Learning from the past: A study of Tshivenḓa riddles from South Africa

Abstract

This study investigates the educational and cultural value of Tshivenḓa riddles within the Vhavenḓa speech community in South Africa, using an autoethnographic qualitative design. The researchers, as both cultural insiders and language lecturers, explore how riddles function not only as entertainment but as powerful tools for transmitting indigenous knowledge, moral values, and cognitive skills. Grounded in Afrocentricity, the study centres African ways of knowing by interpreting riddles through a culturally relevant framework that respects the lived realities and philosophical traditions of the Vhavenḓa people. Sankofa theory further supports this perspective by emphasising the importance of returning to ancestral knowledge to inform present and future learning. Data were drawn from secondary sources in the form of schoolbooks, theses and articles, and five participants, revealing that riddles promote critical thinking, ethical reflection, memory development, and cultural identity. However, findings also show a decline in riddle use due to modern influences and the marginalisation of indigenous languages in formal education. The study recommends integrating riddles into language teaching and cultural curricula to preserve and revitalise indigenous knowledge systems. Ultimately, Tshivenḓa riddles emerge as living artefacts of African epistemology, offering relevant, culturally grounded strategies for decolonising education and promoting intergenerational learning in contemporary South Africa.