This article sets out to explore the way in which Western science and technology was received in the Mbeere Mission of central Kenya since August 1912 when a medical missionary, Dr T.W.W. Crawford, visited the area. In his dalliance with ecclesiastical matters, Crawford, a highly trained Canadian medical doctor, was sent by the Church Missionary Society (CMS) at Kigari-Embu, in 1910, to pioneer the Anglican mission in the vast area that included Mbeereland, where Mbeere Mission is situated. Contending with the (...) African indigenous knowledge in medicine, environmental conservation, agriculture and other forms of indigenous science, the introduction of Western science and technology, 1912 to 1952, the article argues, did not erase the former; rather, it complimented it. Pockets of general resistance were evident, though Mbeereland, unlike its neighbouring Mutira Mission of 1912, did not offer elaborate opposition to the Western science and technology, partly because the locals could have learnt about it from their neighbours who had experienced it much earlier. Through a historico-narrative design, the research article endeavours to primarily review the coming of Western medicine in Mbeereland: Did it conflict with the African medicine? Methodologically, the data have been collected via archival sources, oral interviews and by reviewing applicable literature.Contribution: The input of this research article to the HTS Journal’s vision and scope is seen by appreciating its focus on the interface between African indigenous knowledge and the European science and technology. Although the main focus is. (shrink)

Indigenous knowledge refers to knowledge accrued by people indigenous to a particular region or environment. Since indigenous knowledge is unique knowledge endemic to people from a particular culture or society it is also known as traditional knowledge or local knowledge.

Indigenous Knowledge provides all educators, especially indigenous educators, with theoretical tools for critical reflection and interrogation of their own and others’ preconceptions. The book challenges our conception of knowledge as a tool in anti-discrimination and anti-repression discourse with profound educational consequences.

Indigenous traditional knowledge is subject to undue appropriation by corporations and research centers in the Global North. This article emphasizes that applying the concept of common good to this knowledge leads to a profound transformation of the logic underlying the international legal framework that governs the use of such knowledge and calls for a reinterpretation of the rights of Indigenous peoples. Indigenous rights should not be conceived merely as instruments enabling negotiation over access and (...) benefits; they must be regarded as rights that categorically prohibit enclosure and privatization. (shrink)

Although the potential of indigenous knowledge in sustainable natural resource management has been recognized, methods of gathering and utilizing it effectively are still being developed and tested. This paper focuses on various methods used in gathering knowledge on the use and management of tree fodder resources among the Maasai community of Kenya. The methods used were (1) a household survey to collect socio-economic data and identify key topics and informants for the subsequent knowledge elicitation phase; (2) (...) semi-structured interviews using key informants to gather in-depth information; (3) tree inventory to collect quantitative data on the ecological status of trees and shrubs on rangelands; and (4) group consensus method to countercheck information elicited from key informants. Study results obtained show that the use of multiple methods in an appropriate sequence is an effective way of building upon the information elicited from each stage. It also facilitates the collection of different types of data and knowledge allowing a measure of triangulation, which can be used to confirm the validity and consistency of indigenous knowledge. Multiple methods also allow the collection of more knowledge than can be obtained if only one method is used. Therefore, it is recommended that future studies on indigenous knowledge systems use multiple methods that combine both individual and group interviews in order to obtain more complete and accurate information. (shrink)

Current controversies about knowledge integration reflect conflicting ideas of what it means to “take Indigenous knowledge seriously”. While there is increased interest in integrating Indigenous and Western scientific knowledge in various disciplines such as anthropology and ethnobiology, integration projects are often accused of recognizing Indigenous knowledge only insofar as it is useful for Western scientists. The aim of this article is to use tools from philosophy of science to develop a model of both (...) successful integration and integration failures. On the one hand, I argue that cross-cultural recognition of property clusters leads to an ontological overlap that makes knowledge integration often epistemically productive and socially useful. On the other hand, I argue that knowledge integration is limited by ontological divergence. Adequate models of Indigenous knowledge will therefore have to take integration failures seriously and I argue that integration efforts need to be complemented by a political notion of ontological self-determination. (shrink)

Australia’s federal environment legislation, the _Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999_ (EPBC Act), aims to promote a cooperative approach to environmental management, including recognizing the role of Indigenous People in the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity and promoting the respectful use of Indigenous Peoples’ local knowledge of biodiversity. In 2020, the independent review of the EPBC Act found that the legislation was neither fulfilling its objectives of working in partnership with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (...) Peoples nor promoting the respectful use of their knowledge. This chapter discusses the legislation’s shortcomings in this respect. It reflects on the importance of meaningful engagement with Indigenous Peoples in governance systems, including consultation, participation in decision-making, and respect for local Indigenous knowledge systems. The chapter identifies themes that could inform policy development to ensure greater incorporation of local Indigenous knowledge in ocean governance. (shrink)

