Indigenous fire stewardship in Brazil's Cerrado challenges colonial land management paradigms
Original framing: “In Brazil's Cerrado region, Indigenous fire practices reshape wildfire strategy” — Phys.org
The Xerente’s fire practices are part of a broader Indigenous worldview that sees land as a living entity to be cared for, not controlled. These practices are not just environmental but spiritual, rooted in a cosmology that integrates human and ecological well-being.
The Xerente’s fire practices in the Cerrado are not just a response to wildfire but a reclamation of Indigenous sovereignty, ecological knowledge, and cultural identity.
These practices challenge the colonial paradigm that separates land management from Indigenous governance and reveal the limitations of Western fire suppression models. By integrating Indigenous fire stewardship into national policy, Brazil can move toward a more just and ecologically resilient future. This requires dismantling legal and political barriers to Indigenous land rights, supporting intergenerational knowledge transmission, and recognizing fire as a cultural and ecological act of care. The Cerrado’s fire story is part of a global Indigenous resurgence that reclaims land, knowledge, and agency in the face of environmental and colonial violence.