Hunters only took what they needed from the land to protect the environment. They didn’t harm young animals, left seeds to grow next season and left some eggs to hatch. They ate many different foods like fruits, berries, roots, grubs and local animals. 2.9.2 Firestick farming Fire was very important for managing the land and helped shape the Australian landscape. It was used in many daily activities. SOURCE2 shows how fire was used. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples have used firesticks as a tool for tens of thousands of years. They set small fires in the bush and grasslands to help manage the land. They carried smouldering banksia branches to start these fires safely. They only burned the dry leaves and grass when the weather was cool, so the fires wouldn’t get out of control.
SOURCE2 Uses of fire in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples’ culture
2.
Repelling insects and removing snakes from long grass surrounding campsite
Manufacturing tools such as spears and stripping bark from trees in the process of making canoes 3.
4.
Sending messages by smoke over long distances and clearing the ground through recognised travel pathways
1.
Cooking food and catching animals by flushing them from burrows and driving them into traps
Scaring off evil spirits and burning the bodies of the dead in regions where this was the funeral tradition 6.
Regularly burning the forest undergrowth to prevent large-scale bush fires 8.
5.
Cleaning wounds and scarring the skin for initiation and ritual
Lighting the night for community gatherings and providing warmth for sleeping 7.
Burning the grasslands made new plants grow. After thousands of years of burning, there were more open grasslands, which meant more food for animals like kangaroos. Fire helped people who hunted and foraged to find more food. Bush potatoes and other plants grew better in the open areas created by small fires. Scientists think small animals like the bilby started to disappear when Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peoples stopped using firestick farming regularly.
SkillBuilder discussion Historical significance 1. How does the SOURCE2 image illustrate the importance of fire in daily life? 2. How has the use of fire been shown to have a spiritual and ceremonial importance? 3. How did the use of fire contribute to the agricultural practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities?
52 Jacaranda Humanities Alive 7 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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