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service in Alaska, USA, conducted a species status assessment for a petition to list the Alexander Archipelago wolf (Canis lupus ligoni) under the Endangered Species Act in 2020-2022. This federal undertaking could not be adequately prepared without including the knowledge of Indigenous People who have a deep cultural connection with the subspecies. Our objective is to communicate the authoritative expertise and voice of the Indigenous People who partnered on the project by (...) demonstrating how their knowledge contributed to the species status assessment. The Indigenous knowledge applied in the assessment is the cultural and intellectual property of those who have shared it. We employed rapid appraisal research to expeditiously develop a preliminary and qualitative understanding of Indigenous People's cultural and ecological knowledge of Alexander Archipelago wolves. We used semi-directed interviewing and inductive coding from grounded theory for text analysis. Indigenous knowledge contributed to the agency's understanding of the Alexander Archipelago wolf in Southeast Alaska and helped the agency with their classification decision. Indigenous research partners explained the rich cultural significance and position of wolves in Tlingit society and described human–wolf relationships and ecological interactions. The agency used a single-species assessment approach based in species ecology and conservation biology, whereas the Indigenous wolf experts applied a multi-species, community ecology approach based in a sociocultural context of balance and respect. The Indigenous wolf experts successfully addressed knowledge gaps identified by the agency. The partners were challenged by a short regulatory timeframe that did not allow for comprehensive study of Indigenous knowledge and constrained review and feedback by Indigenous experts. The United States Fish and Wildlife Service learned that its assessment framework was not designed to account for an Indigenous worldview. To level the playing field, the agency and Indigenous experts should discuss how to co-develop an assessment framework that equitably applies both perspectives. (shrink)

The absence of a national soilclassification system for Nigeria hinderssuccessful agrotechnology transfer inparticular, and agricultural development ingeneral. A discussion of the role of indigenousknowledge in agricultural development showsthat indigenous knowledge of the soil can beintegrated with modern soil science to developa soil classification system for the country.Much as local knowledge is invaluable foradvancing scientific knowledge and vice versa,caution is given against overestimating therole of indigenous knowledge in developmentalactivities. It is important to encourage theproper integration (...) of all knowledge systems increating new paradigms for sustainabledevelopment in Nigeria. (shrink)

Climate change presents a global challenge that demands innovative, inclusive, and context-sensitive responses. A significant research gap exists regarding the systematic, ethical, and effective integration of IKS into AI systems, particularly in rural African contexts. This study explores the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) with AI as a culturally embedded approach to climate change adaptation and mitigation. Employing a qualitative research design, including semi-structured interviews, direct observation, and content analysis, this research draws on sociometric theory to examine (...) community social structures and identify key custodians of Indigenous knowledge. These insights inform the development of context-aware AI models capable of incorporating traditional knowledge into climate solutions. Triangulation of qualitative data ensured depth and cultural relevance in assessing the approach’s effectiveness. Findings reveal that integrating IKS into AI strengthens local applicability and acceptance of climate interventions while fostering the preservation and recognition of traditional knowledge. The study offers insights with implications for policy, sustainable development, and inclusive innovation, particularly in regions vulnerable to climate change. This research highlights the importance of leveraging diverse knowledge systems to co-create resilient, community-driven responses to environmental challenges. (shrink)

A decision-tree model of an indigenous forest management system centered around shamu (Cunninghamia lanceolata),an important timber species in China, was constructed from extensive interviews with peasants in two villages in Fujian Province, China. From this model additional interviews were conducted to elicit from these peasants their reasons for selecting among decision alternatives. Those reasons that were of an ecological nature were discussed in detail with the peasants to elicit indigenous interpretations of ecological processes in order to test an (...) hypothesis that a strong analogy exists between traditional indigenous and scientific knowledge of ecological processes.Three cases are presented that test this hypothesis. These three cases concern the effect of intercrops on the growth of shamu,the relative merits of seedlings and root collar sprout cuttings for forest regeneration, and the effects of repeated plantings of shamuon soil chemistry. All three cases provide strong support for the research hypothesis and suggest that, even in the absence of a formalized scientific method, humans exercise mental processes typical of scientific thinking. This phenomenon is called proto-science. (shrink)

A history of colonization inflicts psychological, physical, and structural disadvantages that endure across generations. For an increasing number of Indigenous Australians, environmental epigenetics offers an important explanatory framework that links the social past with the biological present, providing a culturally relevant way of understanding the various intergenerational effects of historical trauma. In this paper, we critically examine the strategic uptake of environmental epigenetics by Indigenous researchers and policy advocates. We focus on the relationship between epigenetic processes and (...) class='Hi'>Indigenous views of Country and health—views that locate health not in individual bodies but within relational contexts of Indigenous ontologies that embody interconnected environments of kin/animals/matter/bodies across time and space. This drawing together of Indigenous experience and epigenetic knowledge has strengthened calls for action including state-supported calls for financial reparations. We examine the consequences of this reimagining of disease responsibility in the context of “strategic biological essentialism,” a distinct form of biopolitics that, in this case, incorporates environmental determinism. We conclude that the shaping of the right to protection from biosocial injury is potentially empowering but also has the capacity to conceal forms of governance through claimants’ identification as “damaged,” thus furthering State justification of biopolitical intervention in Indigenous lives. (shrink)

