Indigenous Knowledge and Disaster Resilience: The Role of Toto Tribe's Cultural Practices in India

Abstract: Indigenous knowledge systems provide vital insights into environmental adaptation and resilience, especially in disaster-prone areas. The Toto tribe of North Bengal in India explores how their traditional cultural practices contribute to disaster resilience. The Toto tribe is one of India’s most distinct and isolated indigenous communities, residing primarily in Totopara, a small village in the Alipurduar district of West Bengal, near the Indo- Bhutan border. The Totos traditionally lead a semi-nomadic lifestyle and have a robust, symbiotic relationship with their natural environment, which has shaped their unique way of life. As one of India's smallest indigenous populations, the Toto tribe has developed unique ways to deal with natural issues such as floods, landslides, and seasonal monsoon impacts, based on a thorough awareness of their local ecosystem. Different studies reveal that Toto’s indigenous practices, such as early warning signals from nature, community-centric resource management, and sustainable building techniques, assess their effectiveness in mitigating disaster risks. Their practices promote community preparedness and provide adaptable strategies that could improve broader disaster management frameworks. This study contributes to our understanding of how Indigenous knowledge can be linked with modern disaster management to build long-term resilience in vulnerable communities, and it also advocates for the preservation and incorporation of Indigenous practices in India's disaster resilience policy. Key Words: Toto tribe, Indigenous knowledge, disaster management, resilience, Resource management, environmental sustainability