Developing an Understanding of Traditional Maasai Water Practices and Technologies
No Thumbnail Available
Date
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Brill
Abstract
Description
This Book Chapter was published in Brill, 2023
The African traditional knowledges and knowledge systems are on the brink of extinc- tion. The indigenous knowledge of Africa has not been extensively studied and docu- mented. In sub-Saharan Africa, the supremacy of colonial education in higher learning education has been responsible for erasing traditional knowledge. It is against this backdrop that a team of researchers from the Nyerere Knowledge for Change (K4C) Hub set out to investigate how traditional knowledges and modern, mainstream ways of knowing can be bridged. The study we report on was conducted in collaboration with the Maasai village leaders of Nduruma Village in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. Village committee meetings, interviews, group discussions, photograph taking, video recording, voice recording, and direct observation were among the methods used to gain knowledge on the Maasai traditional technologies of water management. The information gathered and shared in this case study contributes to building mutually beneficial expert-community partnerships.
The African traditional knowledges and knowledge systems are on the brink of extinc- tion. The indigenous knowledge of Africa has not been extensively studied and docu- mented. In sub-Saharan Africa, the supremacy of colonial education in higher learning education has been responsible for erasing traditional knowledge. It is against this backdrop that a team of researchers from the Nyerere Knowledge for Change (K4C) Hub set out to investigate how traditional knowledges and modern, mainstream ways of knowing can be bridged. The study we report on was conducted in collaboration with the Maasai village leaders of Nduruma Village in Arusha, Northern Tanzania. Village committee meetings, interviews, group discussions, photograph taking, video recording, voice recording, and direct observation were among the methods used to gain knowledge on the Maasai traditional technologies of water management. The information gathered and shared in this case study contributes to building mutually beneficial expert-community partnerships.
Keywords
Maasai communities, Indigenous knowledge, knowledge cultures, Decolonisation of knowledge, CBPR methods