Proposals to release genetically engineered organisms in the wild raise complex ethical issues related to their safe and equitable implementation. While there is broad agreement that community and public engagement is vital to decision‐making in this context, more discussion is needed about who should be engaged in such activities and in what ways. This article identifies Indigenous peoples as key stakeholders in decisions about gene‐editing in the wild and argues that engagement activities need not only include Indigenous peoples (...) but also be designed, conducted, and analyzed in ways that confront longstanding power imbalances that dismiss Indigenous expertise. We offer specific recommendations to guide deliberative activities to not only be inclusive of Indigenous peoples but also to empower their diverse, situated knowledges. We call on those committed to the inclusive design of broad public deliberation to pursue strategies that shift dominant power dynamics to include Indigenous communities in more meaningful ways. (shrink)

Human knowledge within Western culture is generally adjudged to have reached its apogee in terms of the study of the natural world and the development of technological equipment directed towards making life worth living. Meanwhile, the attainment of such a sophisticated status in Western scientific research has been facilitated by its experimental methodology which has made possible the transfer of knowledge from one generation to another. However, other nonWestern forms of knowledge that lack these characteristics are regarded (...) as “unscientific”. African indigenous knowledge, a victim of such censure, is seen as an unscientific accumulation of native wisdom, lacking in sophistication, logicality, coherence, and technicality which disqualifies it from being called “scientific” knowledge as we have it in Western culture. This paper seeks to argue that the rejection of African indigenous knowledge as “unscientific” knowledge stems from afalse dichotomy. (shrink)

This study presents a systems-thinking framework for mapping resilience within Indigenous urban landscapes, focusing on the Navajo Nation in New Mexico. Using participatory mapping, and mental mapping, the framework integrates Indigenous knowledge to examine resilience in complex socio-spatial environments. As both a research methodology and pedagogical tool, this approach bridges academic research with practical application, enabling students to engage in resilience planning that reflects Navajo community structures, land use, and environmental stewardship. Centered on the unique socio-environmental dynamics (...) of the Navajo Nation, this study illustrates how traditional ecological knowledge, and cultural practices inform resilient urban planning. Mapping captures Indigenous spatial narratives, enriching systems thinking with insights into sustainable resource management and cultural resilience. Through participatory mapping workshops, students gain direct experience, aligning resilience strategies with Navajo values of community care and environmental respect. The core argument is that urban resilience must evolve through participatory engagement to address interdependent needs in Indigenous contexts. Research questions include: How can mapping foreground Navajo knowledge in resilience planning? What role does participatory mapping play in fostering systems thinking among planners? How does critical cartography contribute to sustainable policy in the built environment? The findings advocate for mapping as a tool in resilience education, equipping students with skills to design urban spaces that prioritize socio-spatial justice. This approach fosters an educational foundation for inclusive, sustainable urban resilience strategies, allowing future planners to center equity and sustainability in the built environment. (shrink)

This article proposes a multidisciplinary alternative framework to the classical model of the diffusion of innovations, to analyze the potential uses of microcomputers for development. The emphasis on the indigenous knowledge systems translates a paradigm shift in the analysis of technology transfer. This shift requires the integration of the user’s knowledge as the condition of the adoption of the innovation. Expert systems based on indigenous knowledge can help make this shift possible if they are used (...) to understand the cognitive processes of the indigenous knowledge, rather than to mimic their performance. (shrink)

This paper explores the convergence of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to address climate change, utilising a qualitative research methodology. It illustrates how AI can assist IKS-centred climate projects, creating opportunities for collaborative creation and knowledge exchange. The results obtained through focus group discussions, in-depth interviews, and direct observation indicate that climate change poses significant challenges for Indigenous communities, which are already dealing with its negative impacts. It emerged from the discussions that IKS (...) offers a crucial understanding of sustainable practices and environmental stewardship, while AI presents creative approaches for both mitigating and adapting to climate change. The research underscores the importance of centring Indigenous knowledge in AI-enhanced climate solutions, demonstrating how the fusion of IKS and AI can lead to more inclusive and impactful responses to climate issues. However, obstacles related to cultural appropriateness and insufficient contextualised data impede AI’s effectiveness in places like Zimbabwe. Consequently, the paper advocates for stakeholders to leverage the strengths of IKS-based initiatives alongside AI advancements to formulate customised strategies for addressing climate change, especially in regions such as Masvingo, which are confronting climate-related difficulties. (shrink)

