“I enjoyed hearing the topic of indigenous relationships with fire in the landscape. Native peoples certainly took advantage of fire such as the wild blueberry industry. But the story doesn’t go back far enough. Native peoples did not somehow invent the use of fires. In my home state of Alaska, the vast majority of fires are not human caused but results of hundreds of lightning strikes every year. The genius of native peoples is the observation of plant growth and change after a lightning strike. Imagine the result on a native tribe of doubling, tripling blueberry yields 2-3 years after a fire. Keen observations over many years probably led to the connection between lightening, fire
And blueberries. It would be hundreds of years before scientists realized fire releases nutrients, kills blueberry pests, removes plant competitors, improves pollinator habitats, and more. But it all begins with lightning and some very astute indigenous observers/stewards of the land. Making those connections is not easy. It would be interesting to hear your guest talk about lightning in his ancestral history.”
Pxx23 via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
06/18/24