Legitimising Indigenous knowledge systems as a pathway to sustainable development

This qualitative case study examines the integration of Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) into Grade 8 Natural Sciences ecosystem teaching in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Despite policy recognition, IKS integration remains largely tokenistic in South African curricula, with teachers lacking systematic pedagogical frameworks for authentic implementation. The research addresses two questions: what Indigenous Knowledge is integrated into ecosystem teaching, and how teachers accomplish this integration. Data were collected through interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis with six Natural Sciences teachers across three schools in the Pinetown district during 2024. Findings reveal that teachers successfully integrated Indigenous agricultural practices—including controlled burning, rotational cropping, organic fertilization, and polyculture systems—positioning this as legitimate scientific knowledge that provides empirically validated environmental solutions. Four systematic pedagogical strategies emerged: inquiry-based learning connecting students with community expertise, storytelling as narrative pedagogy, culturally relevant visual aids, and culture-science connections that validate Indigenous knowledge alongside Western science. The study extends cultural border-crossing theory and collateral learning approaches by demonstrating practical classroom applications that enable students to navigate multiple knowledge systems without cognitive conflict. Teachers functioned as cultural brokers, facilitating epistemological pluralism while addressing curriculum requirements. Findings contribute to decolonising environmental science education by providing transferable frameworks for authentic IKS integration, demonstrating connections to Sustainable Development Goals (2, 4, 12, 13,15), and documenting pathways toward cognitive justice. The research highlights critical needs for systematic curriculum reform, comprehensive teacher education, culturally relevant resources, and community-school partnerships to move beyond tokenistic inclusion toward the integration of transformative knowledge systems.