Gendered dimensions of Aboriginal Australian and California Indian fire knowledge retention and revival

Fire has played a key role in the land management

practices of Aboriginal Australians and

Native Americans for millennia. However, colonial

interests have disrupted indigenous use of fire

in multiple ways. This article summarises how

gender is entwined—spatially and temporally— in

the adaptive knowledge trajectories through which

some Aboriginal Australian and California Indian

fire knowledge is retained and revived. The article

draws on oral narratives shared by indigenous

elders, cultural practitioners, and land stewards

during prescribed burns, fire knowledge workshops,

field trips with students, informal conversations

and audio-recorded interviews.