Application of Indigenous Knowledge and Survival Strategies of Kutubdia Islanders during Natural Disasters

Abstract

Historically, indigenous knowledge practice is common for the people of disaster-prone areas. In this paper, we have attempted to explore the indigenous knowledge-based strategies that are used in the management of disasters like cyclones from the micro perspective in a small island named Kutubdia, Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh based on a series of intensive fieldwork interviews. It reveals that Kutubdia islanders practice indigenous knowledge as their survival strategy at three levels of cyclone management, particularly in minimizing the potential damage of any cyclone, while technology-based information and knowledge rule the world. We use one theoretical perspective to interpret the matter, which is Appadurai’s scape theory. The specific strategies derive from indigenous knowledge, which is practiced by Kutubdia islanders associated with frequent cyclones, including disbelieving in modern meteorological information and age-old practices. However, the empirical pieces of evidence show that the effectiveness of these pre-, during and post-disaster management strategies adopted from the existing indigenous knowledge is the reason for delaying the acceptance of modern meteorological information and the existence of this traditional indigenous knowledge practice in disaster management.