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Indigenous knowledge systems in South African Higher
Education: Implications for masters and doctoral students
Prof Mishack T Gumbo
Office of Graduate Studies & Research
College of Graduate Studies Seminar
2 September 2021
This presentation covers:
•HE & IKS
•Need for anti-colonial indigenous paradigm
•IKS developments in SA
•Supervising from an IKS perspective
HE and IKS
•HE system in SA is still too academic and distant from devtal
challenges of African local communities (Kaya & Seleti, 2013)
•Need for African indigenous theoretical framework and strong
institutional support (Kaya & Seleti, 2013)
•More research on multicultural education in HE in SA than is in
communities and schs (Khupe, 2014)
•Native Americans and Alaskan Natives are the most
underserved in U.S. HE (Sage, 2017)
•Indigenous methods, e.g. autoethnography
•Sage’s personal experiences as a PhD student
Postgraduate programme
•Heavily research oriented to produce research reports
•Flexibility in M&D programme invites IKS incorporation
•Do supervisors and students realise the need to indigenise
research?
•Supervisor: super means very good, pleasant or excellent; visor
means part of a helmet or cap which can be pulled down to cover the
face (Oxford English Dictionary; Abiddin et al., 2011)
•Dominance of Western paradigms and theories
“bewitch” researchers
•Student training at this level channels students into
Western research approach (Datta, 2018)
Need for anti-colonial indigenous paradigm
•Anti-colonial indigenous paradigm (Chilisa, 2012)
•Indigenes (Native people/First Nations/Aborigines/Subalterns)
•Owuor’s (2007) on indigenous people’s approach to education:
knowledge transmission involves progression through age
groupings, seniority and wisdom of elders
•Spirituality is a driving force of knowl. and activities –proverbs are
theoretical grounding; elders are living libraries
•Holism (tripartite relationship between human, spirituality and
nature)
•Orality as main communication method –educational and social
function
Ontological
•Reality and worldview –role of parents, elders, god-fathers, god-mothers,
other community members)
•Family ties –extended family structure
•Relational: spirit beings, spirit powers, spirit guardians, spirit animals;
interconnectivity between spiritual and physical worlds –implications on
science (Cajete, 2000; Hart, 2010)
•Spirituality as an underlying framework (Hart, 2010)
•Research issues: frameworks of child development,
responsibilities for raising children, dynamics of gender,
health and treatment, norms and values, etc
Epistemological
•Fluid knowledge –from generation to generation (storytelling)
•Perceptual experiences – envntal knowledge and one’s body
•Contextual happenings –knowledge from such experiences
•Rituals and ceremonies, e.g. dreaming, visioning, meditation
and prayer
•Practical application of inner-space discovery
•Elders’ and practitioners’ educational roles
•Indigenous pedagogical approaches
Gumbo, M.T. (2016). Pedagogical principles in Technology Education: An indigenous
perspective. In G. Emeagwali & E. Shizha (Eds.). African Indigenous Knowledge and the
Sciences: Journeys into the past and present, pp. 13-32. Rotterdam, Boston, Taipei: Sense.
Methodological
•Transformative (anti-colonial/decolonial) research paradigms (Chilisa, 2011)
•Multi-methods from diverse knowledge systems (Chilisa, 2011; Matowanyika, 2017),
e.g. orality, experiential, acting, dancing, music, gamification
•Theory not only from written texts, but from oral traditions, stories, legends, language
and artefacts (Chilisa, 2011)
•Relational accountability; knowledge is relational –shared with all creation (explore
widely)
•Collective engagement (letsema)
•Practical nature of knowledge; one always seeks to use
it (Hat, 2010)
•Indigenous knowledge as technology –teknowledgé
(Gumbo, 2015; 2016; 2020)
•Design by radical indigenism (e.g. root bridges by Khasi tribe)
(Julia Watson, 2019) –Lo-TEK (traditional ecological knowledge)
Axiological
•Values, ethics, culture and principles (Ubuntu)
•People-driven activities (participatory)
•Respect for individuals and communities (individuality expressed through
community)
•Reciprocity and responsibility; intention is to support the community
•Respect and safety
•Non-intrusive treatment; reserve own judgement
•Deep listening and hearing
•Sharing and investing in fidelity
•Cognitive-emotional connection (working relationship)
•Openness about one’s subjectivity
IKS developments in South Africa
•Devt of National Policy on IKS (Mosimege, 2004; DST, 2004)
•NIKSO for promotion and management of IKS
•White Paper on Arts, Culture and Heritage: education is
part of culture (Dept of Arts, Culture, Science
and Tech, 1996)
•National Research Foundation –IKS as specialised focus area
•Indilinga –African Journal of Indigenous Knowledge Systems
•Universities
NWU
•NWU implemented IKS in its under- and post-graduate programmes in 2001.
