POSTSCRIPT: Early Accounts of Native American Fire Practices in California

Fire as medicine in California and across the American West.

The piece I wrote the day after the L.A. fires started titled Why Los Angeles Is Burning references the traditional fire setting practices of Native Americans, used to manage landscapes.

This is no secret, though for some reason its historicity remains controversial to some. I learned about this practice from speaking with descendants of these Native Americans and the ranchers who learned from them. There are also several references in books written by early California settlers who witnessed Native land management techniques in California. I wanted to share a few of those here for anyone interested in learning more about things we’ve forgotten in the West.

This sketch shows Indians in Oregon, near the Mt. Hood foothills, playing a spear game. Historians believe the clearing shows proof of traditional burning practices. Courtesy Oreg. Hist. Soc. Research Library, OrHi 102218, found here.

The Last of the West by Frank Asbill

I quoted some of this one in the original article, but here’s some more from that passage in its context. I find this account absolutely fascinating.