Co‐producing a fire and seasons calendar to support renewed Indigenous cultural fire management

• Published in: Austral ecology 2021-11, Vol.46 (7), p.1011-1029
• Main Authors: McKemey, Michelle B., Ens, Emilie J., Hunter, John T., Ridges, Malcolm, Costello, Oliver, Reid, Nick C. H.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Archaeology; Burning; Calendars; cross‐cultural science; cultural burning; Cultural resources; Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous peoples; knowledge co‐production; Knowledge management; Natural resources; Protected areas; seasonal calendar; Seasons; traditional ecological knowledge
• ISSN: 1442-9985; 1442-9993
• DOI: 10.1111/aec.13034

Indigenous knowledge emphasises the importance of cultural connections between humans and the biophysical world. In the face of threats to the maintenance and transfer of Indigenous knowledge, novel approaches such as seasonal calendars are emerging as tools to share knowledge and guide management of natural and cultural resources. The renewal of Indigenous cultural fire management in southeast Australia provided an opportunity to explore whether the co‐production of a fire and seasons calendar, using Western and Indigenous knowledges, can support cultural fire management. We present a case study of cross‐cultural collaboration between scientists and the Banbai Aboriginal rangers at Wattleridge Indigenous Protected Area, New South Wales. We reviewed literature from various disciplines (archaeological, ethnohistorical, Indigenous and ecological) and undertook participatory action research and interviews to collate relevant information. This was synthesised in Winba = Fire, the Banbai Fire and Seasons Calendar, which is used by the Banbai rangers to guide cultural burning, share cross‐cultural knowledge and increase awareness of Indigenous cultural fire management. The process of co‐producing knowledge, revitalising culture, caring for Country, working together and supporting self‐determination is relevant for many Indigenous communities around the world. Co‐producing a fire and seasons calendar (using Indigenous and Western knowledges) supports renewed Indigenous cultural fire management in southeast Australia.