ABSTRACT
Indigenous maritime knowledge systems represent environmental understanding developed sophisticatedly through centuries along coasts. This study examines Koli weather prediction techniques for Mumbai's coastal areas. It traces the evolution of all these techniques directly from the colonial period (1800-present) and on through to contemporary challenges through its analyzing of historical documentaries of archival sources in addition to ethnographic literature. The research explores how Koli communities maintained complex maritime knowledge systems despite systematic marginalization under British colonial rule along with active urban development pressures. Wind patterns are analyzed, tidal cycles are integrated, and marine ecosystems are observed by Koli forecasters. These actions demonstrated such accuracy when they forecasted the monsoon patterns and the storm events. These knowledge transmission systems continue to be threatened by contemporary challenges which include urban infrastructure projects such as the Coastal Road as well as climate change. The research gives to decolonial scholarship since it places Koli maritime knowledge in the position of legitimate scientific understanding that is important to achieve sustainable coastal management, so it shows how indigenous weather prediction can offer valuable alternatives to meteorological models that are Western-centric.
