June was an exciting month for some of the NACC NRM team who, joined by Midwest Aboriginal Rangers and local Badimia Elder Ashley Bell, travelled to Kaurna Country (Adelaide) to join Firesticks in an exchange of knowledge, learning about local history and traditional cultural burning.
Day one saw the group meeting the Kaurna Firesticks crew at Willawilla (Brownhill Creek) in the hills, located on the outskirts of the city. Kaurna Elders Uncle Jeffrey Newchurch and Aunty Merle Simpson carried out a Welcome to Country and talked about their old people, the trees in the area, and the important relationship between the two. They explained that trees were once home to many, hollowed out by fire and used as shelter for many generations.
It was then on to explore Tulukutangga (Kingston Park) where Kaurna Firesticks team members Quahli, Clem and Uncle Jeffrey spoke about the history and cultural significance of the area. The day wrapped up with a trip to Warriparinga Living Kaurna Cultural Centre, where there was much to see and learn about the topics covered during the day; local culture and history, and stories of the trees and the integral role they played in the survival of the old people.
With an early start the following day, the team headed to the Barton Drive Reserve where they studied the regrowth of vegetation at a hillside site that had previously undergone burning. The trip continued to a second site nearby where Clem and his team had led a burn behind a residential area, displaying how the burns are safely carried out with preparation and precautions. The Firesticks crew demonstrated that proper techniques mean the burns are cool enough to safely walk across barefoot, and the ash produced is black as opposed to grey or white, which is often seen after a wild bushfire. For more than 60,000 years, these kinds of cultural burns were used as an effective way of managing landscapes and maintaining soil health all over the country.
The group started the next morning with a change of scenery, meeting at the City of Adelaide Parklands right in the heart of the big smoke. Quahli and Clem led the way, showing sites where previous burns were resulting in the regrowth of native grasses, and even took the NACC NRM and MARP members through their software, Fulcrum, which helps to compare and contrast sites before and after burning. The Kaurna mob closed out their awesome tour with one last stop to the Adelaide Town Hall. On display were artefacts and tools used by the old people including nets, fishing lines, spears and shields, as well as videos about previous burns and projects the Kaurna crew had been involved in. A key theme in these videos was the importance of these projects being led and completed by their people on their land, just as their ancestors had once done for many years.
As the trip came to a close, Western Mulga Aboriginal Ranger Blake Mamid reflected on the new information and learnings he would take home with him.
“It’s been a great experience and I’m grateful that we could bring different mobs together to learn from each other,” Blake said.
Kaurna Firesticks Community Coordinator Quahli Newchurch also felt it was a great opportunity for mobs to share knowledge and support each other.
“It was a privilege to host the group here on Kaurna Yarta; to share the beauty of our Country, visit some of our significant sites, and pass on some of our knowledges around applying cultural fire to the landscape,” said Quahli.
“We enjoyed the many conversations, linking our stories together, listening and learning from Elder Ashley Bell, and sharing our cultural knowledges with you all.”
“We look forward to joining your mob over there in the near future to see your beautiful landscape and to continue to support your journey of returning your fire to your Country.”
NACC NRM would like to extend a huge thank you to the Kaurna mob for welcoming the team on Kaurna Yarta and sharing their knowledge about traditional cultural burning and about the history of their people and their land. We look forward to returning the favour and hosting the Kaurna crew in WA, conducting burns on Country, and exchanging knowledge from within our region.
This project is jointly funded by the Australian Governments National Indigenous Australians Agency, NACC NRM, and Beach Energy.