This study was developed around concerns about how indigenous knowledges have been represented and applied in environment and development education. The first phase of the study is a genealogical analysis after Michel Foucault. This probes representations and applications of plant-based indigenous knowledge in selected anthropological, botanical and environmental education texts in southern Africa. The emerging insights were deepened using a Social Realism vantage point after Margaret Archer to shed light on agential issues in environmental education and development (...) contexts. Here her morphogenetic/morphostatic analysis of social transformation or reproduction is used to trace changes in indigenous knowledge representations and applications over time . The second phase uses the same perspectives and tools to extend the analysis of power/knowledge relationships into the interface of indigenous communities and modern institutions in two case study settings in the Eastern Cape of South Africa. This study reveals colonially-derived hegemonic processes of modern/Western scientific institutional representations/interpretations of the knowledges of indigenous communities. It also tracks a continuing trajectory of their dominating and prescriptive mediating control over local knowledges from the pre-colonial context through into the post-colonial period in southern Africa. The analysis reveals how this hegemony is sustained through the deployment of institutional strategies of representation that transform local knowledges into the disciplinary knowledge discourses of modern scientific institutions. These representational strategies therefore generate/reproduce and validate disciplinary discourses about the other, constructing disciplinary 'regimes of truth'. In this way modern institutions appropriate and displace indigenous/local knowledges, silence the voices of local communities and regulate individual and community agency within a continuing subjugation of indigenous knowledges. This study reveals how working within modern institutions and disciplinary knowledges in participative education and development interactions can serve to implicate indigenous researchers in these institutional hegemonic processes. The study also notes evidence of a continued resistance to hegemonic Western knowledge discourses as indigenous communities have sustained many knowledge practices alongside Western knowledge discourses. There is also evidence of a recent emergence of counter-hegemonic indigenous knowledge discourses in environmental education and development practices in southern Africa. It is noted that these have been contingent upon the changing political terrain in southern Africa as this has opened the way for alternative discourses to the dominant conventional Western knowledges in formal education and development contexts. The counterhegemonic discourses invert power/knowledge relations, decentre hegemonic discourses and reposition indigenous knowledges in formal education and development contexts. This study suggests the need to foreground indigenous knowledges as a process of knowledge decolonisation that gives contextual and epistemic relevance to environmental education and development processes. This calls for a need for new strategies to transform existing institutions by creating enabling spaces for the representational inclusion of indigenous knowledges in formal/conventional knowledge discourses and their application in social contexts. This opens up possibilities for plural knowledge representations and for their integrative and reciprocal co-engagement in situated contexts of environmental education and development in southern Africa. (shrink)

This paper focuses on Elizabeth Anderson’s application of the epistemological idiom of mētis in debates concerning the equal status of indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge within the academic curriculum. Against critics who deny this equal status to indigenous knowledge or science, Anderson defends what one might term a conciliatory view, the view roughly that indigenous knowledge meets the criteria of scientific knowledge presupposed by these critics, and it is continuous with the agroecological (...) form of mainstream scientific inquiry. I argue that the conciliatory view does not rest substantively on mētis as an epistemological idiom since the view is based on the direct conceptual relation between the notion of indigenous knowledge and the notion of scientific knowledge or inquiry. Moreover, the view amounts to appealing to critics of the equal status of indigenous knowledge on the terms of those critics and leaves unchallenged those very core assumptions that ground their denial of the equal status of indigenous knowledge in the first place. Building on Anderson’s fruitful analysis of mētis, I attempt a sketch of an alternative view that vindicates the equal status of indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge in the academic curriculum but avoids those drawbacks. (shrink)

In this paper, we engage in philosophical inquiry to consider the relevance of Indigenous Knowledges (IKs) for reimagining dementia care for individuals living with dementia. We outline the limitations of philosophical perspectives aligned with Eurocentric academic knowledge, arguing that such knowledge relies on an individualistic view of self and neglects the body and embodied experience in dementia care. We demonstrate how a personal diachronicity perspective diminishes the importance of valuing the fluid and dynamic self‐identities of persons living (...) with dementia. We then turn to the epistemological foundations of IKs through philosophical inquiry, focusing on relationality, connectiveness, and holism, and discuss the role of IKs in institutional knowledge systems. We then explore the potential relevance of IKs to widen the epistemological and ontological gaze centering on the relational concepts of personhood, holism, continuity, embodiment, and homogeneity of self that are foundational to reimaging dominant approaches to dementia care. (shrink)

Increasingly, it is accepted wisdom for agricultural scientists to get feedback from indigenous peoples—peasants—about new improved seeds and biotechnologies before their official release from the experiment station. What is not yet accepted wisdom is the importance of cognitive science to research on farmer decision making, especially of the type “Why don't they adopt.” In this paper, the impact of the cognitive revolution on models of farmer decision making is described, and decision making models before and after the cognitive revolution (...) are contrasted. An example of a decision model after the cognitive revolution is given by the Malawi farmer's decision whether to use chemical fertilizers or organic fertilizers or both. Results of testing the model show that in Malawi, smallholders' lack of capital and credit are more important factors constraining use of chemical fertilizers than are indigenous beliefs in organic fertilizers or fears of a future dependency on chemicals. (shrink)

This paper presents an epistemological framework capable of addressing the opposition between indigenous knowledge and scientific knowledge, an opposition widespread in anthropology especially in relation to the problem of sustainable development. In the first part of the paper, we provide a contextualist framework that satisfies two constraints: a priori neutrality with respect to forms, or types, of knowledge, and explicitness of the conditions with respect to the possibility of knowledge transfer. In the second part, we (...) apply the framework to the specific case of Northern Algonquian knowledge. By means of the framework, we investigate and make explicit the underlying epistemic standard at play by identifying the conditions under which particular beliefs are qualified as knowledge in the Northern Algonquian context. (shrink)

