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An Autoethnography: a Research Into My Educational Journey Of AN AUTOETHNOGRAPHY: A RESEARCH INTO MY EDUCATIONAL JOURNEY OF SELF DISCOVERY AND COMING TO KNOW THROUGH THE LENS OF AFRICAN INDIGENOUS KNOWLEDGE By Osholene Oshobugie A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Art Graduate Department of Leadership, Higher, And Adult Education Ontario Institute for Studies in Education University of Toronto © Copyright by Osholene Oshobugie 2019 Master of Art 2019 Osholene Oshobugie Department of Leadership, Higher, and Adult Education University of Toronto Abstract This is an autoethnographic study that examines the personal, professional and scholarly aspects of my learning, unlearning and relearning, with the goal to find my African Indigenous cultural roots. Beginning this study as a colonized African woman, I achieved this goal by considering critically the ongoing challenges of how colonization, through western education inflicts spiritual and mental injury upon African/Black people through imposing its alien systems; while systematically endeavouring to annihilate and extinguish any traces of Indigenous education, knowledge and collective ancestral memory. Working with a theoretical framework of African Indigenous Knowledge, I articulate some of the knowledge gained from this autoethnographic research, which was by way of undergoing the most challenging process of decolonizing the self. Through the result of this process, I found my spiritual core – my centre - within my African Indigenous cultural roots, which now grounds/intertwines my personal, professional and scholarly practice, thus creating a holistic being. ii Acknowledgements I dedicate this work to our African Creator, the Divine Supreme Being who is ALL THINGS SEEN and UNSEEN. In our African classical and ancestral Kmty language, we refer to this Divine Supreme Being as NTCHR / NTCHRW; and in our specific mother tongue of the Afemai people of Etsako, we refer to this Supreme Divine Being as OSINEGBA or OGHENA. I am thankful for my realization that I am a Divine reflection of our Divine Creator; hence, inheriting this consciousness as a Co-Creator implies that I must adopt its affairs, which is MA’AT – UBUNTU. It is in the spirit of MA’AT that in honouring our African Creator, I by extension honour our African Cultures, Spirituality, Traditions, Ancestors, Elders, Mothers and Fathers, our Children here now, and all those yet unborn. Asé. I also give thanks to my Iyomah Nokhua (grandmother) Atitiegbe Otsemhobo, whose sacrifices to care for us enabled us to live with her within our Indigenous cultural context. Thus, creating for me these experiences that have given value and meaning to my life today, in honour of the memories of our African Indigenous ways. To my mother, Iyesomi Amiakhor, from whose nourishment of her womb were my bones formed and spirit housed, I give my Divine thanks. While the nature of motherhood is that of sacrifices, my mother lived beyond this nature, to give her life for her children. While single- handedly she raised six biological children along with lots of extended family members, her strength is to this day to us, incomprehensible, inconceivable; for the telling of it is like enacting various old tales of heroic bravery. She is an epitome of Divinity, and no words will do justice to tell of her gallant ways. May her righteousness yield unto her the greatest reward of motherhood, whatever that optimum reward would be. OBEKHA IYOMAH – Meaning, To Our Mother, I Give Thanks! You make good everything that you touch. iii To my siblings, you are the most significant siblings I could ever desired. With you all in my life, I wish for no other. In Ubuntu, we represent and enjoy each other through our laughter, challenges, and joys. I am nothing without you all. To my teachers and elders, from my African Indigenous communities, who are working to help our souls remember the greatness from whence we came, I thank you. Your teachings humble me. It is your work that has advanced me today. For this, I say DuA Ntchr! To my professors at OISE, Nana Dei, Nana Wane, professor Ann Lopez, professor Colleen Stewart, and professor Mary Beattie, whose teachings encourages us to go beyond the mainstream curricula; I acknowledge that this project would not have occurred without you. To Dr. Okeregbe and Dr. Usifoh, I still remember your encouragement and urge to be my best self as your student of philosophy; and for this I thank you. Your genuine positive care for my success from both of you, to this day, still impacts my experiences. I must call out a special thanks to professor Ann Lopez, who, under her supervision, I have experienced growth and enlightenment from her teachings and honesty with which she cares for all her students. She always finds the time to share and help us with directions on how to move forward to achieve our academic, scholarly, and professional goals. I am indeed honoured to have you as my supervisor, THANK YOU. I call my husband, my lottoMax and my lotto649. His support for me is enormous and tireless. His love showers me in the comfort of his strength. He has given me great African children, and while still recovering from my injuries and nursing an infant, only because of his support could I complete this project. Yet, I have no words to thank him enough for the joys that I have experienced since my meeting him. However, one thing I know I did well, and by a knowing choice, was choosing to pursue him on that gentle evening when I found him, precisely eight years ago. To my husband and my precious strong African sons, I love you all dearly, and I give thanks – OBEKHA! iv While all my thanks, I cannot exhaust, I would like to acknowledge that I have dedicated this research to our Black people of Africa and African descent. I share my thanks for the possibilities of our prosperous collective futures within our cultural and ancestral jurisdictions, using the eternal legacies that our ancestors left for us. DuA, Obekha, Eséun, Asante Sana, Meda Ase (thank you). v Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... ii Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................................... iii Prologue ...................................................................................................................................... viii THIS I CHOOSE ................................................................................................................... viii The Story of My Ancestral Name ............................................................................................ ix Chapter One: Introduction to the Project .................................................................................. 1 An Invitation to Free Our Minds, That the Centre, Again, Will Hold! .................................... 1 Background ............................................................................................................................... 3 Purpose and Focus of Study ...................................................................................................... 6 Statement of the Problem .......................................................................................................... 7 Rationale ................................................................................................................................. 14 Definitions............................................................................................................................... 15 Kmt and Kmtyw .......................................................................................................... 16 Africa/Black ................................................................................................................ 16 Finding my African Indigenous Cultural Roots.......................................................... 16 High-Culture ............................................................................................................... 17 Research Questions ................................................................................................................. 17 Theoretical Frameworks ......................................................................................................... 18 Scope and Limitations of the Study ........................................................................................ 18 Delimitations of the Study ...................................................................................................... 20 Outline of the Remainder of the Document ............................................................................ 22 Chapter Two: Review of Related Literature ............................................................................ 24 African Indigenous Knowledge Systems ................................................................................ 25 The Historicity of African Indigenous Knowledge System ........................................ 25 Mdw Ntchr: An Examination of African Indigenous Knowledge System ............................. 26 The Mdw Ntchr African Indigenous Knowledge as a Language System ................... 27 The Mdw Ntchr African Indigenous Knowledge as an Educational System ............. 31 Writing .................................................................................................................. 35 Mathematics .........................................................................................................
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