Indians, Fire, and the Land in the Pacific Northwest

by Robert Boyd

Early explorers to the Pacific Northwest expected to encounter a land of dense forests. Instead, their writings reveal that they were often surprised to discover spacious meadows, prairies, and open spaces. Far from a pristine wilderness, much of the Northwest landscape was actively managed and shaped by the hands of its Native American inhabitants. Their primary tool was fire. During more than 10,000 years of occupation, Native Americans in the Northwest learned the intricacies of their local envrionments and how to use fire to create desired effects, mostly in the quest for food. The essays collected in this important volume summarize virtually everything that is currently known about the use of fire in the environment. The fourteen contributors bring to the discussion expertise in such areas as anthropology, environmental history, ethnohistory, ethnobotany, forestry, cultural ecology and paleobotany. Drawing on historical journals, Native American informants, and botanical and forestry studies, the contributors describe local patterns of fire use in eight ecoregions, representing all parts of the Native Northwest, from southwest Oregon to British Columbia and from Puget Sound to the Northern Rockies. The essays provide glimpses into a unique understanding of the environment--a traditional ecological knowledge now for the most part lost.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Science, Indigenous

313 pages, Paperback

First published March 1, 1999

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Reviews

[Mitchell Friedman · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tough book. I learned a lot but we'll see what I retain. This is a barely popularized bit of science writing. Really the popularization was mostly having these essays gathered in book form with intro and epilogue. I kept putting this down and reading other things. It is interesting to consider that managing the land with fire doesn't just lower wildfire danger, it actually makes the land accomplish different things - which certainly is not the target for usage. Worth the challenge of reading.

[Phil · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book that pulls together the many studies and papers on how the Pacific Northwest's lands were actively managed by the native Americans using fire. Excellent reading that shows often the indigenous people knew best after all.

[Mathieu · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good collection of reports and papers about Indigenous use of fire on the landscape.