•Mmola’s (2010) study on students’, lecturers’ and parents’ perceptions
towards IKS programme at NWU
•Findings from students: more than 80% of students appreciated integration
of IKS (language, local community practices, culturally relevant materials,
strong relationships with local communities)
•Findings from lecturers: improved student achievement
•Findings from parents: parents and community elders felt needed by
educational system to contribute their knowl., skills and resources
•Benefits of programme to students: gaining new multi- and trans-disciplinary
knowl. and skills (especially cultural skills) which could help them fit into
wide range of career choices, developing networks for future employment
opportunities, increased self-esteem, sensitivity to challenges of community
livelihood and devt.
UNISA
•Decolonisation of undergraduate programme
•Indigenous scholars
•Curriculum and Transformation Unit
•College of Graduate studies: Indigenous
Epistemologies Series
•College of Education has Decolonisation of
postgraduate supervision as part of its
postgraduate supervision seminars
UKZN
•Indigenous Knowledge Systems Documentation
Centre
•Masters and doctoral programmes,
•Postgraduate conferences and seminars
Indigenous Master’s Programme at Sichuan
University (China)
Master’s Course modules:
- Concepts of indigenous knowledge
- Methods of indigenous knowledge including design of fieldwork plans
- Rights and ethics of indigenous knowledge
- Pedagogical concepts related to indigenous knowledge
•Work plan to introduce indigenous knowledge in different disciplines:
- 1st year: proposal writing for fieldwork,
- 2nd year: thesis writing
- 3rd year: translation of the reader, collection of Chinese material on indigenous
knowledge, documentation of own research experiences based on indigenous knowledge;
university club on ethnic and cultural studies; identifying students with ethnic origin who
may become intercultural facilitators in the future
Supervising from an IKS perspective
•Cultural responsiveness and adaptation to indigenous contexts
•Beneficiation attuned to applied research
•Datta was confronted by an Elder: Why are you doing research and for whom? How
can we (participants) benefit from your research? –hit-and-run research
•Subcultures expressed through disciplines as (language, concepts, tools, credentialed
practitioners) –they disconnect research from practice, compromise responsibility
towards participants, promote keeping a neutral position as a researcher (data
collection, data analysis, follow validity and reliability of collected data, find
predictability in the research), strictly academic-based research guidelines; invisible
power over people practice
•Decolonise research and researcher (Datta, 2018)
Supervising from an IKS perspective …
•Listen to participants with empathy and act on their issues
•Add participants’ questions (Datta, 2018).
•Adopt a different approach to selecting research topics, preparing research
proposals/guidelines
•Who owns research findings? (discovery/“I found…”); Elders: “We cannot
discover knowledge; rather, we learn from our land”; “We cannot discover
anything; we can only learn” – scholars are learners, not bosses; “If I share
our knowledge with you, you should not say that you discovered it. If you do
so, it will be stealing”
•Participant in Datta’s research likens researchers to
mosquitos, they suck your blood (information) and leave
Supervising from an IKS perpective …
•Need for action-oriented and participatory research
•Focus on participants’ voices rather than on one’s own academic priorities
(institution-driven)
•Collaborate across disciplines –(uni-)versity/(di-)versity/(pluri-)versity
•Interdisciplinary research –various perspectives
•Critical questions (Datta, 2018):
- How can the researcher interact with participants?
- How can the researcher build relationships with participants?
-Why should the researcher care about participants’ feelings?
- How can the researcher follow community protocols?
- How can the research own the findings?
-How can the researcher recognise participants’ community needs?
-How can the researcher share research with participants’ communities?
Supervising from an IKS perspective …
•Western methods and ways of knowing are not the only true science
•Break down barriers between researcher and researched and deal with emerging
ethical and intellectual property rights issues
•Anti-racist theory and practice, cross-cultural research methodology, critical
investigations, etc
•Research as voice for the voiceless; intellectual activism
•Transform from science-oriented researcher to participant-oriented researcher.
•Redefine meaning of science and research from and within the community –
collaborative research, collective ownership, collective data analysis, collective
presentations, collective co-authoring, researcher as ‘we’ (emic), Elders and
Knowledge-holders.
End
“Nothing about us without us” (Kincheloe, 1999, p. 37).
Ke a leboga!
Tinotenda“!
Thank you!
