Transcript:
Last fall, about two dozen volunteers from Indigenous Midwestern tribes gathered at a University of Kansas research station.
They lit bundles of dried grass and sage to start a fire that burned across five acres of prairie.
This was a cultural burn – a small, intentional fire guided by Indigenous practices.
Adams: “Historically, Indigenous peoples have – and we continue to – view fire as a stewardship tool.”
Melinda Adams, who led the burn, is a member of the San Carlos Apache Tribe and an assistant professor at the University of Kansas.
She says these fires can help regenerate the ecosystem and improve habitat for culturally important animals and plants, like grasses used in basketry.
And cultural burns can also limit the spread of severe wildfires by reducing flammable grass and brush.
For many generations, federal policies that were intended to prevent wildfires outlawed the practice.
But today, forest agencies understand the benefits and use controlled burns to reduce wildfire risk.
And Adams and others are reclaiming Indigenous fire practices.
Adams: “And changing that perception from something that’s devastating and destructive …”
… to something that, when carefully wielded, revitalizes and protects the Earth.
Reporting credit: Sarah Kennedy / ChavoBart Digital Media
