Abstract
This study aimed to investigate the extent to which knowledge management approaches can be used to manage indigenous knowledge (IK) of corrective and preventive cares in local communities of Horro Guduru Wollega zone. This study used descriptive research design through qualitative research method to collect reliable data about perception of disease and its main cause, the types of IK of traditional healthcare practice, indigenous self-medication and required from traditional healthcare practitioners. The respondents were chosen from local communities (traditional healthcare practitioners and community members) and stakeholders (Health Bureau, Agricultural Bureau and NGO). Accordingly, 84 key respondents were chosen through purposive sampling. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The analysis results have shown that, people in the local community conceptualize disease as the disequilibrium between body and spirit; whereas God, ancestral spirit and witches and sorcerers are the main cause of disease. The above cause's related diseases can be treated by using traditional healthcare IK such as by traditional medicine, physiotherapy treatment and spiritually treatment by self-medication and traditional healthcare practitioners. Therefore, there is a need to capture and manage IK of traditional healthcare practices to save it from loss by local community, community leader and elders, young generations, governments, higher education institutions and researchers.
Highlights
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is mainly practiced by rural communities in developing countries as a basis for local level decision-making in day-to-day activities of society like in agriculture, health care, education, natural-resource management [1]
The observations made by Dixon [13] in Ethiopia, Kajembe and Kessy [14] in Tanzania and Mudege [15] in Zimbabwe on IK represented as IK is socially and culturally constructed in the local communities
This research aimed to find out the extent to which knowledge management (KM) approach is used to manage the IK of corrective and preventive cares in Horro Guduru Wollega zone, Oromia, Ethiopia
Summary
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) is mainly practiced by rural communities in developing countries as a basis for local level decision-making in day-to-day activities of society like in agriculture, health care, education, natural-resource management [1]. Due to the absence of health facilities, people living in rural areas are using indigenous plants as medicines from long ago because this knowledge reaches them through experiences of parental generations [2]. According to Cavender [4], IK of traditional healthcare practices is widely accepted as traditional medicine. This method of health care developed out of people’s perception of health, response to health care needs and access to health care facilities. IK of traditional healthcare refers to medical knowledge developed by indigenous cultures that incorporates plant, animal and mineral-based medicines, spiritual therapies and manual techniques designed to treat illness or maintain wellbeing [5]. According to Endashaw [6], the use of medicinal plants is as old as human civilization; in that, Ethiopia has glorious tradition of health care system based on plants which dates back to several millennia
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