Wil Waluchow’s notion of Community’s Constitutional Morality (CCM) was developed as a tool for the identification of moral norms and considered judgments that are in some way tied to a community’s constitutional law and practices. In this paper I first argue that even though the tool was conceived under a state-based paradigm, it also works on a global scale. Then, I show how by relying on this tool we can achieve two important and clearly differentiable goals. The first goal relates (...) to efforts regarding the construction of global theories of justice. By using Waluchow’s CCM we can overcome what I call the problem of adjudication among differentexisting moral intuitions. That is, the need to choose between different and competing fundamental moral commitments that ought to guide our moral deliberations. Instead, by using CCM, we can identify Embodied Moral Intuitions that hold an epistemic advantage over Personal Moral Intuitions, which are commonly used to ground normative projects. The second goal relates to contemporary efforts to decolonize our perspectives about justice, domestic and global. By relying on Waluchow’s notion of CCM, the reality that Indigenous knowledge, despite it not having been properly acknowledged in most philosophical academic debates, is already a part of our debates about global justice becomes undeniable and a call for action to further expand our understanding of global political morality. (shrink)

BackgroundMany indigenous people have died or been harmed because of inadequately monitored research. Strong regulations in Human Research Ethics (HRE) are required to address these injustices and to ensure that peoples’ participation in health research is safe. Indigenous peoples advocate that research that respects indigenous principles can contribute to addressing their health inequities. This scoping literature review aims to analyze existing peer reviewed and grey literature to explore how indigenous values and principles from countries of Oceania (...) are incorporated into HRE and the governance of research involving human participants.MethodsA scoping literature review framework was used for this study. A search for peer reviewed and grey literature from Google, bibliographies, and electronic databases such as SCOPUS, SPRINGER, Medline (Ovid) and JBI Database of Systematic Reviews was conducted, limited to the years 2002–2020. Sixty (60) documents that focused on indigenous knowledge from Oceania region and HRE were included, from which key findings and themes were synthesized.ResultsCharting the data showed that more than half the eligible documents were peer-reviewed journal articles (54%). Other sources included: International Declarations on Human Research (8%); book chapters (8%); government documents (8%); HRE Guidelines or protocols (13%); news articles (7%) and PhD thesis (2%). The literature was from Australia, Cook Islands, Guam, New Zealand, Fiji, Samoa, Tonga and Vanuatu, some of which focused specifically on HREs in the Pacific Region. Issues emerging from the literature were grouped into five themes (i) indigenous and cultural principles of HRE; (ii) informed consent in indigenous settings in Oceania; (iii) vulnerability and minority status of indigenous populations exploited for research; (iv) research ethics governance for Oceania indigenous peoples; and (v) research ethics committees in Oceania. Respect, relationship building, and trust were priority indigenous HRE principles that encompass the principles of partnership, capacity building, reciprocity, and equality. Relationship building and trust imply the equal distribution of benefits for indigenous population and researchers.ConclusionIndigenous principles of HRE identified were interconnected and interdependent. Recommendations were to incorporate indigenous principles of research in HRE regulations and processes of all countries with indigenous populations. This is especially pertinent for emerging national research committees in LMIC countries, including Fiji and Tonga. Relationship building among researchers and indigenous populations is key to successful research with indigenous populations. HRE principles important for relationship building include respect that is reciprocal among researchers and indigenous people. Elements of the principle of respect highlighted are empathy, collaboration, sharing of benefits, reciprocity, appreciation, empowerment, protection, safety and awareness of culture and languages. Indigenous ontology from the Oceania region involves spirituality, connectedness to land, religious beliefs and a participatory approach to HRE and should be respected in research. An ethical governance mechanism of HRE is one that incorporates indigenous principles and applications for the purpose of maximizing the protection of the dignity and rights of indigenous peoples of Oceania. (shrink)

An aspect of the Indigenous struggle against colonial oppression is the struggle for the inclusion of their knowledge in policymaking. Perceived as epistemically inferior to science, Indigenous knowledge and subsequently interests are systematically excluded in science-based policy. This article advances an anti-colonial political philosophy of science. As Indigenous knowledge feeds into the necessary political value judgments in policy-relevant science, Indigenous knowledge inclusion, I contend, should be treated as a political, not solely epistemic, (...) matter. I further argue that Indigenous peoples, not just scientists, should have the power to make such political value judgments given the politics of representation under coloniality. (shrink)

In this monograph Horsthemke provides a philosophically robust account of knowledge and refutes the idea of knowledge being premised on multiple truths. I am a proponent of his model on what should...

This article presents a pluralistic participatory framework for global AI governance that integrates Indigenous knowledge systems and affirms the right to self-determination. The proposed framework is based on the growing recognition of non-extractive, respectful participatory engagement with Indigenous peoples in international governance and policy-making. The paper highlights the importance of Indigenous epistemologies, co-governance, and legal autonomy in developing ethical and culturally inclusive AI systems. The current study presents an institutional model in which Indigenous peoples exercise (...) authority over their knowledge and actively shape the direction of AI through sustained and meaningful participation. Framed through a decolonial lens, the article draws inspiration from the Arctic Council as a model for equitable and effective Indigenous involvement in global AI governance. (shrink)

