Good Fire

We’re Back! Good Fire Season 3 is officially coming your way! This is a short teaser episode to let you all now we have finally finished recording.Charity Battise is a young Indigenous Fire Steward learning their craft. Amy and Charity met at the Indigenous Peoples Burning Network Event and they talked about Charity’s work with her Nation. Charity is a part of the Alabama Coushatta Tribe of Texas and part of the Nature Conservancies Indigenous Peoples Burning Network.

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural empowerment and environmental integrityThe Abundance Will Be Forever with Victor Steffensen and Ado WebsterEpisode highlightIn this podcast, Victor Steffensen and Ado Webster reflect on their experiences as Indigenous fire-keepers.ResourcesFire Country: How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia by Victor SteffensenVictor and Ado’s BiosLooking After Country with Fire: Aboriginal Burning Knowledge With Uncle KuuGreat Land by MulongSponsorsThe Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire ScienceSupport from:●       California Indian Water Commission●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationQuotes10.52 - 10.56: “We’re not governed by anyone but ourselves and by our culture and by our country.” TakeawaysRediscovering culture, discovering oneself (3.55)Ado has recently begun working with Firesticks in the capacity of an employee, and loves working in an Aboriginal cultural environment where “the knowledge is safe, the sharing is safe and people are safe”. For the landscape and the people (9.00)Ado thrives on the cultural exchange that takes place between Nations as part of his work now, something colonization deprived his community of. He is passionate about helping children access culture freely. Work that heals (14.40)Victor notes that working with the country helps liberate Aboriginal peoples from stereotypes that they are not hardworking. Work that heals the land for the future inspires youth to do the right thing to enhance their connection with the land. “Climate change is mother nature telling us to change” (19.17)Victor laments that the negative messaging in the media makes us feel helpless against climate change. He brings attention to the disasters humans have lived through, and that this can also be salvaged by “doing the good work”. When you care for the country, it cares back (28.23)Ado reassures that cultural burning is safe, which is why many go barefoot for a cultural burn. He feels a sense of oneness with all inhabitants of the land, and disagrees with preferential protective equipment for humans but not for the other animals. Fire, language and country (33.11)Ado narrates how Victor demonstrated to Ado’s Nation, his knowledge of the land that applies across different territories. Victor adds that landscapes have many similarities in values, and bringing the country back is the missing piece in reviving cultural knowledge.  Let us do it our way (38.48)Ado speaks about the National Indigenous Fire Workshop they conducted for nations across Australia, where they did a cultural burn which lasted 13 days. Not having burned due to colonization has changed the landscape, and is causing sickness in the forests.  The whole world gets affected (47.33)Ado says that knowledge opens up minds with the truth but it makes it more difficult to tolerate the wrong things being done. Everyone was impacted by the large bushfires in Australia, and he feels strongly about people experiencing the benefits of cultural burning. Send in your comments and feedback to the hosts of this podcast: amy.christianson@pc.gc.ca and yourforestpodcast@gmail.com.

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural and social empowerment, and environmental integrityGood Fire In Guyana with Kayla de Freitas and Nicholas CyrilEpisode highlightIn this episode, Kayla and Nicholas talk about the cultural burning practices in Guyana.ResourcesSRDCKayla De-FreitasSponsorsThe Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire ScienceSupport from:●       California Indian Water Commission●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationQuotes41.54 - 42.04: “So much of that knowledge about fire and fire use and farming, hunting, is learned by doing and by living there and living that life.”TakeawaysFire since time immemorial (04.02)Nicholas has worked for 10 years at SRDC as a part-time researcher. He explains that fire in his territory has always been used and continues to be used for various reasons. The changing face of fire (10.55)Kayla’s research focus is the changing practices of Indigenous fire management and local fire governance.Timeless wisdom, current realities (13.17)Kayla describes who was interviewed for her research study and the regional fire management plan. Indigenous land rights (17.17)Nicholas notes that Indigenous peoples are allowed to burn in the villages. Kayla adds that Indigenous communities can make their own rules concerning resource governance. Towards the creation of a fire policy (19.35)The Indigenous communities in South Rupununi are working to create a local fire policy appropriate to their landscape. Burning season (23.46)Kayla highlights the seasonal fire calendar that the district council uses and a collection of interview responses on putting fire on the landscape. Beyond fire (25.53)Kayla shares how enriching it has been to work with Indigenous communities alongside Nicholas, learning about the landscape, experiencing hospitality and developing connections. Bringing fire back (33.46)Nicholas mentions how management of fire is changing in the communities to a direct style where the council makes decisions for the community. Valuing Indigenous knowledge (35.52)Nicholas speaks about how people are moving away from the traditional way of life. Kayla comments on how Indigenous knowledge was erased by settlers, but is being reclaimed. Following in the ancestor’s footsteps (41.40)Nicholas delineates the process of a burn, when traditional knowledge is relied upon. Kayla laments that the government only pays lip service to Indigenous knowledge and practices.  The sum of the parts (49.44)Kayla narrates how fire management plans are being updated in consultation with Indigenous groups, and how opt-in arrangements work for their lands. Looking ahead (54.25)Nicholas says the Indigenous communities are mindful of burning in the right seasons and work with nature’s cycles. He describes how burning assists animals in breeding. Preventing brain drain (1.04.57)Kayla mentions that the SRDC is creating opportunities for trained Guyanese people to stay in the country and serve the community. Nicholas’ work with SRDC is inspired by the desire to keep Indigenous knowledge alive and affirm Indigenous land rights.

