Managing Indigenous Knowledge for Corrective and Preventive Cares: The Case of Horro Guduru Wollega Zone, Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study aimed to investigate the extent to which knowledge management approaches can be used to manage indigenous knowledge (IK) of corrective and preventive cares in local communities of Horro Guduru Wollega zone. This study used descriptive research design through qualitative research method to collect reliable data about perception of disease and its main cause, the types of IK of traditional healthcare practice, indigenous self-medication and required from traditional healthcare practitioners. The respondents were chosen from local communities (traditional healthcare practitioners and community members) and stakeholders (Health Bureau, Agricultural Bureau and NGO). Accordingly, 84 key respondents were chosen through purposive sampling. The qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The analysis results have shown that, people in the local community conceptualize disease as the disequilibrium between body and spirit; whereas God, ancestral spirit and witches and sorcerers are the main cause of disease. The above cause’s related diseases can be treated by using traditional healthcare IK such as by traditional medicine, physiotherapy treatment and spiritually treatment by self-medication and traditional healthcare practitioners. Therefore, there is a need to capture and manage IK of traditional healthcare practices to save it from loss by local community, community leader and elders, young generations, governments, higher education institutions and researchers.