ICTs for Indigenous Knowledge Management (IKM) have been designed using the conventional approach of creating and manipulating databases and treated in the same way as knowledge management in organisations. Taking such an organisational view relies mainly on the availability and need for explicit knowledge and poses numerous challenges and limitations with regards to IKM. Such concerns include issues of indigenous knowledge governance, de-contextualisation of knowledge, and data manipulation beyond context. We argue that ICT’s developed for a specific local context need to be framed within an appropriate Indigenous Knowledge governance framework.

We have developed eToro, a collaborative project of the Institute of Social Informatics and Technological Innovations (ISITI-CRI), UNIMAS, and the local community of Long Lamai, Sarawak. The project goal is to develop an ICT-based platform for indigenous knowledge management based on mutual learning between researchers and community members. With a participatory action approach and guided by the participants from the local community, we developed the indigenous knowledge governance framework. 

Approach

Indigenous knowledge encompass generations of experimentation and innovation which has been carried over orally through the years and now serves communities as a rich source of tacit and implicit knowledge. This knowledge, which is deeply rooted in the social and cultural context of indigenous communities, can potentially be the key and inspiration to resolve many emerging complex problems. Indigenous knowledge is thus a time-tested hidden treasure of intellectual property, covering all aspects of our life and a basis for context-specific, task centric knowledge management. For eToro project,  we followed a community-based co-design approach, built on principles of participatory action research aimed at mutual learning. Ideally the tools become part of the existing knowledge system of the community thereby ensuring a continuous knowledge collection and local curation process. This is important since we acknowledge that IKMS are dynamic and holistic by nature and can hardly be captured and represented by limited outsider visits.

Research Outcomes

• Zaman, T., Kulathuramaiyer, N., Yeo, A.W. & Falak, H. (2015). Modelling Indigenous Knowledge Creation as a Living System. International Journal of Knowledge Management Studies (IJKMS), 6(2), 136-150 (Indexed in SCOPUS)
• Zaman, T., Yeo, A. W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2015). Indigenous Knowledge Governance Framework: Scaffolding Joint ICT Developments in Long Lamai, Malaysia. In N. J. Bidwell & H. Winschiers-Theophilus (Eds.), At the Intersection of Indigenous and Traditional Knowledge and Technology Design (pp. 171-185). Informing Science Press, California
• Zaman, T., Yeo, A. W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2015). Harnessing Mobile Technology for Penans Indigenous Botanical Knowledge Management. In D. L. E., M. Hendriks & S. Grant (Eds.), Indigenous Lives in the Mobile Age: University of Technology, Sydney (accepted)
• Zaman, T., Kulathuramaiyer, N., & Yeo, A.W.  (2014). Knowledge Management in Nonprofit Settings: A case study of indigenous knowledge management. International Journal of Public Administration in the Digital Age (IJPADA),1(4), 44-52
• Zaman, T., Yeo, A. W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2014). From Knowledge Management to Knowledge Governance: A system-centred methodology for designing indigenous knowledge management system. Human Factors in Software Development and Design (pp. 237-248). Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global), USA
• Zaman, T., & Yeo, A. W. (2014). Ensuring Participatory Design Through Free, Prior and Informed Consent: A Tale of Indigenous Knowledge Management System. User-Centric Technology Design for Nonprofit and Civic Engagements (pp. 41-54 ). Springer International Publishing, Switzerland
• Yeo, A. W., Zaman, T., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2013). Indigenous Knowledge Management in the Kelabit community in Eastern Malaysia: insights and reflections for contemporary KM design. International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IJSKD), 5(1), 23-36. doi: 10.4018/jskd.2013010103
• Zaman, T., Yeo, A. W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2013). Augmenting Indigenous Knowledge Management with Information and Communication Technology. International Journal of Services Technology and Management, 19(1/2/3), 12
• Siew, S.-T., Yeo, A. W., & Zaman, T. (2013). Participatory Action Research in Software Development: Indigenous Knowledge Management Systems Case Study, Human-Computer Interaction. Human-Centred Design Approaches, Methods, Tools, and Environments. Berlin Heidelberg: Springer

• Zaman, T., Yeo, A.W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N., (2013). Introducing Indigenous Knowledge Governance into ICT-based Indigenous Knowledge Management System. IPID 8th International Annual Symposium, 7-10 December, Cape Town (Best paper presentation award)

• Winschier-Theophilus, H., Zaman, T., Rodil, K., Jensen, K., Yeo, A.W. (2013). Mobile Technologies for Preservation of Indigenous Knowledge in Rural Communities. Paper presented at Proceedings of the Conference on IT in Asia (CITA’13), 1-4 July 2013, Kuching (Indexed in IEEExplore)

• Zaman, T., Yeo, A.W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N., (2012). Tools and Strategies for managing Penans’ Indigenous Botanical Knowledge. Paper presented at Proceedings of the Borneo Research Council Conference 2012: Identities, Cultures and Environments 25-27 June 2012, Universiti Brunei Darussalam, Brunei

• Zaman, T., Yeo, A.W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N., (2011). Indigenous Knowledge Governance Framework (IKGF): A holistic model for indigenous knowledge management. Paper presented at Proceedings of the Second International Conference on User Science and Engineering (i-USEr 2011) Doctoral Consortium. Universiti Teknologi MARA, Malaysia and IEEE Computer Society (Malaysia Section), Page 10-13

• Zaman, T., Yeo, A. W., & Kulathuramaiyer, N. (2011). Tacit-Implicit and Explicit Model of Knowledge Creation. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the Indigenous Knowledge Technology Conference 2011 (IKTC2011): Embracing Indigenous Knowledge Systems in a New Technology Design Paradigm, Windhoek, Namibia

• Zaman, T., Narayanan, K., & Yeo, A. W. (2010). Formulating Strategic Directions for Indigenous Knowledge Management System. Paper presented at the Proceedings of the 2nd Semantic Technology and Knowledge Engineering Conference (STAKE 2010). Kuching: MIMOS BERHAD and University Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS)

Recognition

Awards

• Silver Medal in Malaysia International Technology Expo 2014, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Silver Medal Persidangan dan Eskpo Ciptaan Institusi Pengajian Tinggi Antarabangsa (PECIPTA) 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Bronze Medal iENA Nuremberg 2013 - International Trade Fair Ideas-Inventions-New Products,  Nuremberg, Germany
• Nomination for presentation under the category “eInclusion, eCommunity” APICTA awards competition (International) 2013, Hong Kong
• MERIT Award APICTA (National) 2013, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
• Winner Award  Information Society Innovation Fund (ISIF) Asia Award 2013  under the category "Innovation on access provision", Bali, Indonesia
• Global Community Choice’s Award 2013, Granada, Spain
• Best Telecentre Innovation Award 2013, Granada, Spain
• Gold Medal in UNIMAS R&D Expo 2013, Kuching, Malaysia

Featured by

• eToro: Tools and Strategies for Managing Penans’ Indigenous Botanical Knowledge. Outreach: UNIMAS research bulletin, 8 (1) pp. 22
• Charting Indigenous Knowledge in Malaysia, Asia Research News 2013, pp. 38