SUMMER BOOK REVIEW 2020

FIRE AND THE STORY OF BURNING COUNTRY

Cape York Elders and Community Photographed and Recorded by Peter McConchie, Cyclops Press2013

These 2020 fires may be the single biggest opportunity we have to turn Australian society in the right direction. This book, published in 2013, is the most beautiful , grounded pictorial description of Traditional land management , ongoing but interrupted since Colonial intervention. The words recorded and transcribed are those of the true Custodians of this country, whose relationship to fire is knowledgeable, touching and as deep as the earth itself .
Yoga has the capacity to bring us back into a state of connection with ourselves as part of nature, its rhythms and unfathomable beauty and mystery. Our practice allows us to come back into the seasonal and deeper rhythms of this beautiful country and to truly respect the knowledge held by Traditional Owners .Lets open our ears.

In the Introductory words of Victor Steffensen :

”There is a common belief that climate change is to blame for an increase in wildfires. However, the climate has always changed and the people adapt the fire to whatever climate we get each year, hot, cold, wet, or dry. This makes the burning time different each year and is done by reading country. Climate change seems to be identified as the new threat by the institutions, taking away the basic truth that people are just disconnected from the land. This is a false sense of reality that simply continues to undermine traditional knowledge and stops community - drive aspirations from being part of current solutions.

In conclusion, it comes down to attitudes, opinions, and single-minded concepts that continue to threaten the future of our country, all due to people seeking to maintain their lifestyles and institutions. When a wild fire destroys land, property, or even human life, the government looks for someone to blame. Te truth is they are all to blame, because they are not managing country the right way.

Managing country with fire prevents loss of life and property, and also importantly protects our wildlife, trees, rivers and our Mother Earth. If we do that then we are protecting our life and property by becoming part of the land and enriching our people and culture once again.