Abstract
Most of the population in Africa is still dependent on indigenous medicinal knowledge for treating and managing ailments. However, it is still not yet understood how this valuable knowledge is acquired and transferred from one generation to the next. The aim of this chapter was to assess the process of acquiring and transferring indigenous medicinal knowledge among its owners and practitioners. The study adopted a qualitative research approach. The findings revealed that indigenous medicinal knowledge is acquired in many different ways including visions, dreams and vigorous training and it is transferred to specially chosen children and trainees through vigorous training.
TopIntroduction
WHO (2013) defined indigenous medicine as the sum total of the knowledge, skill, and practices based on the theories, beliefs, and experiences indigenous to different cultures, whether explicable or not, used in the maintenance of health as well as in the prevention, diagnosis, improvement, or treatment of physical and mental illness.Makhanya (2012) asserted that traditional healing involves a combination of various healing techniques such as spiritualism, divining, and herbalism. The South African government has recognised various types of traditional health practitioners (THPs) who are registered under the Act. These include herbalist (izinyanga or amaxhwele), diviners (izangoma or amagqirha), faith healers (abathandazi) and midwives (abazalisi) (Peltzer, 2008). In addition, some traditional surgeons(ingcibi) perform circumcisions (Peltzer, 2008. The use of the concepts of acquirement and transmission was inspired by the English philosopher John Locke (2001) and Nonaka (1994). Locke (2001) pronounced the birth state of the human mind as “blank slate or tabula rasa” and as noted by Mack and Meadowcroft (2009) people are born knowing nothing and that they acquire knowledge only through experiences. Consequently, knowledge acquisition could be defined as learning through experiences and experiments. It is about grasping, integrating, adapting and confirming knowledge for concept formation, clarification, formulating questions or understanding the problem to be solved or reaching conclusions (Mathew, 1985). However, Sodi et al. (2011) asserted that custodians of indigenous medical knowledge acquire their knowledge through ancestors.
As proposed by Aristotle knowledge acquisition is known to be the method of learning and explained as how it materialised in a knowledge-based system (Bosancic, 2016). This denotes that people acquire knowledge once they are born by learning from their parents and those around them. It means people acquire knowledge from those that are well versed in the subject. Hence, this chapter explored how knowledge is acquired and transferred among indigenous medicinal knowledge owners in uMhlathuze municipality in the province of KwaZulu-Natal South Africa. Concerning transmission of knowledge, Nonaka (1994) opined that knowledge is continuously transmitted from one person (or entity) to another; and that once knowledge has been acquired, it is then shared or transmitted to the intended user. In the context of this study, indigenous knowledge medicine is tacit in nature, it needs to be acquired through learning by doing. Traditional medicinal knowledge owners are considered as custodians of this knowledge and they are the ones who own the rich knowledge, and they are responsible for the transmission of such to the chosen young generation for it to survived (Adekannbi, Olatokun & Ajiferuke, 2014).
Key Terms in this Chapter
Preservation: It is the act of protecting and safeguarding of valuable information or knowledge to ensure long term access by present and future generations.
Indigenous Knowledge: It refers to what indigenous people know and do, as well as what they have learned and done for generations through practice that grew through trial and error and proved adaptable to change. It is held by the indigenous proprietors of a particular community.
Traditional medicinal knowledge practitioner: It can be referred to as someone who possesses knowledge that enables them to assist others through traditional medicinal methods.
Knowledge Transfer: It refers to the transmission of explicit, implicit and tacit knowledge from a person or organization to one or several people.
Traditional medicinal knowledge: It refers to as the use of traditional techniques or health practices that have been adapted to treat and heal ailments. It can also be used in diagnosing, preventing, or eliminating a physical, mental, or social disequilibrium, which rely exclusively on experience and observation handed down from generation to generation, verbally or in writing.