Promotion of Indigenous Knowledge through Scientific Research is Fundamental to Sustainable Development: An Anthropological Perspective

Senait Bahta

doi:10.13189/sa.2017.050909

Abstract

Human societies generate knowledge and strategies enabling them to survive in balanced relations with their natural and social environments. All societies thus, have their own indigenous knowledge systems originated from life’s experiences. This indigenous knowledge gives each society an identity. They are adaptive and enable them survive. They have survival value for the specific society because they were originated to serve the needs of the group and give them power to participate in decisions for their livelihood to sustain. Indeed, they are the ‘genetic material’ for development. Patman [1] writes, “There is a long tradition in Africa of reaching decision by unanimous consent – minority voices given a fair hearing….” Cheikh Anta Diop [2] emphasizes the need to build African human sciences, while Foucault [3] suggests, “There is a gap to feel by discovering the ‘Archaeology of knowledge’”. The researcher argues that, promotion of indigenous knowledge is fundamental to sustainable development, for, knowledge generated from local peoples’ life experiences agree to the law of the land and sustains their daily life. As sustainable development is community centered, it can be rational through scientific research of traditions that successfully solved local socio-economic and political conditions. Formalizing the local knowledge system into the national curriculum so as to transmit it to the new generation will also result in enhanced identity and a better standard of living.

Highlights

People of all societies, past and present, generate or engender knowledge while they face and tackle natural and social challenges in their communities’ daily life
It is in congruence to the specific human or social and physical environment that the communities survive through developing systems of care and resource regulation
Both affordability and availability added to the self esteem that is raised with home made products, raises the identity of local people and their standard of life

Summary

Introduction

Past and present, generate or engender knowledge while they face and tackle natural and social challenges in their communities’ daily life. Various theoreticians and writers have elaborated the usefulness of local knowledge and their significance for sustainable development including Gyeke [4], Pateman [1], Foucault [3], Cheik Anta Diop [2] and Chambers [5], to mention some This paper supports their theories that state that ‘development takes place in a cultural setting’, and ‘local knowledge is a means of social control measure’, and that there is much to discover on these wisdom if we excavate our history. The main purpose of this paper is to contribute to current literature on indigenous knowledge by highlighting that locally engendered knowledge is based in the communities’ life experience and has helped them survive for generation and so its value is enduring It gives the specific group identity; the communities’ development cannot be separated from developing this local systems of knowledge of social control and resource regulation through scientific research

Indigenous Knowledge and Anthropology

Conclusions and Recommendation