Indigenous-led Research Restores Fire Stewardship in the Saskatchewan River Delta
The Saskatchewan River Delta is the fifth largest delta in the world and home to a rich diversity of animals and plants.
It’s also home to Indigenous people who want Indigenous science taken into account, especially when it comes to the role of fire in restoring the Delta. That’s where Solomon Carriere and Michela Carriere come in.
Tired of watching outside researchers come and go, too often without consideration of Indigenous science, Solomon and Michela applied through the We Are Fire project to conduct their own research using a combination of Indigenous and western science so, “the science can stay in our area and create benefits for our people,” and because doing using a combination of Indigenous and western sciences provides a “fuller picture of the Delta.”
They also appreciate that, “western science shapes the rules for when and where fire can be used, and those rules don’t always reflect conditions on the ground.” For example, the rules typically prevent burning after March 31st, but Solomon and Michela know from generations of oral history and decades of experience that dates on a calendar are substandard when compared to considerations of factors like snow levels, humidity, and plant-life cycles.
Solomon and Michela are quick to point out that Indigenous peoples have intricate systems for burning such as burning unwanted weeds and restoring plants that animals need. When burning isn’t done properly, invasive phragmites (large perennial red grasses) grow, thick vegetation blocks sunlight to certain plants, and small animals have trouble traversing land. When phragmites fall into nearby lakes they decay and remove oxygen from the water, stressing fish and aquatic plants. This has detrimental effects on the ecology.
They are already sharing their research findings with the community and university partners. The website they created at wearefire.ca is translated for Cree and English, and contains all the research findings to date. The project started small, but has grown, and now they are doing more research and teaching other Indigenous communities about their methods.
You can read Solomon and Michelea’s story at: Indigenous-led Research Helps Restore Fire Stewardship and Biodiversity in the Saskatchewan River Delta — Indigenous Leadership Initiative
You can read about the work of We Are Fire at: Home | We Are Fire
