Weaving Indigenous Knowledge into Early Literacy: Family Literacy Practices in Rural Communities for Decolonial Education and Epistemic Access
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63569/ajopac/08/01/01Abstract
This paper critically examines the intersection of language, culture, and indigenous knowledge in shaping family literacy practices within disadvantaged rural communities of South Africa. Drawing on the lived experiences of four isiXhosa-speaking families in the Eastern Cape Province, the study investigates how oral traditions, storytelling, local games, and everyday cultural activities contribute to children's early literacy development within a decolonial and epistemic access framework. The research is theoretically framed by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory and Bourdieu’s concept of cultural capital, providing a nuanced analysis of how family and community-based knowledge systems operate as powerful literacy assets, despite historical marginalization in formal education systems. Utilizing a qualitative case study design with purposive sampling, data were collected through semi-structured interviews, participant observations, and cultural artefact analysis. The findings highlight how indigenous knowledge systems embedded in daily cultural practices function as legitimate epistemologies that promote cognitive development, identity formation, and academic readiness. The study advocates for the infusion of culturally responsive pedagogies, policy reforms, and decolonial approaches that affirm African epistemologies, promote epistemic justice, and bridge the gap between home-based literacies and formal schooling. This research contributes to ongoing scholarly debates on decolonisation, indigenous knowledge
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