With the proliferation of global information and communications technologies (ICT), the concept of community no longer has geographical limitations. Yet, from ecological and social perspectives, connecting people and communities to their immediate environment is now more urgent than ever. In this paper we show how an Indigenous led initiative reaches […]
2009 • community media • digital • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communitiesTowards appropriate user interface design preserving rural African communication practices
This mini-thesis examines different socio-cultural norms and communication behaviours of indigenous communities. In spite of existing Information Communication Technology (ICT) infrastructural challenges, the software solutions that have been designed for rural communities have been a major concern. In this thesis, qualitative methodologies were used with deliberate sampling of two village […]
2013 • communication • gesture • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • knowledge management • knowledge systems • orality • user interfacePantanî, an Indigenous digital storytelling blog
Pantanî – pronounced ‘pan-duh-nee’ – means “stories” in Makushi, the language of the indigenous peoples of the North Rupununi, Guyana. The beautiful Rupununi region has been the home of the Makushi tribes for many centuries. The region’s environment, its extensive savannahs, huge rivers and thick forests have shaped its inhabitant’s […]
bloggers • digital storytelling • Guyana • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Makushi • PantanîUsing Modern Technologies to Capture and Share Indigenous Astronomical Knowledge
Indigenous Knowledge is important for Indigenous communities across the globe and for the advancement of our general scientific knowledge. In particular, Indigenous astronomical knowledge integrates many aspects of Indigenous Knowledge, including seasonal calendars, navigation, food economics, law, ceremony, and social structure. We aim to develop innovative ways of capturing, managing, […]
2014 • archive • astronomy • collaboration • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • knowledge managementChallenges and opportunities in the protection and preservation of indigenous knowledge in Africa
This chapter presents challenges and opportunities in the protection and preservation of indigenous knowledge (IK) in Africa. Specific examples have been taken from the Maasai pastoralists and the Sambaa and Zigua traditional medicine men of North-eastern Tanzania. The chapter argues that there is a threat of IK extinction due to […]
2007 • Africa • challenges • culture | preservation • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Maasai • Sambaa • Tanzania • ZiguaFOTool: Modeling Indigenous Community Cultures in Sarawak
Formal-Object Tool (FOTool) is a software modelling approach that integrates formal specification and object oriented model. FOTool integrates the rigour of formal methods and the ease of use of OO techniques. The idea of FOTool is to provide an easy interface by allowing the application developer to develop the software […]
2014 • FOTool • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • object oriented model • Sarawak • software • taboosA Different Way of Knowing: Tools and Strategies for Managing Indigenous Knowledge
There is a growing need to preserve indigenous knowledge, as indigenous communities around the world face ongoing threats to the survival of their traditional languages and cultures. Although libraries have not traditionally focused on this area, libraries and information professionals can play an important role in assisting indigenous communities with […]
2008 • culture | preservation • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge management • librariesThe Use of Social Media Technologies to Create, Preserve & Disseminate IK
The preservation, management, and sharing of indigenous knowledge is crucial for social and economic development in rural Africa. The high rate of illiteracy (print-based) in rural Africa and the exclusion of indigenous knowledge from Western education add to the information gap experienced in rural Africa. Other challenges facing oral cultures […]
2014 • Africa • culture | preservation • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge sharing / exchange • libraries • mobile • social mediaA Holistic Perspective on Indigenous Digital Libraries in Taiwan
This paper reports on the development of Taiwan indigenous digital libraries representing fourteen groups with about five hundred and two thousand indigenous people. The study reviews 50 indigenous-related projects and initiatives in the Taiwan E-learning & Digital Archives Program (TELDAP), and concludes 5 findings of Taiwan’s indigenous digital library, each […]
2014 • archive • digital collections • digital library • indigenous / traditional knowledge • participatory • TaiwanMukurtu: Information Retrieval System Engineered for Indigenous Individuals and Communities
This paper will examine the Mukurtu content management system (CMS) developed by researchers at Washington State University to address specific needs of Indigenous individuals and Indigenous communities worldwide. Mukurtu is based on the open-source DRUPAL platform and utilizes many aspects unique to that platform, such as role-based permission systems, which […]
2014 • content management system • Drupal • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • knowledge management • MukurtuAustralian Aboriginal Virtual Heritage
Cultural knowledge is a central tenant of identity for Aboriginal people and it is vitally important that the preservation of heritage values happens. Digital Songlines is a project that seeks to achieve this and was initiated as a way to develop the tools for recording cultural heritage knowledge in a […]
2014 • aboriginal • Australia • cultural heritage • digital heritage • digital humanities • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge management • songline • virtual realityIntroducing Indigenous Knowledge Governance into ICT-based Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems
Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for Indigenous Knowledge Management (IKM) have been designed using the conventional approach of creating and manipulating databases of knowledge. This typical approach of IKM generates the issues of indigenous knowledge governance, de-contextualisation and data manipulation. Hence, the main research question of this study is “How […]
2013 • database • governance • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge management • Malaysia • SarawakModeling ICT Adoption Factors for the Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge
Indigenous Knowledge (IK) has many social and economic benefits. However, IK is at the risk of extinction due to the difficulties to preserve it as most of the IK largely remains undocumented. This study aims to design a model of the factors affecting the adoption of Information and Communication Technologies […]
2013 • culture | preservation • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • literature reviewIndigenous Knowledge Communication in the 21st Century
Indigenous knowledge — the knowledge developed by local people and passed down over generations — is a major, untapped resource for development. In the 21st century indigenous information is transmitted mainly through indigenous communication channels: indigenous organizations, folk media, traditional education, and so forth. Emerging information and communication technology (ICT) […]
2014 • communication • development • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge sharing / exchangeA great debate: to show or not to show the Ngintaka songline exhibit – and who should decide?
