Tracing the curation of Indigenous knowledge in a biopiracy case

Abstract

This study presents a constructivist grounded theory study of curation and biopiracy of the San people’s knowledge about Hoodia. The “discoveries” and records of the Hoodia species by Carl P. Thunberg, Francis Masson, as well as the recorded experience of Rudolf Marloth, led to scientific experiments and commercial trials in an attempt to develop slimming drugs. This study has identified key layers and knowledge domains that have added new layers of information and knowledge to traditional knowledge concerning the use of Hoodia for medicinal purposes. The study traces the movement of Indigenous knowledge from the San to the CSIR, from CSIR to Phytopharm, Pfizer and Unilever, through the licencing of a patent on Hoodia. An emergent theory based on the concept of palimpsest suggests that erasures of the existing traditional knowledge occurred as new layers of knowledge were added or applied.