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural empowerment and environmental integrityUpdate: Cultural Fire in California with Don HankinsEpisode highlightIn this podcast, Don Hankins talks about new developments around cultural burning in California and his hopes for the future. ResourcesCalifornia’s Strategic Plan for Expanding the Use of Beneficial FireSponsorsThe Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire ScienceSupport from:●       California Indian Water Commission●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationQuotes24.52 - 24.53: “We definitely have to connect culture to fire.”TakeawaysCultural torch bearers (01.52)Don is Plains Miwok from the central valley of California’s Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. He believes that due to the wildfires in California, initiatives are taking place that recognize the place of Indigenous fire. Revitalizing cultural fire (4.37)Various policy barriers - access to land and funding and permission to burn using traditional laws - are being addressed through the creation of a tribally chartered non-profit organization to support learning, advance policy efforts and act as a refunding and redistribution entity. Building and empowering the youth (07.16)Don looks to the youth to carry Indigenous knowledge of fire into the future and seeks young people from his Nation to mentor. Knowledge holders training the youth to understand the cultural reasons for burning, read the landscape and maintain culture will enable the youth to step into decision-making roles and policy arenas. Enabling cultural burning (11.49)Don speaks about California Bill SB 332 which allows certified burn bosses and cultural burners to burn, and that if they meet certain conditions, they shall not be liable for any fire suppression or other costs otherwise recoverable for a burn. Spreading like good fire (16.05)Don also speaks about California Bill AB 642 which primarily codifies the definitions of cultural fire and incentivizes agencies to work with cultural burners to implement plans and enable Indigenous stewardship. Cultural fire progress (20.21)Don lists some challenges to advancing cultural fire - the criteria for declaring someone trained and the sensitivities around tribal sovereignty for that declaration. If someone is not exposed to cultural fire training, errors in the process could occur. Learning from fire (23.42)Don shares that if you are gentle with fire and approach it in a good way, you can learn from it, or you can learn the lessons the hard way. Thinking about the reasons for burning helps look for learning opportunities in burning. Don’s approach to burning changes according to the requirement, but praying and acknowledging the land is always a part of it. Send in your comments and feedback to the hosts of this podcast via email: amy.christianson@pc.gc.ca and yourforestpodcast@gmail.com. If you liked this podcast, please check out YourForest podcast too, rate and review it on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook and tag a friend, and send your feedback and comments to yourforestpodcast@gmail.com.

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural empowerment and environmental integrityCultural Safety with Joe Gilchrist and Natasha CaverleyEpisode highlightIn this podcast, Joe Gilchrist and Natasha Caverley talk about how Indigenous and Western ways of knowing can come together to bring cultural burning back on the land a study exploring cultural safety of Indigenous wildland firefighters in Canada. ResourcesJoe Gilchrist describes how fire has changed the landscapeNatasha Caverley of Turtle Island ConsultingGiving Voice to Cultural Safety of Indigenous Wildland Firefighters in CanadaRevitalizing Cultural BurningSponsorsThe Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire ScienceSupport from:●       California Indian Water Commission●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationTakeawaysSparking passion (04.16)Joe began firefighting at age 15 and became a squad boss in 1991 in Merritt. He narrates the travels and training they did, and how his experience firefighting and cultural burning for plant health helped him. Glowing embers (11.55)Natasha is the President of Turtle Island Consulting and was part of a specialized team funded by the BC Ministry of Forests to work with First Nations that were dealing with the mountain pine beetle infestation. Two-eyed seeing approach (18.28)Joe outlines the wages and structure of the crews involved in firefighting, as well as the demanding schedules of firefighters. Natasha’s work has been to formally capture such anecdotes from a national perspective. Cultural safety (31.37)Joe wants to share his experience and lessons learned as a firefighter but has always been a doer more than a talker. Natasha realized that Indigenous peoples do not feel safe accessing quality services in wildland firefighting as well. Systemic racism (41.06)Joe looks back at the systemic racism he faced as a firefighter and recounts instances when the Indigenous firefighters were tested through difficult tasks and their firefighting style was mocked. The best way to work is to have fun (50.20)Joe was diagnosed with PTSD in 1994 from the exhaustion of always having to be available or on standby as a firefighter. He informs that PTSD can affect anyone, can be hard to fight on one’s own, and warrants professional help, as difficult as it is to ask for. Wildland firefighting as a career choice (01.05.05)Joe believes knowledge of the land, its inhabitants, the wind patterns on the land, and the way fire burns through it are important requirements to be a firefighter. He is working with some universities to add an Indigenous perspective to the learning. Cultural burning needs to come back (1.14.30)Natasha is working with Amy in Saskatchewan to curate promising practices to bring fire back on the land by interviewing Elders and fire-keepers. Joe is inspired to continue making connections with knowledge keepers and Elders and share his knowledge in firefighting with others. Send in your comments and feedback to the hosts of this podcast via email: amy.christianson@pc.gc.ca and yourforestpodcast@gmail.com.

