First Ever Traditional Wiradjuri Burn To Celebrate National Tree Day

Cowra experienced its first ever organised, traditional Wiradjuri cultural burn since European settlement last Friday as part of the town’s National Tree Day celebrations.

The day featured the cultural burn in the Cowra Peace Precinct on Sakura Avenue, opposite the POW Camp, as well as a Rotary Club BBQ and information talks, and a tree planting ceremony and community tree giveaway at the Cowra Adventure Playground.

The aim of the day, according to Cowra Shire Council, was to highlight the importance of native flora in our landscape.

The Wiradjuri cultural burn was controlled and performed by the Cowra Aboriginal Land Council, and overseen by Nioka Coe.

It was facilitated by Cowra Shire Council and NSW Local Land Services, and supported by the local Rural Fire Service.

Members of the Cowra Aboriginal Land Council introduced and explained the cultural significance and importance of the cultural burn while they performed it to everyone in attendance.

It was the first time in modern history the burn had been done in Cowra, and is seen as a “cleansing of country”.

The fire is lit and burned in circles, whichallows the heat of the fire to spread, and not build up on itself. This creates an even distribution of heat across the land that ensures that only invasive weeds and dead overgrowth on top of the soil is burned, and not the good soil underneath.

If the ash was white, the burn was too hot, but if it was black, it was a successful burn that did not destroy good nutrients in the soil that will eventually regenerate growth, allowing the land to “heal”.

Multiple circles of fires are lit in the same area, eventually meeting and self-extinguishing in a safe manner.

The burn is also performed in circles to allow native wildlife to escape and not become trapped by extremely long, straight lines of flames.

Traditionally, the Wiradjuri burning season is August to September.

• Topics:
• First Nations Peoples
• Environment