A Webinar on “Good Fire” with Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson

February 18 | 12-1PM
Zoom

Indigenous peoples across what is now Canada have utilized fire to steward their territories to achieve cultural objectives. Fire is integral to Indigenous cultures and is a process used to uphold responsibilities and kinship systems, which were maintained through a complex knowledge system. This relationship with fire has been nearly severed by colonization, through the disregard for Indigenous knowledge and fire exclusion.

Recently, there has been a resurgence of interest in Indigenous fire and a growing recognition of the importance of cultural burning practices, particularly in relation to increasing biodiversity and providing nature-based climate solutions.

This free webinar co-hosted with CPAWS Northern Alberta will discuss Indigenous fire knowledge, impacts of cultural severance, and reunion with fire.

Biography

Dr. Amy Cardinal Christianson is Métis and grew up in Treaty 8 territory (northern Alberta, Canada). She works as the Senior Fire Advisor for Indigenous Leadership Initiative, and was formerly a Research Scientist with the Canadian Forest Service (Natural Resources Canada) and an Indigenous Fire Specialist in the National Fire Management Division of Parks Canada. Christianson works with Indigenous Nations across Canada on fire stewardship practices like cultural burning and collaborates with Indigenous peoples from around the world on decolonising land management.

She also studies wildfire evacuations and advocates for Indigenous wildland firefighters. She is the co-author of the books, First Nations Wildfire Evacuations: A guide for communities and external agencies and Blazing the Trail: Celebrating Indigenous Fire Stewardship. Christianson also cohosts the Good Fire podcast, which looks at Indigenous fire use around the world. She serves as a member of the secretariat of the Thunderbird Collective, an advisor to the REDfire lab, a board member of the International Association of Wildland Fire and a member of the international research advisory panel with Natural Hazards Research Australia.