Good Fire Podcast by Amy Cardinal Christianson and Matthew KristoffStories of Indigenous fire stewardship, cultural empowerment and environmental integrityEpisode highlightIn this episode, Ron W. Goode talks about his journey stewarding the land using fire and the importance of ceremony.  ResourcesRon Goode’s ProfileTribal-Traditional Ecological Knowledge SponsorsThe Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire ScienceSupport from:●       California Indian Water Commission●       Firesticks Alliance Indigenous CorporationQuotes46.26 - 46.29: “Your voice is not carrying but you keep singing”. TakeawaysLiving on the land (4.37)Ron is the Tribal Chairman of the North Fork Mono Tribe. He describes how his grandparents were born before the land was colonized, and his grandmother lived just off the land beyond the age of 100. 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. 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.  The right way to do a cultural burn (23.34)Ron 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. 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.  “We don’t do anything that is not spiritual first” (40.23)Working on the landscape means making an offering to Mother Earth and all its inhabitants. Ron 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. They have been successfully burning on the land with no real accidents.Consultation is the way forward (56.21)The California 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. “I’m burning for the sustainability of our culture” (1.00.39)Ron burns with the intention to sustain his culture first and then to contain wildfires and improve biodiversity. Take care of your backyard (1.10.20)Ron shares his experiences with Aboriginal leaders in Australia, exchanging knowledge and cultural guidance. Send in your comments and feedback to the hosts of this podcast via email: amy.christianson@pc.gc.ca and yourforestpodcast@gmail.com.

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. Episode highlight In this podcast, Jay Mistry talks about cultural fire in Brazil and Venezuela, Indigenous-led fire programs, and challenges with colonial governments. Resources Jay Mistry: https://pure.royalholloway.ac.uk/portal/en/persons/jay-mistry(21cb3408-1419-4ec2-9b70-bcf46c0bfac4).html Sponsors The Canadian Partnership for Wildland Fire Science Support from: ● California Indian Water Commission ● Firesticks Alliance Indigenous Corporation Quotes 30.58 - 31.07: “Fire is not just a tool but it’s actually part of people’s culture as well and it’s actually quite linked into every… bit of their culture.” Takeaways Fire used differently in different ecosystems (01.27) Though Jay had set out to study the effects of fire on vegetation, her research led her to the Indigenous peoples who conducted cultural burning, and their practices in the savannas. Changing the fire paradigm (8.48) Jay recalls that due to the strong focus on firefighting and fire prevention, Indigenous burning in Brazil was not well-received in the 90s, and in some cases, it still isn’t. Making the case for Indigenous fire management (14.10) Jay and Bibiana Bilbao of Simón Bolívar University in Venezuela have organized discussion groups and trust workshops for Indigenous peoples, government and academics. Creating a safe space (20.33) Jay highlights that the key to success in their workshops was that the Indigenous peoples trust them due to their long-term relationship. The importance of Indigenous fire management in preventing climate change (26.23) Jay speaks about a workshop held in Venezuela which brought Indigenous leaders to look at how Indigenous fire management could inform climate change mitigation policies. Learning from Indigenous knowledge (35.07) Jay cites a UN report that states that we must learn from Indigenous peoples’ sustainable practices, which can prevent the mass extinction of biodiversity. Community and solutions (40.24) Jay suggests adopting a positive and inquisitive approach in learning from local people how they practice conservation and natural resource management. Paving the way forward with reconciliation (45.25) Jay and her colleagues have received a grant to create an international Centre for Wildfires, Environment and Society to research global wildfires. Our land, our rights (49.48) Jay notes that since Indigenous knowledge is tied to the land, land tenure and land rights become important considerations to maintain biodiversity and reduce greenhouse gases. Collective connectedness (54.46) Jay has observed that Indigenous peoples “see themselves completely connected” as a collective, with the physical and spiritual ecosystems within nature. You can get in touch with the hosts of this podcast via email: amy.christianson@canada.ca and yourforestpodcast@gmail.com. If you liked this podcast, please check out YourForest podcast too, rate and review it on Instagram and Facebook and tag a friend, and send your feedback and comments to yourforestpodcast@gmail.com.