Life Orientation and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

1
Life Orientation and Indigenous Knowledge Systems

• Health Promotion

Vukhomba is a cultural event that is available
every three months for health promotion. It can
be used to empower women and improve their
health. There is a need for sexual health
information to reach all girls in the country. It
is also important not to label cultural

practices as evil before finding out what they
are really all about. Puberty rites are cultural
institutions that have been working for many
years towards bringing women together (Maluleke,
2001, 206).
2
Environmental health

• Indigenous knowledge has a huge role to play in
  achieving sustainable development (Vargas, 2000).

3
Social development

• South Africa has important traditional religions
  and belief systems that have been marginalised by
  the previous education system (Mndende, 1994).
• We also need to examine the value base of the
  Life Orientation learning area within which our
  life skills and health education programmes are
  located. To what extent is this curriculum
  reflecting and perpetuating all worldviews in our
  communities? (Lazarus, 2004, 67).

4
Personal development

• Goal setting
• Inkonyane ikhethwa kusakhanya
• Plan things in advance
• Time management
• Nako ga e emeli motho
• Time does not wait for you
• Problem solving
• Ndlopfu a yi etleri hi rivambu rinwe
• An elephant does not always sleep on the same
  side
• - try to look at the problem from different
  angles, use new strategies or tactics to solve
  the problem.

5
Physical development and movement

• Alexander (1998) suggests a future approach to
  physical development and movement should include
  the decolonisation of programmes, and the
  promotion of movement forms from African culture.
  
• Many indigenous games could add to the
  recreational health and fitness of learners
  (Burnett and Hollander, 2004 South African
  Sports Commission, 2003).

6
Questions for debate

• Option 1
• 1. How can Health Promotion within Life
  Orientation be supported by IKS?
• 2. How can we promote IKS in teacher education?
  In what way could universities offer modules on
  IKS as part of their generic teacher training?
  How could universities include in-depth IKS in
  Life Orientation teacher training?
• 3. How can we best explore indigenous ontology
  and epistemology within Life Orientation teaching
  and learning?
• 4. How can we counter learners alienation from
  their cultures? What role can Life Orientation
  interventions play in countering such alienation?
  
• Option 2
• 1. Suggest ways and give examples of how IKS can
  be used to promote Life Orientations learning
  outcomes.
• 2. Give examples of how indigenous games and
  traditional dance can promote physical
  development, movement and fitness.
• 3. Explain how indigenous psychology can promote
  life skills acquisition.
• 4. Describe how indigenous beliefs and belief
  systems can promote learners health and
  well-being.