Exploring and preserving the indigenous knowledge of the fishing community of Poovar, Thiruvananthapuram

This paper documents an ethnographic study on the fisherfolk of the village of Poovar, in the district of Thiruvananthapuram, in the Indian state of Kerala. Our special focus was to document the Indigenous Knowledge (IK) that this community has built up over generations. We employed phenomenological and ethnographic methods to interact with various groups in this community. This effort revealed that the fisherfolk of this village possess a body of indigenous orally-transmitted knowledge, encompassing (1) technical information crucial to their livelihood, such as fishing methods, navigation techniques, ocean & weather pattern prediction, coral reef positions, and (2) cultural dimensions of their life as a fisherfolk community, such as a local language/dialect, fishing songs, fishing rituals, a local dance-form, and a distinct calendar. Our study also revealed that this IK is being eroded by lifestyle changes caused by the forces of globalisation and modernisation. This study also involved soliciting the opinion of the fisherfolk on the archival methods they would be willing to use to preserve a record of their IK. This work hopes to initiate a body of academic work on similar fisherfolk communities, with the aim of aiding in ventures to enhance ecological sustainability and community resilience.