Indigenous Techniques of Knowledge Creation in Qinea Schools of Ethiopia

Communities have been creating and using indigenous knowledge for centuries. Although there have been advances in knowledge creation, traditional practices may lend an additional lens to better understand knowledge creation efforts. This research explores the potentials of indigenous knowledge creation techniques of instantaneously creating knowledge, which has been in use in Ethiopia Church Schools since the 5th Century. Using an interpretive field study, qualitative data was collected through participant observation, document analysis, and unstructured and semi-structured interviews. Analysis of the data indicated that the indigenous techniques have important implications for knowledge creation and creative problem solving. Besides helping to preserve the heritage of accumulated wisdom, this research plays a role in narrowing the divide between tradition and modernity regarding knowledge creation, and is useful to researchers in creative education, communication, natural language, and information retrieval.