This study examines critically the intersection of agroecology, indigenous knowledge, and cultural practices in Chimanimani, Zimbabwe, highlighting how sustainable farming is deeply embedded in local social and spiritual life. Through interviews, focus groups, and field observations, we document how communities are reviving traditional foods, seeds, and farming methods as a response to climate change and the limitations of conventional agriculture. Indigenous grains such as finger and pearl millet, alongside legumes and open-pollinated maize varieties, are central not only (...) to nutrition but also to cultural rituals, including food preparation, beer brewing, and rain-making ceremonies. Agroecological practices are reinforced by social institutions such as humwe (labour pooling), seed and food sharing, and the king’s granary (zunde ramambo), fostering community cohesion, intergenerational knowledge transfer, and environmental stewardship. Traditional leaders also play a critical role as custodians of land, culture, and ancestral knowledge, mediating between spiritual and ecological systems. Without romanticising the principles and practices of agroecology, the study highlights how agroecology in Chimanimani is not merely an ecological strategy but a culturally grounded approach that revitalises indigenous knowledge, affirms identity, and strengthens resilience. By situating farming practices within local cosmologies and ethics, agroecology emerges as a possible mechanism for decolonial knowledge reclamation, social solidarity, and climate adaptation in African rural contexts. (shrink)

This essay examines the persistent engagement with cosmopolitan inclusivity through the endorsement of indigenous sacredness in works of ethnographic fiction. I focus on Ursula K. Le Guin’s Always Coming Home, James Cameron’s Avatar, and Taiwanese writer Ming-yi Wu’s science fiction The Man with the Compound Eyes, three iconic environmental representations of indigenous knowledge. These texts illustrate how indigenous thinking has very often been transformed from place-bound, locally-embedded cultural traditions to an embodiment of Euro-American eco-spirituality that overturns (...) both national boundaries and the humannature divide at the turn of the twenty-first century. In settler environmental narratives, the insistence on the ethnographic mode strengthens the desire for authenticity and intimacy. (shrink)

Africa faces significant socio-environmental challenges whose interconnectedness highlights the need for strategies that address social and ecological priorities simultaneously. Yet, global sustainability discourses, while emphasizing environmental sustainability, often do not consider the urgent socioeconomic realities faced by African countries. This paper contextualizes Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ within African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) to address human-environment tensions on the continent, attempting to integrate the spiritual and ethical dimensions of integral ecology with the indigenous wisdom embedded in African values (...) such as Ubuntu. Emphasizing harmony between humans and nature, these systems offer lessons for crafting policies that respect cultural values while advancing the needs of current and future generations. Using qualitative thematic content analysis of archival data and adopting a primarily nonurban approach, overlapping principles between Laudato Si’ and IKS were identified. The findings show a strong convergence on interconnected themes such as spirituality, harmony, justice and stewardship. The insights generated support a call for the adoption of more culturally grounded legal and business policies that can promote not only inclusive economic growth but also social equity and ecological sustainability in Africa. Actionable recommendations include the integration of IKS into environmental governance, Overall, the paper, with a preliminary conceptual synthesis, shows how localised solutions can enrich global sustainability initiatives and promote sustainable development for Africa’s current and future generations. (shrink)

With its envisioned benefits of increased productivity, enhanced decision making with digital-based tools, qualitative and efficient processes, improved life expectancy rate, etc., the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) is a desideratum for contemporary society. The need to prioritize skills and knowledge needed for the participation of Africa in the 4IR thus becomes imperative. This paper argues for indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) as a possible approach to enhance African participation in the 4IR. Consequently, the paper examines the methodical perspectives (...) that would be appropriate for framing African Indigenous Knowledge Systems (AIKS) as a tool for advancing science and technology. It argues for the process form of ideating IKS against the content forms implicit in the various views on IKS. It is concluded that the process form of ideating IKS – which essentially focuses on the critical analysis of the systematic formations and development of IKS – unearths the epistemological basis for scientific postulations and technological advancement in Africa. (shrink)

Rural municipalities continue to experience deep‑rooted spatial inequalities and developmental challenges, largely driven by apartheid-era planning systems and the persistent exclusion of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) from formal governance and planning frameworks. From a legal standpoint, this article explores the role of community‑based IKS in promoting rural development and advancing spatial equity in the Musina Local Municipality, Limpopo Province. Despite constitutional recognition of customary law and participatory governance, the contribution of IKS to development planning remains largely marginalised in (...) practice. The study draws on a desktop-based qualitative research approach and an interdisciplinary perspective that integrates law, spatial planning, and Indigenous epistemologies. It examines whether community‑led planning through IKS contributes to sustainable livelihoods, equitable land‑use planning, and fair resource distribution in historically marginalised rural communities. The article critically analyses applicable legal instruments, policy frameworks, and governance structures to assess their responsiveness to local knowledge practices and constitutional imperatives for spatial equity. Using Musina as a case study, the article argues for a more inclusive and context‑responsive legal approach that meaningfully recognises and integrates IKS into municipal rural development and spatial planning processes. It concludes that strengthening the legal and institutional accommodation of IKS can enhance participatory governance, challenge technocratic and state‑centric planning paradigms, and help address enduring spatial inequalities in rural areas. (shrink)

