The Importance of Fire in Aboriginal Culture and How to Explore This in the Classroom
Making fire through friction is one of humanity’s oldest skills — and within Aboriginal culture, it has been used in many purposeful and sophisticated ways for thousands of years.
Fire played a vital role in daily life and cultural practice, including:
Providing warmth
Cooking food
Driving animals toward hunters
Ceremonial purposes, such as during burials
Crafting and manufacturing artefacts
Fire-stick farming to promote specific vegetation growth
Repelling insects
Heating and softening resins for toolmaking
The significance of fire in Aboriginal life is deeply embedded in Dreaming stories and can be seen in countless Aboriginal rock art and cultural sites across the country. Fire is not just a tool — it’s a part of a knowledge system that connects people, land, and spirit.
These traditional uses of fire also offer rich opportunities for STEM learning in the classroom, especially for older students. Topics like sustainable land management, thermodynamics, chemistry, and ecology can all be explored through the lens of Indigenous fire practices.
For younger learners, Looking After Country with Fire is a beautifully illustrated picture book designed for children aged 5 to 10. It introduces the concept of cultural burning and the deep respect First Nations people have for the land.
“Mother Nature has a language. If we listen, and read the signs in the land, we can understand it.”
In this story, Uncle Kuu takes readers out on Country to explain the practice of cultural burning — how it supports healthy ecosystems, encourages native plants to thrive, and creates safe habitats for people and animals alike. The book, with artwork by Sandra Steffensen, offers a powerful and timely message about Indigenous knowledge as a path forward in caring for Australia's landscapes.
The book also includes the lyrics to a song written by Victor Steffensen, based on his bestselling adult title, Fire Country. It’s a gentle yet important introduction to understanding and respecting Indigenous fire management — and how listening to the land can guide our future.
