same name and identity with the

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 ...

of Kenya. The Meru people are said to have arrived to the slopes of the great mountain around 800 years ago coming from the mount Kenya . According to the inhabitants, migration occurred back and forth throughout the region, and the Meru people should be viewed as a part of the bigger population inhabiting the entire Arumeru District. Upon arriving at the southeastern slopes of Mount Meru they were met by the

hunter-gatherer A hunter-gatherer or forager is a human living in a community, or according to an ancestrally derived Lifestyle, lifestyle, in which most or all food is obtained by foraging, that is, by gathering food from local naturally occurring sources, esp ...

group called the Koningo whom they absorbed into Meru society. The wa Meru are known for their intensive livestock keeper. Today many descendants of Meru people still live in their homeland and

and

Arumeru District Arumeru District (Meru District and Arusha Rural District) is a former Districts of Tanzania, district in the Arusha Region of Tanzania. It was bordered to the north, west, and southwest by Monduli District, to the southeast by the city of Arus ...

are named in their honor. Upepo wa kisulisuli is named after UMALEE in meru language.

References

Ethnic groups in Tanzania Indigenous peoples of East Africa Indigenous peoples of Arusha Region {{Tanzania-ethno-group-stub