Vhavenda Traditional Children’s Games as a form of Indigenous Knowledge: Tshifasi Genre

Abstract

Local knowledge systems are culture-specific; they construct the source for a people’s livelihood. Children’s traditional songs and games such as tshifasi are one aspect of Indigenous knowledge systems. Through traditional games, children became aware of their environment and acquired life skills among other things. Therefore, this study describes and analyses the existence and performance of tshifasi as a form of indigenous knowledge for the Vhavenda children’s game. The qualitative methods approach was adopted to come up with a precise result. The research then found out that traditional children’s games are no longer as popular as they used to be. In other words, they are the least studied. In fact, it is possible that they are facing extinction. Given this position, the study analysed tshifasi to establish its inherent philosophies and structural patterns. The study used a combination of qualitative and African musicology approaches to gather information from prospective participants and to analyze data. Face-to-face interviews and focus group discussions were conducted with key informants in order to gather the information that enabled the study to decode tshifasi. The knowledge from the study of games and the songs of tshifasi will benefit communities. In this way, tshifasi game would be seen as an inherent part of Vhavenda cultural expressions.