This presentation is part of the 5th African Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Conference in Uganda, 14-16 October 2015

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5th
AFRICAN RCE CONFERENCE - KAMPALA
UGANDA 14th
-16th
OCTOBER, 2015
The transmission mechanism of traditional
ecological knowledge in Zambia: The case
of the Lozi people of western province
By
Moonga Mirriam . and Milupi Inonge
RCE LUSAKA

2. Presentation structure
• Background of the study
• Objectives of the study
• Study areas
• Study findings
• conclusion
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3. Background of the study
• Traditional ecological knowledge
(TEK) has been recognised by several
scholars as being useful source of
information that can complement
western scientific methods to resource
management (Barkes et al 2000,
Gilchrist, Mallory & Merkel (2005). This
is because TEK acts as an alternative
source of data especially in remote
places.
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4. Background – cont’d
TEK has also been found to add to the
extensive information on the natural
history and demography of wildlife
species that have contributed to the
sound management of wildlife resources
(Gilchrist, Mallory & Merkel 2005).
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5. Background – cont’d
• TEK has been recognised
internationally through its endorsement
in documents such as ‘The World
Conservation Strategy’ (IUCN 1980),
and ‘Our Common Future’ (WCED
1987). Both documents stressed the
integration of local indigenous
knowledge in plans for the
management of sustainable resources
(Dudley 1999).
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6. Background – cont’d
• TEK, according to this paper has been
described as ‘the cumulative body of
knowledge and cultural continuity of
resource use held by specific groups
of people and their relationship with
the environment (Olsson and Folke
2001, cited in Mmassy and Røskaft
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7. Background – cont’d
•Traditional Ecological knowledge is
used in this study as a broader term,
covering not only ecological knowledge
but other knowledge and skills related to
making a livelihood.
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8. Key words
Scholars such as Olsson and Folke
(2001) noted that local resource users
had substantial knowledge of the
resources and ecosystems as such they
could be good local managers of their
resources if they were directly engaged
as active participants in their resource
management (Charnley et al. 2007).
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9. Introduction
• TEK evolved through adaptive
processes
• It has been handed down through
generations.
• This took place by cultural
transmission about the relationship of
living beings that included
• humans exchanging information
between them and issues relating to
their environment (Berkes 1999 cited9

10. PROBLEM STATEMENT
• Despite the recognition of TEK by several
international organizations and several
scholars in natural resource management,
the cultural transmission of TEK from
generation to generation, however,
• remains a neglected field.
• The aim of this study, therefore is to:
investigate the transmission mechanisms of
TEK among the lozi speaking people of
Zambia.
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11. Study objectives
The study objectives are to:
• Establish the natural resources found
in Barotse Land
• Identify the common ecological
knowledge of the lozi people
• Show how the ecological knowledge
help to conserve natural resources
• Show how TEK is transmited from
generation to generation
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12. METHODS
• This study was carried out between
July and October, 2015. First, a review
of the literature was conducted to
reveal transmission mechanism of
traditional ecological knowledge
among different tribes in other
countries.
•
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13. • Second, data were collected in Zambia
through:
• interviews with key informants who
included local people from those
places
• as well as University of Zambia
students and lecturers who are lozi
speaking people.
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14. STUDY AREA
• The study area was Western province of
Zambia.
• The province has sixteen districts to name
a few; Mongu (the provincial capital),
Senanga, Kaoma, Kalabo, Sesheke and
Lukulu.
• The province is located at an elevation of
1,162 metres above sea level
• It has several ethnicity groups but the lozi
are the majority ethnic group . These are14

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LOCATION OF STUDY
AREA

16. CBNRM in Barotse land
• The Lozi people have a well-
established system of traditional rulers
headed by the Litunga assisted by
subchiefs in Sesheke, Senanga and
Kalabo.
• They practice a seasonal migrations of
the Litunga and his court from the dry-
season capital of Lealui, on the
Zambezi flood-plain, to Limulunga on
the dry land, 16

17. • Using the royal badge called the
Nalikwanda(see picture below).
• The main economic activity of western
province is cattle rearing, fishing, and
subsistence farming of crops such as
maize, rice cassava and millet. The
sandy soils of the province are good for
Cashew nuts growing though not being
exploited fully of late..
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THE ROYAL BADGE

19. • The province has a huge forest a high
potential for timber cutting and fishing
investment. Local people exploit the
timber only on a small scale for curios
and canoe making.
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20. Interviews with key informants
•Information on the transmission mechanism
of traditional ecological knowledge among
the Lozi people
• on the diversity of natural resources
found in western province, common TEK
found among the lozi people and how these
practices contribute to natural resource
conservation.
METHODS

21. •Qualitative information from interviews
with key informants was analysed by
summarizing the data into key themes,
and thereafter noting the frequency with
which each theme appeared (Mubanga
and Umar 2014).
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Data analysis

