Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are the basis for social appropriation in local communities. ICTs hold significant potential for positive benefits for local communities to deal with ‘digital’ connectivity and global knowledge contexts. With the digitalisation of knowledge, including indigenous knowledge (IK), ICTs are offering alternative perspectives of knowledge in the global information society. However, sometimes ICTs are ill-equipped to handle context-dependent cultural knowledge since there is a difference between how Westernised cultures and indigenous cultures view data, information and knowledge. This shortcoming may lead to digital preservation challenges. In this article, we discuss some challenges faced by ICTs for IK preservation.
Great paper. In 2004 while I was still at the Durban Natural Science Museum I assisted a PHD student from Unizul on a similar subject. I will track him down and link him with you.