Abstract Smong, a tsunami narrative from Simeulue Island in Aceh, Indonesia, has long served as a cultural early warning system, enabling communities to survive the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami with remarkably few casualties. This article examines how Smong operates not only as local knowledge for disaster risk reduction but also as a resource for community development. Drawing on a critical desk-based review of thirty-seven academic publications and policy texts, complemented by three semi-structured interviews with researchers involved in drafting Aceh’s disaster education Qanun (regional regulation), this study analyses the ways in which Smong has been reproduced, institutionalized, and translated into formal education and policy. It shows how academic engagement with Smong has helped to sustain collective memory, strengthen intergenerational transmission of knowledge in schools and Islamic boarding schools, and support collaborative governance between local communities, universities, and government agencies. A comparative discussion with Central Sulawesi, where local oral traditions related to tsunamis and liquefaction have not been similarly institutionalized, highlights the risks that arise when such knowledge remains fragmented and unsupported. The article argues that recognizing and co-producing local knowledge, such as Smong, within community development processes can enhance disaster preparedness, promote socially embedded early warning systems, and contribute to more equitable and resilient coastal development.
Fakhriati et al. (Wed,) studied this question.