Join Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff as they give a sneak peek at what to expect in Good Fire’s third season. Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment and environmental integrity

In this podcast, Victor Steffenson and Ado Webster reflect on their experiences as Indigenous fire-keepers and the future of Indigenous fire management.

In this podcast, Victor Steffenson and Ado Webster talk about cultural burning in Australia and the work Firesticks is doing to promote it.

In this episode, Kayla de Freitas and Nicholas Cyril talk about the cultural burning practices in Guyana.

This episode is a recording of a session at the IAWF Fire & Climate conference in Pasadena CA, featuring early career researchers who are re-kindling cultural burning.

In this podcast, Don Hankins talks about new developments around cultural burning in California and his hopes for the future.

In this episode, Ntando Nondo talks about Indigenous land stewardship and fire management practices in Zimbabwe.

In this podcast, Joe Gilchrist and Natasha Caverley talk about a study exploring cultural safety of Indigenous wildland firefighters in Canada.

In this episode, Russell Myers Ross and William Nikolakis speak about the work of the Gathering Voices Society on revitalizing traditional fire management in Tsilhqot’in Territory and the potential around carbon offsets adapting Australia’s Indigenous land and fire management practices to the Canadian landscape.

In this episode, Ron W. Goode talks about his journey as a Tribal Chairman of stewarding the land through using fire management and the importance of ceremony.

In this podcast, Bhiamie Williamson discusses the connection of Indigenous peoples to the land, and how cultural burning is a way to preserve both the environment and cultural heritage.

Another teaser, and some advice from Amy for those that want to get involved!

Resources

Canada Wildfire: https://www.canadawildfire.org/

Firesticks Alliance Australia: https://www.firesticks.org.au/

Coalition of Prescribed Fire Councils: http://www.prescribedfire.net/

Prescribed Fire Training Exchanges: https://www.conservationgateway.org/ConservationPractices/FireLandscapes/HabitatProtectionandRestoration/Training/TrainingExchanges/Pages/Upcoming-Training-Exchanges.aspx

TREX Prescribed Fire Training Exchange Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/TREXprescribedfiretrainingexchange/

The right to burn: barriers and opportunities for Indigenous-led fire stewardship in Canada: https://www.facetsjournal.com/doi/10.1139/facets-2021-0062

Current Barriers to the Expansion of Cultural Burning and Prescribed Fire in California and Recommended Solutions: https://karuktribeclimatechangeprojects.com/good-fire/

The final episode of the Good Fire Podcast is an incredible conversation that helps to try and summarize some of the ideas we have discussed over the last 10 episodes. Jay Mistry has been working with and doing research in South America with Indigenous peoples for years, and she has a great perspective on many of the issues we have discussed. We talked about the role of cultural fire in Brazil and Venezuela, indigenous lead fire programs, and the challenges with colonial governments and how we can start to shift the conversation. Thank you for listening, we hope to bring you more episodes in the future.

I think when most people imagine a firefighter they picture a man. Women, it would seem, are still trying to shake the stigma of historical gender roles. Across the colonized world these gender roles have created a mold through which we all perceive and think about our world. Vanessa is trying to break that mold. Through her own life experiences climbing the ladder of the western fire model, as well as through her research, Vanessa has great perspective and insight into the importance of women in cultural fire.

Wildfire management has long been the domain of colonial governments. Despite a rich history of living with, managing, and using fire as a tool since time immemorial, Indigenous people were not permitted to practice cultural fire and their knowledge was largely ignored. As a result, total fire suppression became the prominent policy. With the most active force of natural succession abruptly halted, Indigenous communities suffered as the land changed. Today, western society has recognized the ecological problem a lack of fire has created, however, the cultural impact has been largely ignored. Frank Lake has spent a great deal of time contemplating the role of Indigenous people in fire management, and he has some great insight into how we can begin to change fire management for the benefit of all people.

More Fire Stories from Fire Keeper Pierre Kruger. These live recordings are a great way to try and understand some indigenous perspectives when it comes to the role of fire in our natural world.

Cultural burning is important for many reasons, from berry production to habitat creation it promotes sustainable ecosystems and communities. Water is one giant part of that equation. What is the connection between fire and water? How can burning more or less often, higher or lower intensities, affect water quality and fish habitat? Don Hankins has studied these questions and has answers for us.

This episode features stories from Fire Keeper Nklawa. He provides insight helping people to better understand burning and it’s importance from a cultural perspective.

For generations, since colonization, authority over the land and how to manage it has been held firmly by colonial governments, despite that land being sustainably managed for thousands of years prior to European contact by Indigenous peoples. Firesticks is an organization that aims to change the system and create more opportunities for Indigenous lead fire management. A more inclusive management system serves multiple purposes, benefiting all walks of life from indigenous to non-Indigenous peoples, as well as a more sustainable landscape.