Full Text Available
Note: Clicking the button above will open the full text document at the original institutional repository in a new window.
Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge
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 origin...
Saved in:
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Other Authors: | |
| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English English |
| Published: |
Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship
2026
|
| Subjects: | |
| Tags: |
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1869483638160097280 |
|---|---|
| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Abrahams, Shamila |
| author2 | Higgs, Richard |
| author_browse | Abrahams, Shamila Higgs, Richard |
| author_facet | Higgs, Richard Abrahams, Shamila |
| author_sort | Abrahams, Shamila |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | 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. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/43309 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | English eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-07-01T04:02:10.655Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship |
| publisherStr | Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/43309 Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge Abrahams, Shamila Higgs, Richard indigenous knowledge system 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. 2026-06-11T13:27:39Z 2026-06-11T13:27:39Z 2026 2026-06-11T13:24:26Z Thesis / Dissertation Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43309 en eng application/pdf Department of Knowledge and Information Stewardship Faculty of Humanities University of Cape Town |
| spellingShingle | indigenous knowledge system Abrahams, Shamila Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| title_full | Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| title_fullStr | Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| title_full_unstemmed | Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| title_short | Restoring the epistemic Integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| title_sort | restoring the epistemic integrity of the indigenous knowledge system by braiding knowledge |
| topic | indigenous knowledge system |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/43309 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT abrahamsshamila restoringtheepistemicintegrityoftheindigenousknowledgesystembybraidingknowledge |