Aboriginal landcare covers vast tracts of land between communities and homelands. The distance between each varies from 20 to 100 kilometres, hence there are many hundreds of hectares of land which people rarely set foot on.

Traditionally Aboriginal people lived in small groups around rockholes and soakages. Every day they would hunt and gather food within walking distance from their camp. To make hunting easier, they would burn small patches of grass and spinifex and wait for the fresh green shoots to grow and attract hungry animals. Often the grass was burnt in strips so animals could hide in the grass on the unburnt areas. Animals could be easily caught while feeding on the fresh tender shoots. This practice was very effective and widely used by Aboriginal people across the lands.

Although the primary purpose of this patch burning practice was for hunting, it served a second and most important purpose. Much of the land that Aboriginal people lived on consisted of a mosaic of patches which had been burnt over a period of many years. In the event of hot wild fires which usually occurred in the summer season, the amount of vegetation or fuel load on the lands was greatly reduced due to the burnt patches. Hence the damage from these fires was minimised even in good seasons.

Picture 1. There is sufficient dry grass and debris around these young mulga trees (acacia aneura) to destroy them in a hot wildfire. Picture 2. As a result of a hot wildfire, all the vegetation in this picture has been destroyed.

Aboriginal people have now settled in communities and use a cash economy. Hunting is done from the back of a truck and mostly on week ends in leisure time. The need to patch burn for hunting purposes has been greatly diminished and huge fuel loads result after good seasons. Hot wild fires are a reality and are destroying much of the permanent vegetation eg. mulga (acacia anuera).

In the 1970's Aboriginal people began the homelands movement and many moved back to their homelands to live. When the fuel load on the lands is high, these small communities of people are surrounded by a potential fire hazard. Hence many people have been concerned by the threat of hot wild fires destroying their communities. Most people have already experienced the devastation of hot wild fires.

This concern became more intense toward the end of the 1980's and it was agreed to hold a "Patch Burning" workshop in September 89. The following invitation was given by Mr. Ivan Baker of the Kanypi homeland and it was sent to all communities and homelands across the Ngaanyatjarra, Pitjantjatjara and Yankunytjatjara lands. The original text was in Pitjantjatjara and this is a literal translation.

Proposed Patch Burning Workshop - by Ivan Baker

After this big rain, we have a lot of grass now, all over the A.P. Lands.
It is good that we have lots of food for the animals but it is getting dry now. Maybe big bushfires could start soon from lightning or other accidents. The bushfires could go all over the A.P. Lands and further.
We have got to start now, thinking about patch burning to protect our land.
If big bushfires start, they might go to important places and burn all the trees and chase all the animals away.
What about we get together and discuss a plan for managing the patch burning.
Mike Last has said that he could come to help us in September (12th, 13th and 14th).
Uluru Ranger, Lyn Baker, could come with all the Anangu who are doing the burning there.
It is most important that the people who know the land and people who know about patch burning come to this meeting.

Ivan Baker

Followup
This workshop did take place and patch burning is now practiced across the lands as part of the A.P. Land Management strategy. The following Patch Burning Workshop Report and pictures are an account of that workshop.