Aboriginal People’s Use of Fire

Fire has been essential to the lives of Aboriginal people for over 60,000 years. It is
needed for cooking, providing warmth, burial practices, hunting and signaling, but
that is not all. Aboriginal people used fire to manage and look after the land. This
careful burning of vegetation has been called ‘firestick farming’ or controlled
burning. Aboriginal rangers still use some traditional methods today.

Turn and Talk

How do you think Aboriginal people use fire to manage the land?
Let’s find out more.
 Aboriginal People’s Use of Fire

Did You Know…?

Rhys Jones, an Australian archaeologist, came up with the term ‘firestick
farming’ to describe the practice of Aboriginal people using fire to manage the
land.
 Why?
Many Aboriginal groups used fire to manage the land in a variety
of ways.

It was used to:

Reduce vegetation to prevent intense bushfires.

Protect homes and important areas from intense bushfires.

Make travel through thick vegetation easier and trading

routes smoother.

Encourage new and diverse plant growth.

Create vast grassland that attracts animals for hunting.

 Why?
Many Aboriginal groups used fire to manage the land in a variety
of ways.

It was used to:

Encourage vegetation and particular food or medicinal plants to grow.

Locate animals to make hunting easier. Animals will go to burnt

fire-ground or green grass when it grows through.
 How?
Fire was traditionally relocated by carrying firesticks made from bark and other
slow burning materials. This made lighting a new fire faster and easier. In the past,
firesticks were always carried when travelling. Sometimes a new fire was lit from
the coals of a previous fire. If a firestick or hot coals were not available, other
methods were used.

Percussion Method
Striking a piece of flint-like stone with a second striking stone. This
creates a spark that burns soft bark or other flammable materials.

Friction Method
Making heat between two pieces of wood to create enough heat to
light flammable materials.
 Fire Management?
Aboriginal people used two types of fire to help manage the land:

Cool Fire
These fires where used on targeted areas during the early dry season between
March and July. These cool fires burned slowly, creating fire breaks and
reducing the amount of vegetation a later fire could use as fuel. This type of fire
maintained and protected habitats for mammals, reptiles, insects and birds. The
grasses burned slowly, so most small animals could escape. Seedlings, seeds,
green grass, tree trunks and fallen logs were usually not burnt enough to be
damaged. Overnight, the cool moisture in the air could extinguish the fires.
After a cool fire, the ground was not hot and there was still patches of green
vegetation left.

Fires of Higher Intensity

These usually occurred later in the dry season. These fires burned large tracts of
land and burned quickly and intensely.
 Fire Management?
It Takes Skill
Aboriginal people had to be careful not to let the fire get out of control. If it did,
it would burn the animals, too many plants and themselves. Burning the land is a
learned practice that takes a lot of knowledge and skill. It involves knowledge of
the directions to take, areas to burn, weather conditions, plants, animals and
techniques to apply. This knowledge is passed down from older generations to
the younger ones. The elders teach their children how to care for Country.
 Aboriginal People’s Use of Fire

Did You Know…?

The colonists didn’t really continue with the Aboriginal peoples’ land practices.
When they arrived in Australia they believed the land was how it was naturally.
They didn't understand that the Aboriginal people had been burning and shaping
the landscape and that this helped to prevent huge bushfires. As colonisation
progressed it became difficult for Aboriginal people to continue using fire to
manage the land.
 When?

Fires were lit all year round as people moved through the land. The conditions
needed to be mild. Most fires were started during cool mornings or in the late
afternoons. Late autumn and early winter was best, when there was little wind.
In the north of Australia, fire was used following the wet season (early dry
season). This made sure the vegetation and soil was still damp but dry enough to
burn slowly. This ensured fires were easier to control.
Where?

Aboriginal people all over

Australia used fire to manage
the land and they still use
traditional land burning
practices today. Their
knowledge and skills are being
used to help rural fire services,
land councils and farmers to
reduce and avoid large
bushfires and for regeneration
and biodiversity.
 Other Benefits?
Burning projects help:

Connect Aboriginal people to their land and culture.

Aboriginal people share their knowledge.

Indigenous groups earn carbon credits.

Employ more Aboriginal people in land management.

Traditional knowledge, customs and laws to be passed on from elders to young

people.

Keep traditional knowledge and land practices alive.

Regenerate diversity of plants.

 Other Benefits?

Did You Know…?

Carbon credits are given to activities that reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
Cool burns produce a low amount of greenhouse gas emission compared to wild
bushfires. Wildfires, that have lots of fuel available, produce much more
greenhouse gas emissions. So, preventing these is important to the environment.