Accumulation of cultural capital: the acquisition of indigenous knowledge by traditional healers in the Limpopo province of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 278
Author(s):  
Jan Resenga Maluleka ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Cultural Capital ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Limpopo Province

scholarly journals Turning mirrors into windows: Knowledge transfer among indigenous healers in Limpopo province of South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan R. Maluleka ◽  
Mpho Ngoepe
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Knowledge Transfer ◽  
Indigenous Knowledge ◽  
Oral Tradition ◽  
Sampling Technique ◽  
Population Data ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Traditional Healing ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Snowball Sampling

Background: Knowledge transfer is an unavoidable process when it comes to indigenous knowledge especially in Africa, the continent known for its oral tradition. Such knowledge is in danger of being obliterated as a result of a number of factors, including lack of interest from younger generations and low life expectancy whereby knowledgeable people die before transferring it to the next generation as it is mostly not documented. Objectives: This qualitative study utilised hermeneutic phenomenology guided by the organisational knowledge conversion theory to investigate the transfer of indigenous knowledge by traditional healers in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Method: The study utilised a snowball sampling technique to determine the population. Data collected through interviews with traditional healers were augmented with observations done on two healers who were in the middle of their training when this study was conducted, as well as an analysis of records held by some healers. Results: The findings suggestthat knowledge of traditional healing is believed to be transferred to the chosen ones through dreams and visions. However, this knowledge seems to be transferred through mentorship and apprenticeship, as well as interactions with other healers. Conclusion: It is concluded that transferring knowledge of traditional healing goes beyond just transference; it is embedded as a belief system in many African communities. An in-depth study on the development of a framework to integrate indigenous knowledge of traditional healers into mainstream health system is recommended.

scholarly journals Erectile dysfunction: Definition and materia medica of Bapedi traditional healers in Limpopo province, South Africa

2015 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 71-77 ◽  
Author(s):  
Johannes Christoffel Erasmus Lourens ◽  
Johannes Potgieter Marthienus ◽  
Silas Semenya Sebua
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
Erectile Dysfunction ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Materia Medica

scholarly journals Plants Used by Bapedi Traditional Healers to Treat Asthma and Related Symptoms in Limpopo Province, South Africa

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sebua Silas Semenya ◽  
Alfred Maroyi
Keyword(s):  
South Africa ◽  
South African ◽  
Study Finding ◽  
Traditional Healers ◽  
Limpopo Province ◽  
Herbal Remedies ◽  
Face To Face ◽  
Sclerocarya Birrea ◽  
Time In Literature ◽  
Herbal Therapies

To the best of our knowledge there are presently no ethnobotanical surveys focusing on the utilisation of herbal remedies for asthma in South Africa. The present study is therefore an attempt to fill this gap in knowledge. A total of 140 Bapedi traditional healers (THs) practicing in the Capricorn, Sekhukhune, and Waterberg districts of the Limpopo Province (South Africa) were queried using semistructured questionnaires, supplemented by field observations during face-to-face interview. A total of 104 medicinal plant species (92 indigenous and 12 exotics) belonging to 92 genera, distributed across 54 botanical families, mostly the Asteraceae and Fabaceae (18.5%, for each) as well as Malvaceae (12.9%), were used as antiasthmatics and related symptoms by these THs. Most of the plants were trees and herbs (37.5%, for each), with root (57%), leaf (15.8%), and bark (7.5%), respectively, being the saliently used parts for preparation of remedies.Clerodendrum ternatum,Cryptocarya transvaalensis,Lasiosiphon caffer,Enicostema axillare,Mimusops obovata,Sclerocarya birrea, andStylochaeton natalensiswere widely used and valued by all THs across the surveyed districts. Furthermore, these taxa also scored both the highest use value and fidelity level indexes as asthma therapies. Overall, the larger number of species documented in the present study is recorded for the first time in literature as asthma and/or related symptoms remedies. Our study finding generally contributes towards an establishment of South African database of herbal therapies used traditionally against these conditions.

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