My Friend, Fire: Native American Practice of Controlled Burns Suppressed
Photo Credit: Alf Manciagli/Shutterstock.com
By Renee Tian
Flickering flames, eagerly stretching their tendrils towards the sky, spewing out smoldering fumes that bring burning tears to your eyes. It crackles, knowing the destruction it harbors, and leaves a barren wasteland behind, ashes dancing in the air. Fire, one of the five key elements of life and spirit, is widely known to be the root of obliteration, wreaking havoc on communities and claiming the lives of loved ones. An average Californian would describe fire as destructive, having seen the frontlines of the chaos it brings. That’s what we have been taught, from only seeing the aggressive aspects. Yet, another side to this narrative exists. Fire is natural and healthy for the ecosystem—a source of life, even. It has existed on Earth for longer than humans have, and it is not the dangerous creature that people see it as.
For centuries, Native tribes have been utilizing this very element to foster life and create balance on our land. These flames are guardians of the land, not destroyers. According to the Cultural Fire Management Council (CFMC), traditional “cultural burns” are controlled fires annually set to “lead to a healthier ecosystem for all plants and animals, long term fire protection for residents, and provide a platform that will in turn support the traditional hunting and gathering activities of Yurok.” It burns off underbrush and encourages new plant growth, creating healthier forests and less wildfires.
Rick O’Rourke, a traditional fire practitioner describes it as “an amazing, healing, life-giving, rejeunivative tool” that helps “[make] trees more fire resilient and [into a] fire-adapted landscape.” He started practicing this method when he was 11, taught by his grandmother while spending the summers at her home. It was used for house protection from wildfires then, and has since grown into his greatest passion—one that he loves to share.
O’Rourke describes performing cultural burns as “to use [fire] and to respect it like a relative or dear trusted friend.” It is a delicate ritual that requires years of experience to become properly in tune with the fire itself. “As the Fire and Fuels Coordinator of CFMC, he travels around California educating communities about the importance of fire in their landscape, while performing cultural burns there.
In 1910, cultural burns were banned and considered arson by state and federal agencies. O’Rourke, also a Yurok tribe member, stated that his elders determined that since “there were so little [Natives] left, it was not an acceptable risk” to continue their practices. Recently, in the past decade, it has been made legal again, after scientific research proved it was environmentally beneficial, and fire departments across California have started implementing this method for fire control. It took over 100 years for the government to recognize the value of these burns, and they now use the same tactics that they banned Natives from performing. However, O’Rourke holds no grudges against his fellow firefighters.
“One of the most important parts of working with local state and federal agencies is creating a trust relationship and being at the table. If you’re not at the table, you can’t talk with them. You gotta be at the table and invite them in and share,” said O’Rourke.
He works with these fire departments on a clean slate and encourages them to implement traditional techniques into their routine. Although O’Rourke is a qualified wildland firefighter himself, he asserts, “I’m a firefighter but I don’t like to fight with fire. I like to work with fire.” Their goal is to prevent wildfires before they happen, instead of stopping them once they are already in action.
While O’Rourke may hold no resentment to the people he currently works with, others feel the hypocrisy of the U.S. government should be acknowledged. Brittany SchlaeGuada, a second-year teacher at Athenian, attributes the exclusion of Native fire to how “in America, we devalue the cultural knowledge of people who are not white.” She believes that the society we live in today does not allow certain cultures and spiritualities to be practiced. History has been unrelentingly oppressive towards minority groups, as she states that our country was built on “the foundation of white supremacy and oppression.”
At the heart of what she does is the desire to enlighten future generations about ways to help and discern inequity. SchlaeGuadachooses to teach through a lens “of environment injustice and racism,” highlighting environmental issues that “disportionality [affects] certain groups of people.”
A common factor both educators stated is how crucial teaching the future generation is, and spreading awareness. SchlaeGuada implements these into her teaching, while O’Rourke teaches kids at local schools. As knowledge is multi-generational, and passed on from elders to the youthful, it’s impactful to teach them how to recognize injustice.
Each and every culture brings valuable information to the table. Only by acknowledging that, and working together, can we progress and thrive. Mistakes have happened before in the past, and not all of them are amended yet, but it’s imperative that history doesn’t repeat itself. Knowing exactly how to incorporate and value different cultures allows society to flourish and nurture a healthy, trusting environment.
The first step to ensure that we are on a prospering path is to inform others. To get people to recognize an issue is to talk about it. If we don’t, we fail ourselves and our future generation. Bringing awareness to environmental issues essentially saves civilization, as every single one of us are connected to the environment.In fact, we are the environment. In the spirit of our past and future, SchlaeGuada affirms to “be willing to listen to people that are different from [yourself].”
