Citation

Bowman DMJS. Fire (Basel) 2021; 4(4): e88.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2021, MDPI: Multidisciplinary Digital Publications Institute)

DOI

10.3390/fire4040088

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Australian Aboriginal cultures are globally recognised for using patchy and low intensity fires to sustainably manage landscapes and promote biodiversity [1]. Following the disastrous 2019-2020 Australian fires, there has been increased discussion about whether such 'cultural' burning practices could have mitigated any subsequent fire disasters [2,3]. For example, an Indigenous colleague and I have advocated for the support of cultural burning programs [4]. My intention here is to draw attention to the striking similarities between an account of uncontrolled bushfire encoded in Aboriginal lore, and the bushfire 2019-20 crisis. This convergence of perspectives raises important questions, including how to appropriately combine Indigenous and scientific knowledge in the pursuit of sustainable fire management.

There are few recorded Aboriginal accounts of uncontrolled bushfires, possibly reflecting the extraordinary effectiveness of cultural burning practices in mitigating conflagrations on Aboriginal clan estates for over 50,000 years [5]. One exception is an evocative Aboriginal Dreaming narrative of a conflagration in the book Journey to Horseshoe Bend by THG Strehlow, first published in 1969 [6], recounting his boyhood experiences on the colonial frontier in 1922. Dreaming, or Dreamtime, is an English word to describe Aboriginal spiritual reality, and Dreaming narratives link the metaphysical realm to physical and social reality [7]. Strehlow grew up with the Arrernte people of central Australia in the early 20th century, and went on to become a renowned Australian anthropologist and Aboriginal linguist, with an exceptionally deep understanding of Arrernte culture.

Language: en

Keywords

central Australia; fire disaster; Indigenous ecological knowledge