Claiming indigeneity through the school curriculum, with specific reference to technology education

Abstract

The development of the new curriculum post-1994 was coupled with a strong drive towards recognising and affirming the critical role of indigenous knowledge, especially with regard to science and technology (World Intellectual Property Organization, 2006). In the light of this claim, the author of this paper critically examines, from a literature study point of view, the extent to which the technology education curriculum accommodates or integrates indigenous technologies as part of IKS. In fulfilling this purpose, the author clarifies the important concepts related to IKS that will facilitate an understanding of the said critical examination of the technology education curriculum. These concepts include indigenous, culture, indigenous people, indigenous knowledge and Africanisation. The concept of indigenous technologies will be clarified later in this paper, under the relevant heading, since this is the main focus of the study. The paper also includes a section that argues the need for the curriculum to integrate IKS, and the author examines the extent to which the technology education curriculum integrates indigenous technologies.

Keywords:

• indigenous
• indigenous knowledge systems
• indigenous people/communities
• indigenous technologies
• curriculum
• technology education
• Africanisation