There is a debate on the integration and underdevelopment of the Indigenous Knowledge System in the South African secondary school geography education. This literature review examines how colonial legacies continue to influence epistemic hierarchies in teaching and learning, as well as the extent to which Indigenous knowledge has been incorporated into the geography curriculum since the inception of democracy. Drawing on postcolonial theory and place-based education theory, the study investigates the marginalisation of traditional, local and context-specific knowledge systems derived from the lived experiences of Indigenous people. This study examines the Geography Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) and the existing literature on the integration and implementation of the indigenous knowledge systems in teaching geography education. The study argues for a rethinking of pedagogical practices, curricular content and teacher education to meaningfully incorporate Indigenous knowledge in pedagogically sound and contextually relevant ways. This paper affirms the value of Indigenous knowledge and decolonising education to advance a critical, place-based and socially just geography education. The article aims to explore pedagogies that can be used to incorporate IKS meaningfully and the challenges experienced in decolonising the geography education curriculum.

Keywords: Decolonising pedagogies, Indigenous Knowledge, Postcolonial Theory, Place-based education, Geography education.