Digital resources in the Social Sciences and Humanities OpenEdition Our platforms OpenEdition Books OpenEdition Journals Hypotheses Calenda Libraries OpenEdition Freemium Follow us

Report on the Seminar ‘Burying the dead: A Missionary and Colonial Obsession against Meru Practices of Corpse Exposure, 1910-1940s’

On 18th February, Julie Maestri’s presentation on ‘Burying the Dead’: A Missionary and Colonial Obsession against Meru Practices of Corpse Exposure, 1910-1940s’ shed light on burial rituals among the Meru people, and how corpses were handled before and after the arrival of the missionaries. 

The missionaries gained access to the Meru region in 1910, after the British had conquered the region in 1907. Initially, it was a common practice in much of East Africa in pre-colonial times, including within the Meru region, to abandon most deceased bodies in the bushes. However, with the arrival of the colonialists, the natives were urged to begin burying their dead. This was met with demurral, but changed in February 1933,  when Chief Koinange had the remains of his grandfather dug up to prove the land occupied by an English settler was indeed theirs. Henceforth, ‘burial was transformed into a means of ascertaining control of property.’ (John Lonsdale, Unhappy Valley, p.377-378)

However, in the Meru community, only the mwariki (accomplished individuals) and ntindiri (elderly) were buried. The rest were left in the bushes for scavengers, as it was believed that their bodies would damage the fertility of the deceased’s family. ‘Accomplishment’ was achieved when a man initiated all his children, handing over political power to the next age set, and a woman became ‘accomplished’ at the same time as her husband. However, when the missionaries arrived in the Meru region, their intention was to put an end to this ritual by baptising the dying and encouraging burial to save their eternal souls.

This resulted in growing tensions between the Meru and missionaries, especially when the Local Native Council (LNC) of the Meru passed the resolution to ban corpse exposure in 1934. The members of the Local Native Council were Protestant leaders converted to European ideas. Although the Meru resisted this development, less than a century later they stopped disposing of the deceased’s bodies and started practising burial on their land. This guides the following questions: to what extent did missionaries influence mortuary practices, and to what extent did this depend on colonial policy?

Dr. Paul Muiru, the discussant, noted that information on the Meru people is not easily accessible. He emphasised the importance of making archival material available to researchers and interested parties, highlighting that many archival resources about countries in the Global South, particularly Kenya, are preserved in the Global North, thereby perpetuating modern-day colonialism.


OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Cece Nyawira (March 2, 2026). Report on the Seminar ‘Burying the dead: A Missionary and Colonial Obsession against Meru Practices of Corpse Exposure, 1910-1940s’. IFRA Nairobi. Retrieved March 16, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/15sim


You may also like...