Three articles that capture the current cultural debate around an Aborignal Australian songlines exhibit… Songlines project sparks indigenous culture war March 22, 2014, from a post written by Nicolaus Rothwell It seemed like a dream arts project for the remote western desert’s Aboriginal communities — a research and exhibition series […]
aboriginal • Australia • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Ngintaka • ownership • songlineEnduring Cultures – A Socio Cultural Toolkit
In the mad rush of modernization and the blind aping of Western manners, the East Indians (Roman Catholic ethnic group from the west coast of India) are slowly but steadily losing count of some of their most cherished customs and conventions, and are at the risk of being lost forever. […]
2012 • community media • cultural heritage • culture | preservation • India • indigenous / traditional knowledge • participatory • social media • toolkitThe potential of ICTs in collecting, preserving and disseminating indigenous knowledge in Africa
This paper gives an outline of the importance of African indigenous knowledge. After that it gives the definition of information and communication technologies (ICTs) and indigenous knowledge. It then goes on to highlight examples in which information communication technologies have been used to preserve IK successfully. The paper further list […]
2006 • Africa • culture | preservation • digital library • ICTs • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge managementThe use of indigenous knowledge in development: problems and challenges
The use of indigenous knowledge has been seen by many as an alternative way of promoting development in poor rural communities in many parts of the world. By reviewing much of the recent work on indigenous knowledge, the paper suggests that a number of problems and tensions have resulted in […]
development • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge systems • power relations • ruralManaging & Preserving IK in the Knowledge Management Era: challenges & opportunities
Managing knowledge in general and indigenous knowledge in particular has become an important and valuable input in the management of sustainable development programmes. Historically, indigenous knowledge has been downplayed in the management of information. The tendency among library and information professionals has been to emphasize recorded knowledge at the expense […]
2002 • challenges • development • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge management • sustainabilityFriend or Foe? Locating ICT Within the South African Governmental Discourse on Indigenous Knowledge Systems
The paper uses grounded theory to analyse the discourse on Indigenous Knowledge Systems within the South African government. Within this discourse, ICT is perceived both as a threat to African identity, through its potential facilitation of homogenisation and a potential ally, through its perceived potential to assist in the recording […]
Africa • ICTs • identity • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge systems • research • South AfricaNyungar Knowledge Networks: an Aboriginal online encyclopedia
Excerpt from “New media to throw a lifeline to an ancient language” published February 11, 2014 on the University of Western Australia website. A new project will create the world’s first Aboriginal online encyclopedia as a way of preserving the ancient and endangered Noongar language – one of Australia’s biggest […]
aboriginal • Australia • indigenous / traditional knowledge • Nyungar / NoongarNetwork of Indigenous Knowledge
From the PBS website… How can the modern study of global change benefit from ancient knowledge? Special correspondent John Larson reports on the new ways indigenous communities around the world are connecting with one another to share observations and sustain their native cultures. Excerpt from the transcript JOHN LARSON: When […]
2014 • indigenous / traditional knowledge • knowledge sharing / exchange • National Geographic Society • western knowledgeIndigenous Community Stories
About Indigenous Community Stories Indigenous Community Stories records Western Australia’s Indigenous heritage, cultural and historical stories using future-proof, high definition digital video technology and professional film crews. The initiative aims to record 100 Indigenous oral histories, so they can be viewed by future generations as well as creating invaluable records […]
cultural heritage • culture | preservation • film • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • oral history • storytelling • videoCreating Digital Maps to Help Preserve Cultural Heritage of Kamchatka Community
Originally published on the UA News website by Yara Askar (January 29, 2014). Excerpt University of Arizona anthropologist Benedict Colombi is leading a public-private project to help a Russian indigenous people preserve its language and cultural knowledge. The workshop and mapping project in Kamchatka stemmed from UA anthropologist Benedict Colombi’s […]
Google • indigenous / traditional knowledge • indigenous communities • Itelmen • Kamchatka • mappingNational Digital Repository of South Africa
The National Digital Repository is organised into four sections: ART | CULTURES | INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE | MUSIC Vision National Digital Repository serves to collect, preserve, promote and disseminate South Africa’s cultural heritage. It is also meant to reinforce the national imperatives of fostering national identity and social cohesion. By its nature […]
cultural heritage • culture | preservation • digital collections • documenting • indigenous / traditional knowledge • South Africa