Deadly Firestick Farming

As told by

Renee Gillane

and illustrated by

Charlotte Craven-Miller

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge the Wonnarua people of the Hunter Valley, New South Wales.

We pay our respects to Elders past, present and emerging.

Deadly Firestick Farming
Story by Renee Gillane
Illustrated by Charlotte Craven-Miller

This digital book was commissioned by

Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation (WNAC)

and

Australian Catholic University

Australian Catholic University acknowledges that

this digital storybook embodies cultural knowledge of

the Wonnarua community.

Charlotte Craven-Miller

Charlotte Craven-Miller is a proud Wonnarua full-time artist. The Wonnarua Nation belongs to the Hunter River Valley region of New South Wales. Her artistic skills and works encompass realism, portraiture, images, and abstract art. Her artistic works are inspired by her rich Wonnarua cultural heritage drawing upon The Dreamings and the Wonnarua peoples’ connection and belonging to Country. She is the artist of the seminal Wonnarua portraiture entitled: Wonnarua Elders commissioned by the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation. She is the illustrator of the e-book The Frog that Grew commissioned by the University of Technology and Science, New South Wales. She was commissioned by the Australian Catholic University Limited and the Wonnarua Nation Aboriginal Corporation Australia to write and illustrate the children’s e-book Burning Mountain and illustrate Creation of the Hunter Valley, Deadly Firestick Farming, Deadly Community, Deadly Voice, Jimmy and the Water Cart and Baiame Cave and St Clair Mission. She is the recipient of two Mil-Pra Aboriginal Education Consultative Group Indigenous Art Prizes, the Riverwood Youth Art Prize, and her works have been purchased and commissioned by governments, universities, organisations and individuals.

Email: [email protected]

Photo of Charlotte Craven-Miller

Renee Gillane

Renee Gillane is a proud descendant of the Gringai
clan of the Wonnarua tribe in the Hunter Valley, NSW.
Renee is the Upper Hunter Co-ordinator for Wonnarua Firesticks. Her position organises cultural cool burns in the area as a land management procedure utilising traditional methods that have been used in Australia for many generations. These methods are being revitalised as they are environmentally friendly and utilise the
knowledge from Elders to help future generations care for lands, flora and fauna throughout Australia.

Email: [email protected]

Photo of Renee Gillane

Anigunya (hello) my name is Kintay.

My

Today I want to share with you

some things I’ve learnt about wingen (fire).

Wingen (fire) used to scare me a lot but my mum taught me that using fire (wingen) can be good for the environment.

name means “happy” in the Wonnarua language.

I live in the beautiful Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

I live with my mob.

Kawul the wedgetail eagle lives in the valley too.

Kawul lets us know if we must move to safer ground if there is danger around.

He is big and very wise.

Mum tells me that Kawul looks over us from high in the sky.

and flies around all the time.

He can see lots in the sky

One day I saw a group of Wonnarua people walking nearby.

The Wonnarua are

the Aboriginal custodians of the land that I live on.

I asked my mum what they were doing.

Mum said that they come into the bush to see if the land is well.

The Wonnarua also check if there are too many weeds.

They also look for invasive

plants, which are plants that don’t belong.

One thing that is very important for all of us is good fire which is called a cultural cool burn.

It keeps the land healthy.

A cultural cool burn, burns low and close to the ground.

She likes it when the fire comes.

Mum says the people will light a fire soon.

Mum says the fire gets the land ready for new foods to grow.

I love eating fresh plants!

Aboriginal people have been caring for
Country (Coquan) in Australia for over 60
thousand years.

Way before I was born.

That’s a really long time!

They practise traditional ways to maintain
our landscapes and make sure that there is
plenty of food for everyone.

Some plants need fire to help them open
and drop their seeds for new plants to grow.

It is very important to keep our land clear
of weeds and give all the plants a chance to
get the sunlight they need to grow.

The best thing about using fire to care for
the land is that no harmful chemicals are
used.

I like jumping around with my friends and
after a fire we have lots of cleared space to
play games.

