HUMBLE' KNOWLEDGE IN THE PALAEOSCIENCES: ISN'T IT TIME TO DECOLONISE?

摘要

The palaeosciences have grown immensely in southern Africa over the past 50 years. Many of the 'discoveries' that have propelled this growth have been attributed to various researchers but not necessarily to the individuals who were actually behind the discovery. Narrations from local communities have shown that people who have never been acknowledged in fact either made the discovery, or knew of its existence and significance. Increasingly, researchers and scholars confirm these narrations. The purpose of this discussion is to provide a voice to the voiceless, the initiators of the discovery of these significant remains, to identify the 'humble' knowledge holders in palaeoscientific findings whose identities have been largely hidden, with some rare exceptions. This is one of the ways in which the process of decolonisation can be initiated, leading to giving the anonymous, unrecognised discoverers their rightful place in the palaeosciences.