Sustaining cultural identities for sustainable development: Meru naming practices and social labels

This article examines how Meru naming practices and social labels sustain cultural identities and support sustainable development in Tanzania. The study aimed to explore how traditional personal names and labels preserve cultural heritage, reinforce social cohesion, transmit ecological knowledge and maintain cultural etiquette amid modernity. Using an ethnographic design, qualitative data were collected through interviews and focus group discussions with Meru community members and were analysed thematically. The findings reveal that strategies such as peer categorisation, initiation rituals, dual nomenclature, oral traditions (songs and sayings), teasing names, ideological transmission, archival documentation and animal branding contribute to the preservation of identities and intergenerational knowledge transfer. These practices enhance local ownership, social cohesion and culturally grounded development processes. The study concludes that sustaining indigenous identity systems is essential for promoting culturally resilient and inclusive approaches to sustainable development. It recommends that policymakers and development practitioners integrate Meru naming practices and social labels into community-based development initiatives to strengthen cultural continuity and inclusive outcomes.