Indigenous Fire Stewardship Program

Indigenous woman lighting cultural burn for wildfire management in her community.

Since 2018, Gathering Voices Society has worked with Yunesit’in and Xeni Gwet’in First Nations to revitalize their fire (Qwen) stewardship practices.

Project Overview

Since 2018, Gathering Voices Society has partnered with Yunesit’in and Xeni Gwet’in First Nations on their fire stewardship programs in the Tŝilhqot’in (Chilcotin) region of central British Columbia (BC). The goal is to build and expand community capacity for fire stewardship across their lands.

Cultural burns have been held each spring (April) and fall (October) since 2019. A core crew of 15 fire stewards participate regularly in these bi-annual cultural burns. 60 additional community members have participated and been trained in fire stewardship over the past five years, including youth, women and Elders. Under the leadership of Russell Myers-Ross and Australian Aboriginal fire expert Victor Steffensen, in 2023, fire was applied using traditional techniques to over 400 hectares of forest and mixed forest-grassland by 20 community members.

The cultural burns deliver multiple goals, including wildfire mitigation, reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, improved grassland and forest health, and strengthened biodiversity and food security. Fire is particularly important to the resilience of landscapes in the fire-dependent Tŝilhqot’in region. Evidence also shows that engaging in fire stewardship can support participant health and wellbeing.

The Yunesit’in fire stewardship program is the longest running in British Columbia, and is integrated and led by the community. It is also the only program to burn each spring and fall, consistently year-after-year, allowing it to achieve multiple objectives and to evaluate outcomes.

Context and Purpose

The frequency and intensity of catastrophic wildfire is increasing dramatically across Canada, with 2023 being the most destructive season ever recorded in this country. Prior to this, in 2017 one of the largest wildfires ever recorded in BC burned over 500,000 hectares in the Tŝilhqot’in (Chilcotin) Plateau. The homes of 250 Yunesit’in community members were successfully defended against the fire by First Nation and BC Wildfire crews; however, the risk of catastrophic wildfire remains within Tŝilhqot’in territory.

Historically, many Indigenous Peoples in British Columbia managed their traditional territories with fire. The legacy of fire suppression since colonization forced many Indigenous Peoples to discontinue their traditional practices; however, recent public inquiries have called on the government to empower First Nations to take a leadership role in fire management once again.

Bringing back early season fire management, by combining western science with revitalized traditional knowledge and practices, could help reduce the risks to Indigenous communities in British Columbia and across Canada.