Integration of customary values and megalithic local wisdom in disaster mitigation: An ethnographic perspective from The Bada Valley

Abstract Disasters always leave a deep impression on affected communities while serving as a collective source of learning. The Bada Valley in Poso Regency, Central Sulawesi, is a disaster-prone area that has experienced floods, earthquakes, and landslides. Local communities have developed forms of mitigation based on inherited local wisdom, particularly through megalithic cultural heritage and customary practices. This study aims to describe community behavior and perceptions regarding disaster mitigation based on local culture, while reflecting the researcher’s position in ethnographic interactions with the indigenous people. A qualitative approach using ethnographic methods was employed through in-depth interviews, observations, visual documentation (including photographs of sites and rituals with consent), and comparative literature review. The findings reveal that the Bada Valley community practices mitigation through earthquake-resistant traditional houses (Tambi), pamali taboos, local cosmological knowledge, and tolak bala rituals. Megalithic sites function as educational symbols of disaster risk and as historical reminders. The involvement of customary leaders strengthens the internalization of spiritual and social values in mitigation strategies. Comparisons with the gaman concept in Japan and smong in Simeulue affirm that local wisdom can serve as an effective collective mitigation system. This study suggests that disaster management policies integrate customary leaders as facilitators of community preparedness, adapt traditional architecture for resilient housing, and utilize cultural sites as intergenerational disaster education media.