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Traditional warning signs of cyclones on remote islands in Fiji and Tonga

journal contribution
posted on 2023-05-18, 15:25 authored by Johnston, I
Traditional knowledge of disasters has been found to save lives. On remote islands where telecommunications to the mainland are unreliable, unless there are always working batteries in the radio, signs from the environment may be the only warning of an oncoming cyclone. But this knowledge is in danger of being lost, as it is an oral history not well documented, and younger people increasingly rely on technology. This article presents the results of fieldwork on remote islands in Fiji and Tonga in the South Pacific, documenting natural warning signs on islands in two different countries. The results show that there are numerous known signs, with remarkable similarities and consistencies between the two islands. This provides evidence that not only is traditional knowledge of warning signs for cyclones alive and well, the consistency in the signs suggests support for this knowledge as being just as important as western scientific knowledge. The integration of traditional knowledge and western scientific knowledge into a comprehensive warning system may help to overcome some of the limitations of the existing system and the reasons why warnings are sometimes ignored.

History

Publication title

Environmental Hazards

Volume

14

Pagination

210-223

ISSN

1747-7891

Department/School

School of Social Sciences

Publisher

Taylor and Francis

Place of publication

United Kingdom

Rights statement

© 2015 Taylor & Francis

Repository Status

  • Restricted

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in human society

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