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Indigenous knowledge of traditional health practitioners
Indigenous knowledge is a local, native, cultural knowledge that has its origins in the people and their experiences contained by a geographically limited area, built upon and passed on verbally (Botha 2009:38). Coleman (2013:53) asserts that the knowledge and skills of indigenous people in the treatment and healing of illnesses is acquired from close relatives through verbal means and is not documented. In most African countries, traditional health practitioners are believed to occupy esteemed positions within the indigenous communities they serve, as they employ a holistic integrative approach to their healing practices (Ross 2010:46). Gibson (2013:2) states similarly that THPs attend to their clients holistically in the language of the clients with whom they interact and share with these clients a cultural background and a worldview in a familiar environmental setting.
The application of indigenous knowledge by THPs is based on the category of that THP and his or her expertise in particular illnesses or diseases. Traditional health practitioners include diviners (isangoma / mungome / mungoma), herbalists (n’anga / inyanga / maine), traditional birth attendants (umvelethisi) and traditional surgeon (ingcibi) as described by the Act (Traditional Health Practitioners Act 22 of 2007). The diviner is a person above 18 years who has undergone training for a minimum period of 12 months learning the diagnosis, preparation of herbs, and traditional consultation. The herbalist is a person 18 years and above who has been trained for a minimum period of 12 months in identifying and preparing herbs, the sustainable collection of herbs, dispensing herbs, and consultation. The traditional birth attendant is a female above 25 years who has undergone training for a minimum period of 12 months and has learned about conception, pregnancy, the delivery of a baby, and pre- and post-natal care (Government Gazette No. 39358, 2015).
Malnutrition accompanied by diarrhoea and weight loss
As the participants were elaborating on the signs and symptoms of rigoni, they indicated the symptoms that are related to feeding of the infant. Among others they highlighted risks such as dehydration, diarrhoea and weight loss in relation to rigoni in infants. THP6 explained these risks as follows: Nwana u ya shela, ha tsheni na zwone ha takadzi kha tshifhatuwo [the infant passes loose stools, and looks dull and generally inactive]. The infant looks like is not breastfed. The motherin-law complaints that the infant is not fed due to the sisters at the clinic. Nwana u to nga ha lisiwi. There is malnutrition, I see mitshinga [blood vessels] and baby is bony. THP9 concurred with THP6 by elaborating that infants suffering from rigoni present with u shela and the child loses vuleme hawe [The baby presents with passing of loose stools and weight loss]. This participant said: According to me this infant illness is called gokhonya kana goni….the infant presents with u shela [Literally refers to passing of loose stools – diarrhoea]. The mother keeps on changing the nappies of the infant due to continuous defaecation of watery stools. Nappies does not stay long because of diarrhoea. I also noticed that these babies with rigoni loss weight and be like a paper, ha na vuleme [no weight]. Lukanda la nwana li a omelwa [dryness of the skin].
CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW OF THE STUDY
1.1 INTRODUCTION
1.2 BACKGROUND
1.3 PERSONAL AND PROFESSIONAL MOTIVATION FOR THE STUDY
1.4 PROBLEM STATEMENT
1.5 AIM AND OBJECTIVES
1.6 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
1.7 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
1.8 ASSUMPTIONS OF THE STUDY
1.9 CONCEPT CLARIFICATION
1.10 ETHICAL CONSIDERATION
1.11 CLASSIFICATION OF CHAPTERS
1.12 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 2 PARADIGMATIC AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE OF THE STUDY
2.1 INTRODUCTION
2.2 AFRICAN PHILOSOPHY
2.3 LENS OF INDIGENEITY
2.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODOLOGY
3.1 INTRODUCTION
3.2 CONSTRUCTIVE GROUNDED THEORY: DESIGN AND METHOD
3.3 CONTEXTUALISATION OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE SYSTEM
3.4 THE RESERVOIR OF INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE
3.5 SAMPLING
3.6 ENGAGING THE TRADITIONAL HEALTH PRACTITIONERS AND INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE HOLDERS
3.7 DATA COLLECTION PROCESS
3.8 POSITIONALITY (PARTICIPANTS AND RESEARCHER)
3.9 INCLUSION AND EXCLUSION CRITERIA
3.10 DATA ANALYSIS PROCESS
3.11 TRUSTWORTHINESS
3.12 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 4 DATA ANALYSIS AND PRESENTATION OF RESULTS
4.1 INTRODUCTION
4.2 DATA ANALYSIS
4.3 CATEGORIES AND SUB-CATEGORIES
4.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 5 DATA INTERPRETATION AND DISCUSSION OF RESULTS
5.1 INTRODUCTION
5.2 DISCUSSION OF CATEGORIES AND SUB-CATEGORIES
5.3 GROUNDED THEORY: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE HEALING OF RIGONI IN VHEMBE DISTRICT, LIMPOPO PROVINCE OF SOUTH AFRICA
5.4 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 6 CONCEPT ANALYSIS
6.1 INTRODUCTION
6.2 OBJECTIVES
6.3 CONCEPT ANALYSIS PROCESS
6.4 EXPLANATION OF THE PROCESS TO UNEARTH IK HEALING THEORY OF RIGONI (Figure 6.3)
6.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 7 THEORY DEVELOPMENT
7.1 INTRODUCTION
7.2 THEORY WRITING
7.3 VALIDATION OF THE THEORY: INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE HEALING THEORY OF RIGONI
7.4 EVALUATION OF THE THEORY
7.5 SUMMARY
CHAPTER 8 AN OVERVIEW OF RESULTS, LIMITATIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS AND CONCLUSIONS
8.1 INTRODUCTION
8.2 OVERVIEW SUMMARY OF RESULTS
8.3 THEORY DESCRIPTION
8.4 LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY
8.5 RECOMMENDATIONS
8.6 CONCLUSION
