Harmonized Perspectives - CDKN Global

y persons that intimately experience and cope with volcaniceruptions.The indigenous knowledge savedlives during the tsunami in the SolomonIslands in 2007Western Province, Solomon Islands 189 .Of the 52 people who died during the earthquake and tsunamiin the Solomon Islands, 31 (59.6%) were gilberts immigrantsfrom Titiana, Nusa Mbaruku and New Manra that not reactedproperly, because they had no cultural memory of such anevent. Kiribati is a nation of coral atolls, located far from anyregular earthquake source. Because there have been no majorearthquakes or tsunamis in the 50 years since his emigration,they simply lacked the indigenous knowledge of their adoptiveenvironment that could have helped save their lives. GilbertensChildren are especially vulnerable because they were not onlytoo weak to swim against the tsunami, but lacked theindigenous skills that have kept from exploring the emptylagoons. The natives of the Solomon Islands, on the contrary, inlarge part, responded in a way that reduced their mortality.Indigenous knowledge of the Solomon Islands, where volcanoesand earthquakes are common, managed to mitigate the effectsof the tsunami. In the most affected indigenous peoples, in GizoIsland, the tsunami effects were mitigated by the combinationof 1) a healthy coral reef with a steep barrier in front of ashallow lagoon that attenuated the energy of the tsunami, 2)accessible and effective evacuation pathways and uplandsprovided by the existing topography, and 3) indigenousknowledge on how to react during an earthquake followed bythe emptying of the lagoon. Immigrants from gilbertens villagesthat were affected by the tsunami of the same intensity, lackedindigenous knowledge and led them to suffer morecasualties. Many people died in the Indian village of Tapurai dueto their morphology, lack of an effective barrier against thecoral reefs that did develop in Simbo Island. Indigenous189 Indigenous Knowledge Saved Lives during 2007 Solomon Islands Tsunami, Brian G. McAdoo, Jennifer Baumwoll and Andrew Moore. In: Op. Cit. Pag. 64 – 67.56