Knowing Fire, Caring for Country: An Aboriginal-led Symposium
Event description
Australia is still burning
Coronavirus quickly shifted the national and global spotlight away from the devastating bushfires that ravaged much of the Australian continent - especially the east coast - earlier this year. These uncontrolled fires led to the deaths of more than 30 people and more than a billion animals. Entire animal species are now at risk of extinction, plant species have been decimated, and sacred cultural sites have been destroyed. The total area burnt is bigger than the size of England.
At the time, the world responded with kindness, compassion, and financial donations. This money has largely gone to relief efforts for people and animals. This has been important. And yet, little has been done to support the underlying structural and mindset shifts required to ensure that this type of devastation doesn’t happen again.
It is clear, therefore, that while the news media has changed its focus in the last few months, the issue of how to work with fire in Australia, however - and how to care for country more broadly - has not gone away.
Structural causes
The destructive fires show us that we urgently need to re-imagine the contemporary conventional approach to land management in Australia, including how to work with fire as a land management tool.
“Fire is sacred, country is sacred” (Oral McGuire, Ex-Career Firefighter, Regenerative Land Manager, RegenWA Steering Group, and Chair Noongar Land Enterprise, keynote speaker for this symposium).
Fire and land management
Aboriginal Australians have managed the land of the Australian continent continuously for more than 65,000 years. A big part of this land-management practice has involved the use of fire. Through a deeply spiritual and holistic connection with the land, Aboriginal Australians use fire and care for country for the benefit - rather than destruction - of land, plants, animals, human beings, and sites of cultural significance.
Today, Aboriginal wisdom is needed more than ever. With regular, cultural burnings no longer taking place across most of Australia, fuel loads (build up of flammable bush and trees) across the continent have increased. According to Aboriginal Elders, there was around 30-years of fuel load on the east coast of Australia; in the south-west of Western Australia some areas contain fuel loads of around 50-years.
The bigger picture
This symposium forms part of Danjoo Koorliny Walking Together - a large-scale, Aboriginal-led systems-change initiative to help Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal people walk together towards 2029 (200 years of colonisation in Perth) in socially healthy ways through the transformation of all areas of social life. The Aboriginal leaders of this initiative - Dr Noel Nannup OAM, Dr Richard Walley OAM, Professor Emeritus Colleen Hayward AM, and Carol Innes - have identified fire and related land-management practices as key components of this overall 10-year initiative, not only for healing land but also for healing people (including through cultural practices such as smoking ceremonies, etc.).
An invitation
The project leaders have now invited all people to walk with them towards 2029 in order to more consciously and strategically care for this land in the way that it requires - to put this place “on the right track”.
By learning from the wisdom of the oldest continuous civilisation on the planet, Western Australia has the potential to move to a fully regenerative and restorative society based on regenerative, holistic, culturally-informed land-management practices, including the use of fire. This can help inform all current and future efforts to regenerate and restore the land - and the social life - of this place (and beyond), leading us forward into a common and shared future that’s grounded in over 65,000 years of continuous wisdom.
“This is a once-in-a-lifetime shot to put this place on the right track" (Dr Noel Nannup OAM, Ex-Conservation and Land Management Ranger, Cultural Guide and Aboriginal Elder).
Symposium speakers
Keynote:
Oral McGuire
Panellists:
Dr Noel Nannup OAM
Elizabeth Hayden
Carol Innes
Heidi Mippy
Elisha Jacobs-Smith
Invited special guests:
Professor Peter Klinken AC
Add others TBC
Take part in the symposium
Come and learn - in this Aboriginal-designed and led symposium - how Aboriginal people made fire their friend, and how this wisdom can help all of us going forward.
This event is in partnership with and is supported by Commonland and Fremantle Foundation Fire Fund.