First Nations' Prescribed Burning in British Columbia

The Indigenous peoples of British Columbia (BC) have a long and deep tradition of cultural burning. It was an important component of many of BC’s ecosystems until colonial authorities systematically discouraged the practice from the 1870s onwards. Eventually the beneficial role of fire was recognize...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Parminter, John
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:English
Published: Canadian Institute for Studies in Publishing Press 2023
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jem-online.org/index.php/jem/article/view/615
Description
Summary:The Indigenous peoples of British Columbia (BC) have a long and deep tradition of cultural burning. It was an important component of many of BC’s ecosystems until colonial authorities systematically discouraged the practice from the 1870s onwards. Eventually the beneficial role of fire was recognized, particularly in dry interior (NDT 4) ecosystems. To help validate those traditional practices, this article draws on settler and Indigenous accounts of First Nations cultural burning in BC.