blaze destruction
Horrific bush fires have scorched vast tracks of the east coast of Australia, as well as areas of Western Australia and Queensland in the last six months. The level of destruction is well documented with loss of life, habitat, wildlife and fauna almost incomprehensible. As the flames are brought under control, scientists, heritage experts, custodians and archaeologists may be able to specify the extent of the damage to ancient Australia - critically important indigenous heritage sites and artefacts.
The Australian Archaeological Association is hoping that funds become available to allow experts to map the damage, but also, amazingly, to further explore sites that have been opened up after dense vegetation was burned. This audit must be done in conjunction with indigenous communities and correct rehabilitation of sacred sites must be at the heart of any recovery plan.
John Pickrell, science writer for Nature, outlines an overview of some of the destruction; and its quite heartbreaking:
Red Hands Cave in the Blue Mountains may have been permanently affected by soot.
Dharawal country in the Southern Highlands may have lost up to 400 sacred sites.
Gurrungutti Yuin elders in NSW fear they have lost many sacred trees and rock arrangements. This includes scarred trees - those that had sections of bark removed to make shields and canoes. (see blogpost image)
There are concerns for the integrity of Eagle’s Rock and Gallery Rock, both rock art sites in the Greater Blue Mountain areas .
Archaeologist, Alice Gorman (@Drspacejunk on Twitter) from Flinders University in Adelaide, comments that “ when subjected to intense temperature changes, stone can crack and peel off in layers. This can affect rock surfaces with painted or engraved art.” (see @drspacejunk twitter thread) Some of these lessons were learned after the 2003 fires in Victoria and archaeologists are hoping that a similar post-fire audit will be conducted so that recovery can start. However, Gorman also warns “… that there’s a significant risk of further damage to sites following the fires because people involved in clean-up efforts aren’t always aware that there are heritage sites present.” This is echoed by the AAA on their website. It is critically important that traditional custodians are intimately engaged in all audit and recovery programs and Gorman lists some excellent resources on her Twitter feed for further reference.
So, as ancient history teachers in schools, what can we do? This is an opportunity to work through issues of land management and protection. It is also an excellent opportunity to look at indigenous fire management practices and how these skills can be integrated in modern fire fighting. There is clear evidence that this will be successful, and there are already several indigenous fire fighting units in NSW and Victorian (CFA) that integrate their intimate local understanding with modern technology. On a side note, the Lake Tyres Aboriginal Trust Fire Authority (CFA) unit are predominantly female firefighters!
Here are some great resources that you may be able to use in your history or geography classes. This could open the door to brilliant conversations about how the nation moves forward in terms of fire management.
Cultural Burning practices newspaper article
Cultural Burning practices by Shaun Hooper, Wiradjuri man and fire behaviour analyst.
Fire Management by Bush Heritage Australia
CSIRO - benefits of indigenous fire management
As educators, we are always asking our students to consider their place in the world, the status of the world and how they may be able to improve the status of the world as they become adults. Given recent events and as part of a broader conversation about the changing climate and how we manage the world’s resources, this might be an excellent time to consider ancient Australian knowledge as the pathway forward for a modern Australian environment. Let me know how you go.
Go forth and conquer!
