Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew Kristoff
Stories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment , and environmental integrity
Episode highlight
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.
Resources
Tribal-Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Sponsors
The Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science
Support from:
● California Indian Water Commission
● Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation
Quotes
13.07 - 13.13: “In our tribe, we have 200 different cultural resources and 95 foods.”
46.26 - 46.29: “Your voice is not carrying but you keep singing”.
49.58 - 50.09: “All that matters is that I am talking to the spirits of the land. They need to listen, they need to hear, they need to experience it.”
Takeaways
Living on the land (4.37)
Ron is the Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe. He narrates how his grandparents were born before the land was colonized, and his grandmother lived just off the land beyond the age of 100. He defines living on the land as relying solely on the land for food, livelihood, sustenance and sustainability. His tribe has been in California for 15,000 years and claims that this long history of survival was supported by expert skills in living off the land.
Understanding nature (7.24)
Ron points out that there are 10,000 meadows in the Sierra Nevada mountain ranges in California, where wild animals and humans coexist. They also have natural medicines they prepare and trade. He speaks about developing a 100-year vision and using wood appropriately as important skills for nature-based living.
Tending the garden (16.12)
Ron laments that mega-fires have increased the canopy of the forest so much that rain does not reach the roots of trees, and what does hit the floor, runs off. Thinning the forest thus plays an important part in keeping the forest healthy. He was only 8 when he learnt about cultural burning. His father was a hunter and both his parents were basket makers. They taught him how to identify what needs to be burned, but they weren’t allowed to do so starting in the 1950s.
The right way to do a cultural burn (23.34)
Ron narrates how his mother guided him to start a cultural burn. When he now burns, he is accompanied by 2-3 families or tribes in the spring and together they burn 30-40 yard-sized areas. He is mindful to burn using the right techniques, in the right area and during the right season. A cultural burn will not burn the root system, but a wildfire does. After a fire, he suggests clearing the ash and poking holes in the soil to aerate it and let shoots come up.
Cultural resources are the brush (31.37)
When Ron does a burn, he has a vision of what the landscape will look like a few years from now, and what harvest will be ready. For him, cultural burning is about the brush, not about economics. He gives examples of the scientific repercussions of not understanding the forest philosophically. He is working with a team of people from different scientific backgrounds to restore the meadows on the land.
“We don’t do anything that is not spiritual first” (40.23)
Ron notes that understanding why we are spiritual goes back to understanding where we came from - Mother Earth and Father Creator, who gave spirit to the world, including rocks and trees. When Ron goes out on the meadow, he communicates with the spirit of the land. Working on the landscape means making an offering to Mother Earth and all its inhabitants. He shares that when an offering is made from the spirit, all of nature responds well to it.
Fire is ceremonial (49.43)
Ron explains that cultural fire is called ceremonial fire because it begins with a prayer or song, with voices loud and strong. He claims that “when the women sing, it carries forever because it is mother earth who is hearing it and feeling it”. Ceremony brings every component of the land together. Because of this deep connection to the land, they have been successfully burning on the land with minimal injuries and no real accidents.
Consultation is the way forward (56.21)
Ron believes that California has a long way to go, even though they have a progressive governor. The government has been charged with creating a strategic plan for natural resources and is hiring a tribal liaison for each tribe. However, consultation becomes complicated with the hiring of non-tribal liaisons who do not have a connection to the tribe. Ron and his father have both worked to improve Indigenous consultation in land management policies.
“I’m burning for the sustainability of our culture” (1.00.39)
Ron recalls how strict his mother was in teaching cultural burning, but that is what ensured a high-quality burn. He burns with the intention to sustain his culture first and then to contain wildfires. Many species come back to the land after a burn, too, since root systems and plants become refreshed and rejuvenated, like “helping Mother Nature get on a new dress”. He feels strongly about teaching the importance and methods of cultural burning to agencies.
Take care of your backyard (1.10.20)
Ron is of the opinion that cultural burning needs to have the backing of courageous leaders who are consulting with the government and championing the cause of cultural burning. He shares his experiences with Aboriginal leaders in Australia, exchanging knowledge and cultural guidance. He reflects on the beauty of this interaction and the fulfilment in coming together with shared values towards a common goal - caring for the land.
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