Page 87 - EDUCON 2022 Book of Abstracts

generational knowledge passed from generation to generation and
based on observations of the surroundings including the environment,
nature, and culture. Managing and keeping Indigenous Knowledge is
important for the sustainable social and economic development of
communities and its utilization by the current and future generations.
Methodology: This study was conducted among the older generation
of 40 to 70 years and above in the Omusati and Zambezi regions of
Namibia. It focused on the role of the older generation in keeping and
managing Indigenous Knowledge. A qualitative approach with
phenomenology as a design was employed to collect data from older
generations of 40 to 70 years and above in the Omusati and Zambezi
regions of Namibia.
Results: The study findings revealed that the older generation has
plenty of Indigenous Knowledge in natural remedies treatment. They
kept such knowledge in the oral and visual forms. In sharing the
Indigenous Knowledge, they use storytelling, poems, songs, and
folktales. The lack of written materials on Indigenous Knowledge
causes the younger generation to lose such valuable knowledge. As
the older generation becomes older, they tend to forget some of the
evidence and are unable to narrate it to the current generations. The
study’s findings suggest a need to promote the creation, sharing, and
management of IK.
Recommendation: The study recommends the development of a
Namibian policy that may guide in the identification of the knowledge
holders, and recording procedures, repackaging, dissemination, and
preservation of IK.
Conclusion: The inclusion of IK in the educational curriculum would
enhance the preservation of such knowledge for the future
generations.
Keywords: Indigenous Knowledge, management of indigenous
knowledge, policy, the older generation, sharing

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