(This is the introduction for Crystal Boulton-Scott and Joseph Scott‘s curriculum, “Good Fire.”)
Joseph C. Scott
Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians
Crystal Boulton-Scott
Lenape-Rancocas
This curriculum is designed to use in the upper-level elementary classroom.
This is a compilation of science and culture lessons that build into a larger understanding or way of knowing—that fire suppression has been used as a tool of colonization since first contact. Fire suppression policy and practice has prevented indigenous people from using prescribed fire as a tool in traditional resource management and has contributed to the disruption of traditional foodways. This overall disruption in traditional foodways has resulted in the compromised health of people and places. Applying fire to the land in a mindful and good way enhances habitat, increases food production, and helps address the impacts of global climate change.
The plan consists of three 45-minute to 60-minute lessons, one 60-minute lab, and one 90-minute activity (optional).
Most native oak trees and oak savannah landscapes have gone without cultural fire since colonization. This has resulted in increased fuel loads that allow fires to become unmanageable and destructive. This lesson seeks to support learners in making connections between the knowing of fire science, oak tree biology, climate change, and traditional ecological knowledge.
The cultural practices described in this lesson come from the sacred knowledge of several different “acorn peoples”—Native Americans of the West who eat acorns as a First Food.
Within this lesson, students will come to understand the science of fire, the use of fire as a traditional tool used by native Americans to tend the landscape and produce food, and the role of Native American cultural practices in responding to the impacts of climate change.