Lutruwita, TAS

The Lutruwita (Tasmania) Aboriginal community have maintained a strong connection with Living Knowledge Network since 2014 by attending our annual National Indigenous Fire Workshops and 2023 Custodians of Country Gathering.

From the knowledge gained at these gatherings, the Lutruwita community first returned Cultural Fire to Country in 2014. Over the decade since, they've strengthened Cultural Fire knowledge and conducted many burns on community-owned and private lands.

But training the next generation of lutruwita Fire Practitioners has always been an aspiration. In partnership with the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre and Aboriginal Land Council of Tasmania, Living Knowledge Network began running the first Cultural Fire mentoring program on Lutruwita and tayaritja (Furneaux Islands) in late 2022, to support community in returning their cultural practice to Country.

One highlight involved an intergenerational Cultural Fire workshop on lungtalanana where 50 Aboriginal community members aged from 6 years old to Elders shared cultural knowledge and practice. It's also been exciting to see the right fire returned to Mutton Birds rockery on Big Dog Island. Palawa people have used mutton birding for food and livelihood for an estimated 10,000 years or more which makes it one of the longest uninterrupted food-gathering activities in the world.