Fire and Water

Managing fire and water are central tenets for Indigenous knowledge in Australia. Yondee Shane Hansen says “It’s about the rain, the water – and then, after that, the fire that burns off the land so it can re-grow. They are the two elements. They cleanse the land and they heal it. They are the great forces and energies. It’s a balance – they bring the land back into balance.” In traditional practices the burning off on Country was to bring back new re-growth of grass and shrubs to encourage the return of grazing animals. The burn offs would take place before the first rains.

Jorna Newberry depicts fire used for hunting and for land management on traditional Aboriginal lands, where Country is burned off in a controlled way. The swirling areas of red indicate the fire and the effects of the wind. The people stand down-wind to create the line of fire, which as it moved would flush out lizards, snakes and goannas, which hunters ahead of the fire would attempt to kill.

Kurun Warun shows the river courses as geological forms that can remain empty of water for much of the year. Andrew Highfold shows the desert creeks between the phases of the dry and wet seasons. The exhibition Fire and Water is on display at Japingka Gallery until 20 August.