I interrogate the Philippine Indigenous Peoples Education’s operational construct of culture to explicate its indigenous knowledge systems and practices (IKSP) integration into the K-12 curriculum. Pragmatism as a philosophical framework mainly guides the argument in this paper. In the first part, I introduce the old and contemporary meanings of culture and point out flaws in the IKSP integration. Literature backing the essence of IKSP integration into the school curriculum dominated by the Western knowledge system is discussed (...) in the second part, followed by a discussion on culture and indigeneity that nuance further the IKSP integration in public education. The Philippine Indigenous Peoples Education is presented next, highlighting its definition of IPs, focus areas, support systems, and recent developments, ending with a critique. Analysis and discussion follow. The paper concludes with a challenge, especially for the education sectors, to reframe their lenses at looking at culture to build authentic relationships with indigenous communities and provide indigenous learners with an education that is need-based and culture-sensitive, one that respects their worldviews, knowledge systems, heritages, and identities, one that is truly liberating. Providing IPs an education responsive to the changing society can help them achieve a real sense of self-determination for social progress. (shrink)

In this article, I propose to integrate indigenous knowledges in the Philosophy for/with Children theory and practice. I make the claim that it is possible to treat indigenous knowledges, not only as topics for philosophical dialogues with children but as presuppositions of the philosophical activity itself within the Community of Inquiry. Such integration is important for at least three (3) reasons: First, recognizing indigenous ways of thinking and seeing the world informs us of other non-dominant forms of (...) knowledges, methods to produce knowledge and criteria to determine knowledge. Second, the dominance of western standards of producing and determining knowledge, especially in non-western societies, needs to be reduced, balanced and informed by local knowledges and experiences. And third, indigenous knowledges reinforce a culturally responsive P4wC that responds to the challenges arising in multicultural and ethnically diverse classrooms. There are two (2) possible intersections where such integration may take place, namely: a) Epistemology, where I claim that the integration of a “presentational epistemology” immanent in indigenous patterns of thinking provides a counterweight to Lipman’s strong adherence to analytic-representational epistemology, and b) Pedagogy, which takes shape in an “indigenized” Community of Inquiry that highlights the values of interconnectedness, situatedness and relationality. (shrink)

The potential for jointly using or integrating Western science and indigenous knowledge, especially in such fields as environmental management, is a hotly debated topic nowadays. However, the difficulties involved in such a task are not always fully understood and co-management experiences achieved only partially the expected outcomes. In this contribution, I show how a sound combination of the two bodies of knowledge would be possible only if there is a way to accommodate different interpretations of reality and (...) knowledge criteria. The issue should then be faced at the epistemological level too, discussing the possibility and implications of a genuine epistemic pluralism. With reference, among others, to Feyerabend’s later writings, here I illustrate some possible insights for addressing the matter that a Western perspectivist stance could provide. (shrink)

Globalization which seems to be the imposition of western cultural ideologies on the rest of the world, often generates cultural mutations which militate against the latter’s educational and socio-political philosophies. Liberalism and capitalism, carry in themselves built-in systems of thought that are, for instance, destructive to the very essence of African cultural life. Educational and governance principles which determine the global space drum the merits of euro-centric values, while provincializing the rest, Africa inclusive. This paper is a call for collective (...) responsibility towards the epistemic decolonization of educational and governance philosophies in Africa. It focuses on two axes: Firstly, on globalization and its hidden agendas. Here, I argue that the philosophy which engenders the ideology of globalization, especially the goal on Education trivializes non-western approaches to knowledge construction, and at the same time undermining the essence of indigenous languages of instructions. Secondly, I argue that the identity crisis suffered by the subset; African knowledge systems, within the whole; Western politics of millennium development goals need redress. This is because by its very nature, globalizing western approaches to knowledge and education endangers indigenous knowledge systems with all its virtues. Redressing begins with delinking and relinking of knowledge and proceeds to the restoration of Afro-centric approaches to education and governance founded on African indigenous traditional values such as Ubuntu and Ujama’a. African socio-political philosophy will gain its proper place in the global space when the socio-political actors build their ideologies and political philosophies on knowledge of indigenous cultural constructs of governance which have animated the African space and gained reputation over the ages. (shrink)

Research involving and impacting Indigenous Peoples is often of little or no benefit to the communities involved and, in many cases, causes harm. Ensuring that Indigenous research is not only ethical but also of benefit to the communities involved is a long-standing problem that requires fundamental changes in higher education. To address this necessity for change, the authors of this paper, with the help of graduate and Indigenous community research assistants, undertook community consultation across their university to (...) identify the local and national ethical needs of Indigenous researchers, communities, and Elders. This paper provides an overview of the consultation process, the themes that emerged from the consultations, and a model of the Wholistic Indigenous Research Framework that emerged. (shrink)

Indigenous knowledge systems (IKS) embody centuries of cumulative experiential wisdom, deeply rooted in ecological, spiritual, and communal contexts. Despite their rich epistemological frameworks, IKS remain systematically marginalized within dominant technological and scientific paradigms. As artificial intelligence (AI) becomes integral to global systems of governance, development, and resource allocation, there is a pressing need to critically interrogate its epistemological underpinnings. This paper examines the tensions and possibilities at the intersection of IKS and AI, advocating for a decolonial, participatory, and (...) ethically grounded approach to technological development. Drawing on interdisciplinary literature, indigenous-led initiatives, and critical AI ethics, it argues for reimagining AI not merely as a technological tool but as a sociotechnical construct shaped by diverse epistemologies. The integration of IKS can enhance AI’s capacity for contextual responsiveness, justice, and sustainability. (shrink)

