Revitalizing Indigenous Cultural Burning Through Knowledge Sharing

Indigenous peoples have been using fire to effectively manage natural and cultural landscapes since time immemorial. As the importance of cultural burning becomes increasingly recognized by non-Native people, there is an amplified need for cross-cultural partnerships and a knowledge sharing of the unique needs and challenges faced by practitioners. In a recent publication in Society & Natural Resources, SW CASC investigators and partners highlight lessons learned from two Indigenous Fire Workshops that were part of The Keepers of the Flame Project, and describe ways that different entities can support cultural fire practitioners. The authors explain that identifying the critical gaps in cultural burning knowledge will help in developing “intercultural partnerships that mobilize Indigenous-led solutions to the fire crisis while supporting the revitalization of cultural burning.”