Land in Native Hands: Good Fire on the land for the first time since colonization

On October 21st, TERA was honored to be joined by fire practitioners from across California to put good fire on the ground at TERA's new EcoCultural Fire & Stewardship Training Center, on the traditional lands of Habematolel Pomo of Upper Lake, Scotts Valley Band of Pomo Indians, and Robinson Rancheria Pomo Indians of California. This is the first documented instance of intentional burning of this land since the displacement of Native peoples on the land.. Together, over 80 community members, including members of 17 Tribes, participated in and observed this cultural burn, which utilized only traditional ignition techniques and tools -- no matches, no lighters, and no drip torches. The TERA crew demonstrated and taught how to start a fire by friction using materials from the land, as well as the use of pitch sticks and tule torches for lighting. We are incredibly grateful to TERA crew members for leading the burn operations, and to guest instructors Ryan Reed, Patty Franklin, Corine Pearce, Mary Clark, Elizabeth Azzuz, and Redbird Willie for guiding deep conversations about intersections between cultural fire, native plants, land tending, and basketry. We ended the day by planting native seeds in the freshly tended earth — a symbolic moment that reminds us that every elder and youth, fire lighter and basket weaver, and land steward is connected in this beautiful web we get to call home.