22. Study themes
• The main themes of the study included natural
resources found in Western province,
• common traditional ecological knowledge
found among the lozi people
• how the practices help in the conservation/
sustainability of natural resources in western
province.
• ways in which TEK is transmitted among the
lozi people.
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23. • showed that TEK transmission differed
from culture to culture. Among the
aboriginal culture for example, children
were “learning by doing”.
• Verbal instructions were not usually
given to children.
Results

24. Common TEK in western
province
The Lozi speaking people of western
province have a rich culture with a lot
of TEK that contributes to:
conservation of natural resources in
the province. Practices include
taboos that forbid cutting down of
trees on shrines and river sources.
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25. Restrictions
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• Certain plant species such as mukwa,
mukusi or a fruit bearing ones were
not allowed to be cut without
permission from the Litunga.
• . Certain animal species were not
allowed to be killed without permission
from the chief such as eland (pofu).

26. Restrictions
• Certain creatures like spiders, lizards,
eland, , python ( mboma), some fish
species such as mbundu, lubango,
singongi, goose eggs, chicken, or
crocodile eggs could not be killed
without permission.
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27. restrictions
• the time of harvesting fish and birds among the lozi
people is also restricted and can only be done only
done collectively referred to as “kuloba sitaka”. This
is a bird cropping undertaking mostly done along the
river banks of most water bodies such as the
Zambezi river done once a year.
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28. Conservation practices
• Most bird species make their nests
on the reeds found along the river
banks.
• Another conservation practice is
“kutulisa”. This is where cattle are not
allowed to graze on the same place
for a long period of time.
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29. Common TEK
• This practice is common in barotse
flood plain where there are plenty of
pastures for animals. The practice
prevents soil degradation.
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30. Natural resources
The fish species are found in different
water bodies that include:
• lakes, ponds, streams, flood plains
and rivers such as the might Zambezi
river.
•Fish species include tiger fish red30

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Fish specimen common in
western province

32. Vegetation
• The vegetation in the province include forests,
floodplains and grasslands.
• The province also has several plant species such as:
• Mukwa, Mukusi and many fruit bearing plants
such as muzauli, mumosomoso.
• The wild fruits provide the local people with food.

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Forests and grasslands

34. Baroste flood plains
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35. Birds
There is also a diversity of bird species in
the province such as:
• local species, ostrich as well as
migratory species (stork).
• The bird migration is dependent on the
weather pattern. The birds migrate35

36. Migratory birds in the flood
plain
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37. Other Natural resources found in
western province
•Waterfalls and escarpments
•The province also has some hills and
escarpments such as:
• Sioma water falls in Senanga district.
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Sioma Falls and the Escarpment

39. Wild animals
•The province also boasts of having a lot
of wild animals in the Kafue and Liuwa
national parks,
•These include wild beast which is a
migratory animal which migrates from
Zambia to Angola during rainy season,
• Lions, hyenas, hippopotamus, buffalo
and elephants. 39

40. Wildlife in western
province
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41. Results
•The Barotse flood plains provides
pasture for cattle in the province as well
as fishing and farming activities.
•Natural resources in the province are
preserved by the communities in
conjuction with their local leaders
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42. TEK and Resource
Conservation
Contribution of TEK to natural resource
conservation in the province
• Restrictions common among the lozi people
that prohibit the use of natural resources
promote biodiversity conservation.
• The traditional systems of getting permission to
cut certain tree species from their forests and
fish contributed to the conservation of forests
and special type of trees in the province.
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43. • These practices mainly conserved and
sustained natural resources by
training controlled harvest.
• Further the practices allowed the soil
to regenerate for example Kutulisa a
common practice found among the lozi
people where cattle is moved from one
place to another so as to allow for
regeneration of the soil.
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44. • The taboo system helped to
discourage people from destroying the
environment and from plucking of
young fruits before maturity.
• The killing of birds (kuloba sitaka)
along rivers banks in very large
quantities was also discouraged.
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45. TEK Transmission
• The study reviewed diversity of TEK
common among the lozi speaking
people in Zambia which included:
• taboos, restrictions and practices
such as kutulisa and kuloba sitaka.
• These cultural restrictions promoted
the sustainability of natural resources
in the province which mainly are:
• wild animals, different plant species
and fish. 45

46. • The study further showed that TEK is
transmitted in different ways such as:
• through experience where the young
ones learn by imitating the elders.
it is also transmitted through:
• storytelling, songs and by the use of
proverbs.
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47. Conclusion
• The conclusion of this study is that the
lozi speaking people of Zambia have a
diversity of TEK that is important in
sustaining biodiversity in the province.
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48. • Factors such as age, sex, education
and experience are also considered in
the transmission of TEK.
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49. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING
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