Reviving Indigenous Wisdom

The thrust of this paper is on Indigenous Knowledge and Belief Systems (IKBS) of the BaTonga, which they used to preserve and conserve the natural environment. It is based on the cultural, religious, and ecological study of the BaTonga. The main objective of the study is to establish the extent of use and efficacy examines the environmental IKBS of the BaTonga people in their efforts to preserve the environment. The study is motivated by the unprecedented environmental degradation and depletion of natural resources in the Binga communal area in Matabeleland North Province. Regardless of the existence of IKBS and modern environmental management strategies, the environment is under siege, with local people complaining that modern ways should be complemented with IKBS, hence triggering this study. In this qualitative study, in-depth interviews and storytelling were conducted with traditional leaders and community elders of the BaTonga to collect data. Document analysis was also used to collect IKBS-related data from this indigenous community. In this study, thematic analysis is anchored on interpretive and ontological paradigms utilised within the Decoloniality theory. IKBSs found in this study were thematically presented as water bodies, vegetation, animals, birds, insects, and cosmology. The study concluded that the use of IKBSs is undermined by minoritisation and paucity of information on IKBSs documentation of the BaTonga. It was noted that the IKBS has potential for preserving the environment for sustainable development.