Healing Fire
“Silent Sentinel-the story of a Redgum” has been five years in the making. In these articles I will share some of the stories of what went on behind the scenes as the book grew.
Before I even started doing any paintings for Silent Sentinel, I did a LOT of research. I wanted to form an accurate mental picture of the history and ecology of our area so that my depictions could be as authentic as possible. Everything I discovered opened up more questions and sent me down new paths of learning. How long does it take a redgum sapling to grow to its full height? What might it look like after five, ten, twenty years of growth? What plants and animals are endemic to our area? How dense were the trees before the land was cleared for farming? Did they harvest murnong in this area?
I read many interesting documents, accounts and stories during my research. Of course not all of them could possibly be included in a 32-page picture book, but I thought it would be fun to share some of them here. The following story was one I came across in a document about Cultural Fire Strategy, while researching how the grasslands were managed by the Wurrundjeri-willam people who lived here long before the European settlers arrived. The following is quoted from this document:
Woiwurrung dreamtime story about fire.
In this account, the ability to make fire, or Weenth, was possessed by a woman called Kar-ak-ar-ook, who kept fire in the end of her yam-stick. In order to obtain fire from her, Waung the crow filled an ant nest with snakes and, when Kar-ak-ar-ook who attacked her when she dug into the nest in search of ant eggs. Kar-ak-ar-ook hit the snakes with her yam-stick and, as she did, fire fell onto the ground and was picked up by Waung who then coveted it as jealously as Kar-ak-ar-ook had done. This eventually came to the attention of the great being Pund-jel (or Bunjil) who encouraged the people to scold Waung for his selfishness. Waung then became angry and sought to burn them by setting fire to the country. The people were then able to obtain fire and use it thereafter. Waung was then burned to death by two young men, Tchert-tchert and Trrar, who were lost or consumed by the fire and now appear as two large stones at the foot of the Dan-den-ong mountain.
This is only one of several stories included in the document, from records written by early European ethnographers. There are also stories handed down by the elders which are culturally sensitive and cannot be shared without their approval, but which tell of fire being used to heal and protect Country. Today land managment strategies are increasingly being informed by traditional knowledge.
Image: “Healing Fire” ©Amaria Stark2023
“Aboriginal Victorians used cultural burning for a wide range of purposes, including protecting Country, providing habitat for wildlife and the harvesting of resources.” Quotation source
A wonderful documentary is currently being developed, which will explore the importance of our grasslands and ways in which traditional knowledge can be applied in practical ways to protect biodiversity, manage wildfire and produce food.
“Yolngu woman Leila Gurruwiwi explores the potential of native grains for food production, fire prevention, and mine rehabilitation. Together, these stories and characters outline a path toward a more sustainable and equitable future for grasslands and for the land we call home—Australia.”
To learn more about the “Grasslands” project visit the link below.