Cultural Burning

2023 Webinar #5

Original Air Date:
Thursday, March 2, 2023

Presenters

Joe Gilchrist, Interior Salish Fire Keepers Society

For thousands of years fire has been integral to the health of mother earth. It was natural to the ecosystems and with knowledge of the land, the seasons, the environment, and the weather, indigenous people of the land set fires. The land was a mosaic of burns. The intention was to support healthier and more abundant medicinal plants, berries, tubers, grasslands, and various wildlife ecosystems. Fire was used by indigenous people over thousands of years; but, over the last approximately 100 years, Settlers and Colonial practices made it illegal to burn. During this 100 years, plant encroachment, bugs, disease, and now climate change have resulted in a forest that is ripe for catastrophic wildfire. Laws need to change, public education and views on indigenous cultural burning need acceptance. The stories of the indigenous elders, matriarchs, hunters, knowledge keepers, and traditional land users need to be captured so that Cultural Burning practices can be revived in a good way. Bringing back Cultural Burning is a way of avoiding future catastrophic wildfires and having summers once again safe and clear of smoke from mega wildfires.