Indigenous Songs for the Indigenization of Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC): ‘Tokkeen Maal’ in focus’

After a lengthy disregard and neglect, the importance of indigenous early childhood education and care (ECEC) is well-recognized by scholars in the field of ECEC and international organizations working with children such as UNICEF and UNESCO. As a result of this shift in paradigm, need for the incorporation of indigenous knowledge and practices into ECEC (indigenization) is gathering momentum. The main purpose of this article was therefore to show how ‘Tokkeen Maal’- a common counting rhyme used to teach children counting up to ten across Oromia- can be used to indigenize the conduct of ECEC and its pedagogic richness in preprimary and primary education in Oromia and beyond. To this end, the song was subjected to thematic and content analyses. Results of the analyses of the song revealed that it has broad pedagogic/instructional values. Its wholeness, inter-activeness, and joyfulness make Tokkeen Maal a highly viable and worthwhile pedagogic strategy in preprimary and primary school settings. Apart from its pedagogic values, the use of Tokkeen Maal in ECECE helps to nurture children’s development of cultural identity, connect schools with the community and uphold children’s cultural rights enshrined in the United Nations Child Rights Convention (UNCRC). Overall, it can be thought as a highly viable means of indigenizing early childhood education and care (ECEC) in Oromia and beyond.