Mum can easily watch us, so we

remain safe.

When the birds fly their droppings contain
seeds and the plants grow from them.

The fire cleans the land so we can see where we are going.

It is very similar to when you

mow the lawn in your yard.

fire helps the plants to germinate their seeds.

The fire helps the plants.

The heat from the

The birds eat the insects and the seeds from the plants.

The insects come out and eat.

The fire rises into the canopies of the trees.

If we do not have regular cultural cool burns the land will become overgrown with grasses and weeds.

The land will get.

In the hot summers we can have bushfires.

These fires are not good.

They

burn too hot.

This makes the land and us very sad.

           The hot fires burn everything, and they move very fast across the land.

sick.

I feel grown up because I think it’s good, just like my mother, when a burn is about to commence.

I am still very careful around fire and stay
close to my mum when a cultural cool burn is happening but now, I understand how it works.

The animals and the people help the land.
In return, the land looks after us.

After the fire when the plants grow we are
all going to gather together and have a big
feast.

           It’s beautiful to lay back with a full
belly and my friends watching the smoke in
the sunset.

                     This is the good fire caring for
Country (Coquan).

Anigunya (hello) my name is Kintay. My name means “happy” in the Wonnarua
language. Today I want to share with you some things I’ve learnt about wingen (fire).
Wingen (fire) used to scare me a lot but my mum taught me that using fire (wingen)
can be good for the environment.
I live in the beautiful Hunter Valley in New South Wales. I live with my mob.
Kawul the wedgetail eagle lives in the valley too. He is big and very wise.
Mum tells me that Kawul looks over us from high in the sky. He can see lots in the sky
and flies around all the time.
Kawul lets us know if we must move to safer ground if there is danger around.
One day I saw a group of Wonnarua people walking nearby. The Wonnarua are the
Aboriginal custodians of the land that I live on.
I asked my mum what they were doing. Mum said that they come into the bush to see
if the land is well.
The Wonnarua also check if there are too many weeds. They also look for invasive
plants, which are plants that don’t belong.

One thing that is very important for all of us is good fire which is called a cultural cool
burn.
A cultural cool burn, burns low and close to the ground. It keeps the land healthy.
Mum says the people will light a fire soon. She likes it when the fire comes.
Mum says the fire gets the land ready for new foods to grow.

Aboriginal people have been caring for Country (Coquan) in Australia for over 60
thousand years. That’s a really long time! Way before I was born.

Deadly Firestick Farming Full Text

They practise traditional ways to maintain our landscapes and make sure that there is
plenty of food for everyone.
Some plants need fire to help them open and drop their seeds for new plants to grow.
I love eating fresh plants!
It is very important to keep our land clear of weeds and give all the plants a chance to
get the sunlight they need to grow.
The best thing about using fire to care for the land is that no harmful chemicals are
used.
I like jumping around with my friends and after a fire we have lots of cleared space to
play games. Mum can easily watch us, so we remain safe.

The fire cleans the land so we can see where we are going. It is very similar to when
you mow the lawn in your yard.
The fire helps the plants. The heat from the fire helps the plants to germinate their
seeds.
The insects come out and eat.
The birds eat the insects and the seeds from the plants.

When the birds fly their droppings contain seeds and the plants grow from them.
If we do not have regular cultural cool burns the land will become overgrown with grasses
and weeds. The land will get sick.
In the hot summers we can have bushfires. These fires are not good. They burn too
hot.

Credits

The fire rises into the canopies of the trees. The hot fires burn everything, and they
move very fast across the land.
This makes the land and us very sad.
I am still very careful around fire and stay close to my mum when a cultural cool burn
is happening but now, I understand how it works.
I feel grown up because I think it’s good, just like my mother, when a burn is about to
commence.
After the fire when the plants grow we are all going to gather together and have a big
feast. It’s beautiful to lay back with a full belly and my friends watching the smoke in
the sunset. This is the good fire caring for Country (Coquan).
The animals and the people help the land.
In return, the land looks after us.