A Philosophical Examination of the Nature of Indigenous Knowledge and Implications for Education with Reference to Maasai Community of Kenya
Abstract
One of the aims of education in Kenya is to promote respect for and
development of Kenya’s varied cultures. Underlying these cultures is
indigenous knowledge that has not sufficiently been integrated within the
Kenyan education system which remains skewed towards western values and
knowledge. In such circumstances, this study argues that formal education
seems to alienate people from their own culture instead of facilitating
preservation and development of relevant aspects of indigenous cultures as
also observed with indigenous people of North America. This is the problem
that this study sought to address. Specifically, an examination of the
indigenous knowledge with reference to the Maasai community was found to
provide useful lessons on how best traditional values can be blended with
modern values in order to achieve an inclusive and effective approach to
contemporary needs and challenges. The study therefore used cultural
synergism as embodied in Hegel’s dialectics as its preferred theoretical
framework. This framework admits that all cultures have their unique
identities but none is perfect in isolation. Consequently, cultures need to
enrich and refine each other. This is especially relevant to the contemporary
globalised context where interaction of peoples and cultures is inevitable. The
study sought to examine the western conception of knowledge, analyse the
indigenous knowledge with reference to the Maasai community, and identify a
strategic approach for achieving harmony of indigenous and western
knowledge systems. The researcher reviewed literature on the basis of the
themes derived from the objectives above. As a philosophical study, the
researcher used conceptual rather than empirical methodology. This study
therefore relied on secondary data. It employed the analytic and prescriptive
methods of philosophy to examine and evaluate various works of the social
scientists on indigenous knowledge deriving relevant implications for
education. The study found that: knowledge is constructed as a worldview that
is continually re-evaluated, improved and systematised; the indigenous
knowledge of the Maasai was pragmatically developed enabling the
community to adapt and survive in its environment; positive elements of the
indigenous knowledge of the Maasai include sustainable use of the
environment, emphasis on functional and relevant knowledge and skills;
values such as commitment to service, responsibility and self-discipline. Such
values can be useful to education in Kenya today. The study recommends
further research on indigenous communities including re-evaluation of
previous anthropological research findings that were found to be clearly
biased.