Reclaiming Indigenous Knowledge (IK) Embedded in Social Interaction: Greetings and Departures in Focus

Abstract

The intellectual traditions of the Ethiopian and the Western cultures are quite different where the former is spiritual-oriented/virtue-oriented whereas the later is world-oriented/self-serving learning process. Traditional greetings gathered from the study tend to be more common in rural societies as opposed to their decline in urban societies owing to the effects of modernity. In Ethiopia, society has been grounded on a solid foundation of religion, which implied reverence for the Supreme Power. Unfortunately, due to globalization, this value is eroded day by day, and we need to rediscover ourselves. A nation that promotes empathy, morality, and communal values has been plagued with social injustice due to the erosion of this traditional value. As it can be seen from the quotations above, discourses in local languages often bear some reference to God, denoting a strong connection with religious beliefs. In the everyday rituals of communication, discourses normally express an intimate feeling for the supernatural force, testifying how deeply spiritual faith is embedded in daily existence.  That is, one of the cultural values of the society is a continuous acknowledgement of the divine, revealing profound spiritual integration in the cultural fabric. The lack of integration of indigenous cultural values within the education system has led to a gradual phasing out of traditional greetings.Thus, aspects of indigenous knowledge must be included in the education system, and Ethiopia instead of using ‘eclectic approach’ as philosophy of education should reconsider its philosophy of education to emphasize indigenous knowledge.