The Meru Museum is a

museum A museum is an institution dedicated to displaying or Preservation (library and archive), preserving culturally or scientifically significant objects. Many museums have exhibitions of these objects on public display, and some have private colle ...

located in

Meru Meru may refer to: Geography Kenya * Meru, Kenya, town in Meru County in the republic of Kenya * Meru County, one of Kenya's 47 counties that was created by the 2009 merger of 3 districts: ** Meru Central District ** Meru North District ** Meru S ...

Kenya Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...

. Its exhibits focus on the cultural history and practices of 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 ...

History

The museum building was built in 1916, and was used as the District Commissioner Office, and is the oldest stone building in Meru. In 1973, the National Museums of Kenya made an agreement to renovate the structure into a local museum. The museum first opened in 1974: the

National Museums of Kenya The National Museums of Kenya (NMK; ) is a state corporation that manages museums, sites and monuments in Kenya. It carries out heritage research, and has expertise in subjects ranging from palaeontology, archeology, ethnography and biodivers ...

along with the Meru County and Municipal Council completed the renovations of the museum structure; the objective with the creation of this museum was to have a space that would be about the local history of this region of Kenya. In the same year, George Kirigia was assigned as the museum's curator.

Collections

The museum contains various historical artefacts of the Meru culture. The museum contains exhibits on stone tools dating from the prehistoric period and taxidermied animals. The main museum gallery is composed of three sections, dedicated to the history of the Meru culture containing ethnographic objects, human evolution and the natural history of the area of Kenya where the museum is located. The museum also has exhibits that focus on the development of different techniques in Kenyan agriculture. In the cultural section, the museum has several exhibits of traditional clothing, tools and weapons, including arrows, bows, grindstones and spears. The museum contains a fish pond, and exhibits on small mammals, birds and reptiles from this area of Kenya. The museum also contains exhibits on dinosaurs. In addition, the museum contains a statue of Living Mugwe, a leader of the Meru people. The museum has a garden where medicinal plants native to Kenya are cultivated and conserved, there are about 23 plants, including Aloe secundiflora,

Clausena anisata :''Should not be confused with syzygium anisatum, a tree native to eastern Australian rainforests, used as a culinary herb.'' ''Clausena anisata'' ( Willd.) Hook.f. ex Benth. is a deciduous shrub or small tree, belonging to the Rutaceae or Cit ...

, Commiphora zimmermanii,

Dioscorea minutiflora ''Dioscorea'' is a genus of over 600 species of flowering plants in the family Dioscoreaceae, native throughout the tropical and warm temperate regions of the world. The vast majority of the species are tropical, with only a few species extending ...

and

Warburgia ugandensis ''Warburgia ugandensis'', also known as Ugandan greenheart or simply greenheart tree, is a species of evergreen tree native to East Africa. Countries in which the plant species is found include Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda. The wood is resistant to ...

History

Collections

References

See also