The current trajectory of artificial intelligence development suffers from fundamental epistemological shortcomings, resulting in the systematic operationalization of bias against non-white, non-male, and non-Western peoples. We argue that these failings are, in part, the result of certain Western rationalist epistemologies that exclude many ways of knowing about the world, and therefore they cannot provide a sufficient foundation on which to adequately, robustly, and humanely conceptualize intelligence. We present a new research agenda, Abundant Intelligences, an Indigenous-led, Indigenous-majority international, interdisciplinary (...) research program that imagines anew how to conceptualize and design artificial intelligence (AI) based on Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems. Abundant Intelligences draws on the rich plurality of Indigenous knowledge systems, bringing together diverse sets of thought, culture, and protocol together. We show IK systems provide one way to rebuild AI’s epistemological foundations and transform these tools’ current role in reinforcing colonial practices of exclusion, extraction, manipulation, and eradication into engines of abundance that enable us to care better for ourselves, our communities, and our world. Our proposition is to fully engage with AI to explore how different conceptions of intelligence could be embodied in these technologies. In this paper, we present the tenets of the research program in detail, account for our methodological approach, describe the impact and limitations, and conclude on a discussion of the implications of the program. (shrink)

The current trajectory of artificial intelligence development suffers from fundamental epistemological shortcomings, resulting in the systematic operationalization of bias against non-white, non-male, and non-Western peoples. We argue that these failings are, in part, the result of certain Western rationalist epistemologies that exclude many ways of knowing about the world, and therefore they cannot provide a sufficient foundation on which to adequately, robustly, and humanely conceptualize intelligence. We present a new research agenda, Abundant Intelligences, an Indigenous-led, Indigenous-majority international, interdisciplinary (...) research program that imagines anew how to conceptualize and design artificial intelligence (AI) based on Indigenous knowledge (IK) systems. Abundant Intelligences draws on the rich plurality of Indigenous knowledge systems, bringing together diverse sets of thought, culture, and protocol together. We show IK systems provide one way to rebuild AI’s epistemological foundations and transform these tools’ current role in reinforcing colonial practices of exclusion, extraction, manipulation, and eradication into engines of abundance that enable us to care better for ourselves, our communities, and our world. Our proposition is to fully engage with AI to explore how different conceptions of intelligence could be embodied in these technologies. In this paper, we present the tenets of the research program in detail, account for our methodological approach, describe the impact and limitations, and conclude on a discussion of the implications of the program. (shrink)

Unlike mainstream Western ethics, African environmental ethics has recognized the inter­connectedness and interdependence of all beings and the more-than-human world. To be an object of moral concern, rationality, intelligence, and language are not required, although different beings have different mental capacities and roles. The unity of the whole estab­lishes an ethical obligation for human beings toward nature. Africa has different cultures that have helped to shape positive moral attitudes toward the natural environment and its human and nonhuman components. Although African (...) environmental ethics is increasingly being marginalized by educational establishments and policy makers in Africa, it has the potential to contribute to human well-being and environmental sustainability. However, it is not a panacea for all global environmental challenges, as it has its own limitations and needs improvement. The solution of environmental problems requires multidisciplinary approaches and the cooperation of all nations. African and other concerned scholars should critically study African environmental ethics and identify its positive elements that can en­able humanity to save Mother Earth and its inhabitants. (shrink)

An aspect of the Indigenous struggle against colonial oppression is the struggle for the inclusion of their knowledge in policymaking. Perceived as epistemically inferior to science, Indigenous knowledge and subsequently interests are systematically excluded in science-based policy. This article advances an anti-colonial political philosophy of science. As Indigenous knowledge feeds into the necessary political value judgments in policy-relevant science, Indigenous knowledge inclusion, I contend, should be treated as a political, not solely epistemic, (...) matter. I further argue that Indigenous peoples, not just scientists, should have the power to make such political value judgments given the politics of representation under coloniality. (shrink)

The 21st century has witnessed an urgent need to digitise, learn, manage, preserve and exchange oral history in South Africa. This forms the background of the demonisation of indigenous knowledge systems that has impacted negatively and eroded the African values, norms, purpose, growth, sustainability and improvement of indigenous communities. In light of this realisation, this article explores the challenges offered by digitisation of VhaVenda oral history. It is well known that the digitisation of oral tradition carries both (...) the good and the bad. Journalists, academics and archivists of oral history cannot become spectators and allow challenges to stop them from collecting, recording and managing valuable heritages. The article is premised upon the Sankofa and critical theory frameworks. An Afrocentric participatory and exploratory qualitative research design was employed to investigate the data. VhaVenda knowledge holders, journalists, academics, and archivists’ views were solicited using semistructured interviews. Participants were selected using purposive sampling. The article’s findings unveiled that the digitisation of VhaVenda oral tradition has been an acute daily agony because of the following thorny issues: language issues, methodological challenges, sponsorship and the politics of preferring. Because the country faces the danger of losing out on gaining the benefits of VhaVenda oral history, the authors encourage and promote a holistic approach embracing multiple stakeholders to overcome the challenges faced in digitising the VhaVenda oral tradition.Contribution: The study advocates for the balancing of ancient traditional forms and relating them to present technology so that oral history trajectories march into the future, grounded in Afrocentric expressions whilst maintaining flexibility to accommodate the versatile nature of culture by embracing technology. (shrink)