24: “Reigniting Cultural Burning Through Painting” Guests: Peter Holub & Sarah Sigurdson

02/28/23 • 48 min

In this episode, we interview two guests; Peter Holub, Wildfire Prevention Officer with BC Wildfire Service, and Sarah Sigurdson, co-owner of Cariboo Art Beat, a Williams Lake art collective and studio.

This discussion highlights how BC’s history of fire suppression has led to a loss of Indigenous culture and an increased risk of wildfires. Because of this, younger Indigenous generations did not grow up with fire and were disconnected from this generational practice, relying on elders to learn about good fire and its ability to clean and manage the land.

Peter and Sarah discuss how they developed art-based workshops in the Cariboo focused on cultural burning to support Indigenous fire stewardship and reinvigorate the teaching of fire knowledge, beliefs, and values.

They share about the two First Nation communities who participated in the workshops (Williams Lake First Nation and the Yunesit’in First Nation), including what the feedback was from participants, and if they plan to facilitate more workshops in the future.

This is a great episode to learn more about cultural burning, Indigenous fire stewardship and traditional knowledge, and the importance of recognizing the history of Indigenous peoples.

Links:

Learn more about their initiative: https://prescribedfire.ca/reigniting-cultural-burning-through-painting/

Cariboo Art Beat: https://caribooartbeat.square.site/

Related Article: https://www.hopestandard.com/community/cariboo-art-beat-workshops-combine-fire-and-art/
For more information about Prescribed Fire and Cultural Burning visit https://prescribedfire.ca/
Visit https://firesmartbc.ca/ to learn more about the program and other partnerships across the province

This is a great episode to learn more about cultural burning, Indigenous fire stewardship and traditional knowledge, and the importance of recognizing the history of Indigenous peoples.

Links:

Learn more about their initiative: https://prescribedfire.ca/reigniting-cultural-burning-through-painting/

Cariboo Art Beat: https://caribooartbeat.square.site/

Previous Episode

23: “Reigniting Indigenous Cultural Burning: A FNESS Feature” Guest: Dave Pascal

In this episode, we interview Dave Pascal, a Cultural & Prescribed Fire Specialist with the First Nations Emergency Services Society (FNESS). Dave discusses the importance of cultural and prescribed fire in British Columbia and the work he's doing to revitalize these practices with First Nations.

This is a great episode to learn more about the meaning and difference between cultural and prescribed fire, as well as the many ways FNESS is working to assist Nations with funding, burn site identification, and resource management.

Links:

Connect with Dave and the FNESS team at https://www.fness.bc.ca/

For more information about Prescribed Fire and Cultural Burning visit https://prescribedfire.ca/

Visit https://firesmartbc.ca/ to learn more about the program and other partnerships across the province

Next Episode

25: “A Career on Fire” Guest: Mike Morrow BC Wildfire Service

Mike Morrow is a Wildfire Prevention Officer who has worked with the BC Wildfire Service for over four decades. Since his first role as an auxiliary silviculture tech, his career has taken him across the province, including Nakusp, Port McNeill, Vanderhoof and Cranbrook.

In this episode, Mike shares stories from working on the front lines and reflects on his vast experience in the wildfire landscape, including some unique projects he has participated in. He also shares his outlook on how the industry has changed over the years and the importance of adopting FireSmart principles to live in a world with wildfire.

Links:

*Note: the Guardians of the Grasslands project was misquoted during this episode. Mike meant to refer to the Too Close to Home video, which explains the cattle grazing project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4-An1z8XMxs

For more information about Cultural Burning and Prescribed Fire, visit prescribedfire.ca

To learn more about the FireSmart BC program and other partnerships across the province, visit firesmartbc.ca