Historical Photos Bring Light to Traditional Fire Management in the Great Sandy Desert

‘Bayo explains that fire has always been a part of everyday Karajarri life, and the work of rangers is the modern version of what can be deciphered from the complex patterns in the old photos.’

In this beautiful photo exhibition and commentary from ABC news Australia published 11 May 2021, rare aerial photos intended to help open up the outback to mining following World War II instead deliver a lesson from the last generation of Indigenous people to live in the Great Sandy Desert on how to protect life and country. Old aerial photos taken in the 1940’s clearly show fire scars from the intricate burning of the Karajarri people, practices that continue through the work of the community’s present day rangers, with the benefits for biodiversity and community.

Read the full article here.