Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge

Abrahams, Shamila

Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge

Thesis / Dissertation

2026

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Abstract

The function of the San tsî Khoen ǂoaba ǂans Digital Archive is to contribute to the reconstruction of indigenous knowledge from the perspective of the San and Khoi people. Curating the knowledge output generated by UCT's San & Khoi Centre required some innovation as the descriptive tools originating from the western knowledge system are not effective for this reconstruction function. The study objectives are to, firstly, braid what is known about indigenous knowledge upon the bridging strand of Islam along with the western knowledge system. Thereafter, an ontology is developed supporting the reconstruction of the indigenous knowledge system of the San and Khoi communities to be used in a digital archive. A mixed methods qualitative study was undertaken using the indigenous heart-centred research approach along with the western hermeneutic realism approach. Dadirri (deep listening), braided knowledge, discourse analysis, and retrospective autoethnography were the research methods used to achieve the study's objective. Five knowledge domains emerged from the braiding process. These are: ways of knowing, relations within humanity, relations with the natural world, relations with the metaphysical world, and systemic integrity. These domains were then structured into a braided knowledge ecosystem providing a prototype model of a knowledge ecosystem. This construct when applied to the contents of the San tsî Khoen ǂoaba ǂans Digital Archive was able to present its contents with epistemic integrity. While the study was successful the emergent braided knowledge ecosystem needs further testing and the scope of the ontology it can support needs to be developed.

Keywords

indigenous knowledge system

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