Subawe, traditional knowledge, and faith-based organisations promoting social capital and disaster preparedness: A Lombok, Indonesia case study

This article explores the relationship between a system of traditional and indigenous knowledge called subawe, social capital, and disaster risk reduction. The Sasak tribe in Lombok has an intricate ontological system of jinn, spirits, and deities that are part of their social capital and network. Through different channels some of the Sasak feel, dream, and experience spiritual nodes of energy, this sensation is called subawe. They receive these through dreams, songs, verses, possessions, and sensory experiences. Furthermore, during and after the earthquakes members of society received messages that Dewi Anjani, the spirit queen of Lombok created the earthquakes as punishment for desecrating her home, Mt. Rinjani. The largest faith-based organisation in Lombok, Nahdlatul Wathan embraces localised forms of Islam and types of traditional knowledge and stories. Through their widespread network on the island, they conveyed the stories and verses of old about subawe, previous disasters, and the messages brought through a belief system based on other dimensional planes (alam ghaib). As a result, heightened social capital was observed throughout the island in terms of aid, relief, and trauma healing. Data is gathered through interviews, participant observation, group sessions, document analysis, and oral histories. I argue that incorporating traditional knowledge in localised forms of disaster risk reduction will improve social capital and lessen the traumatic experiences of the victims. This article is written based on ethnographic and anthropological research in Lombok Indonesia during and after the August 2018 earthquakes and a second and third entry in 2019 and 2022.

Automated summary

This article explores the relationship between traditional and indigenous knowledge system called subawe, social capital, and disaster risk reduction. The Sasak tribe in Lombok has an ontological system involving jinn, spirits, and deities, which are considered part of their social capital and network. Through various channels, some Sasak individuals experience spiritual sensations known as subawe. They believe that the earthquakes were caused by Dewi Anjani, the spirit queen of Lombok, in response to desecration of her home, Mt. Rinjani. The article argues that incorporating traditional knowledge in disaster risk reduction can improve social capital and reduce traumatic experiences. The research is based on ethnographic and anthropological studies conducted in Lombok, Indonesia during and after the 2018 earthquakes, as well as subsequent visits in 2019 and 2022.