Born and raised in the Netherlands, her parents had a love and passion for nature. This was passed down to her and her brothers from a very early age.
Irene pursued her Bachelor and Master education in Archeology at Leiden University, the Netherlands, with a focus on the Caribbean and South America. Her Master thesis researched the use of calabashes from Suriname. A natural product still used today. She researched the implementations of this fruit and how it was used by people in the past. She was particularly interested in documenting this type of archeological finds, as these types of findings are very rare in archaeological records, because the material will perish over time.
looking at fragments of pots
Irene was a contributor to the book “The Archeology of Suriname: The werehpai petroglyph site“ (2023) produced by the Stichting Surinaams Museum and written by Aad Versteeg, Abelardo Sandoval, Irene Meulenberg and Dirk Noordam. All 313 pietroglyps in Werehpai were described in the book, together with analysis of fragments of pots and charcoal findings.
Now, she is the lead archaeologist working for the Directorate of Culture at Suriname’s Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, holding a strong passion for heritage and culture in Suriname. Archaeology is the science which studies the use of natural resources used by men in the past. It gives implications on how people used natural resources and roamed the landscape. “Archaeology should be executed before ground-disturbing activities take place, both in the city or as disturbance of forest. Unfortunately, for Suriname this is often not yet fully known or studied,” says Irene.
Even though, she remains focused and holds a strong passion for archaeology and heritage in general. She wants to focus her work in Suriname on researching material and immaterial cultural heritage. In her spare time, she is passing the love and passion for nature and cultural heritage to her own kids, and other kids. Educating them on what archaeology is and why it is so important to know the past.
and the petroglyphs in Werehpai, March 2024
In July 2024, Irene was welcomed as a Forest93 Ambassador. “With Forest93, I believe the culture of the indigenous people is valued as much as how people treat nature. You don’t have an ethnocentric view, but understand and appreciate the impact of man in the past thousands of years on the current state of the Amazon region. This understanding shows a true recognition of the indigenous peoples’ way of life and culture.”
Want to follow Irene and her work? Check her LinkedIn and Facebook pages.
