Abstract
Indigenous knowledge is often included artificially as an accessory by means of stereotypical examples in so-called Western, discipline-based school curricula for technology. The nature and tenets of indigenous technological knowledge have however not been investigated and documented thoroughly, creating difficulties and challenges for curriculum designers, especially including and integrating it in curricula that focus mainly on Western technology. The complementary nature of indigenous and Western knowledge systems allows for “border crossings” between these. The purpose of this article is to investigate and conceptualise the complementary nature of indigenous technology knowledge systems (ITKS) and Western technology knowledge systems by using Mitcham’s framework that is based on a Western technology knowledge system as point of departure. The findings indicate that it may be useful for curriculum designers to include indigenous technology in curricula with the purpose to illustrate the above-mentioned complementarity between ITKS and Western technology knowledge systems. Curriculum designers should focus on the common tenets of indigenous and Western technology from an ontological, epistemological, methodological and volitional perspective, rather than merely including clinical and sterile examples of indigenous knowledge in technology curricula artificially.
Highlights
Inheemse kennis word dikwels kunsmatig as ’n bykomstigheid in die vorm van stereotipiese voorbeelde in sogenaamde Westerse dissipline-gebaseerde skoolvakkurrikula vir Tegnologie ingesluit
Die aard en grondtrekke van inheemse tegnologiese kennis is desondanks nog nie deeglik ondersoek en gedokumenteer nie, wat probleme en uitdagings vir kurrikulumontwikkelaars skep, veral wat die insluiting en integrering daarvan betref in kurrikula wat hoofsaaklik op Westerse tegnologie fokus
The findings indicate that it may be useful for curriculum designers to include indigenous technology in curricula with the purpose to strengthen the complementarity between inheemse tegnologiese kennisstelsels (ITKS) and Western technology knowledge systems
Summary
Inheemse en Westerse tegnologiese kennisstelsels: Twee kante van dieselfde muntstuk?. Die aard en grondtrekke van inheemse tegnologiese kennis is desondanks nog nie deeglik ondersoek en gedokumenteer nie, wat probleme en uitdagings vir kurrikulumontwikkelaars skep, veral wat die insluiting en integrering daarvan betref in kurrikula wat hoofsaaklik op Westerse tegnologie fokus. Die aard en grondtrekke van inheemse tegnologiese kennis is ten spyte van sodanige beweging nog nie deeglik ondersoek en gedokumenteer nie, wat probleme en uitdagings vir kurrikulumontwikkelaars skep, veral wat die insluiting en integrering daarvan betref in kurrikula wat hoofsaaklik op Westerse tegnologie fokus. Die volgende navorsingsvrae word gestel: In watter mate is ITKS komplementêr tot Westerse tegnologiese kennisstelsels aan die hand van Mitcham se vier wyses waarop tegnologie manifesteer, naamlik as objek, kennis, aktiwiteit en wilshandeling?
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