For thousands of years, Indigenous peoples have used fire as a tool to cultivate and sustain the land. Yet, colonization and fire suppression policies criminalized these ancient practices, leading to devastating consequences for ecosystems and communities. Today, cultural fire practitioners are reclaiming the knowledge of their ancestors, bringing back "good fire" to heal the land, reduce catastrophic wildfires, and restore balance.
Join us for an illuminating conversation with Elizabeth Azzuz, a dedicated cultural fire practitioner working to restore Indigenous fire stewardship. As a member of the Cultural Fire Management Council, Elizabeth helps train new generations of fire lighters, ensuring that traditional ecological knowledge continues to shape a more resilient and thriving landscape.
In this webinar, we will explore:
The spiritual and ecological importance of cultural burning.
How fire supports food, medicine, and basket-making materials.
The challenges Indigenous fire practitioners face in reclaiming their ancestral stewardship.
The growing recognition of prescribed fire as a solution to today’s wildfire crisis.
Elizabeth’s work is not just about fire—it is about sovereignty, cultural survival, and the renewal of life itself. Come listen, learn, and support the movement to restore Indigenous fire practices to the land.
Elizabeth Azzuz is a cultural fire practitioner who has been burning since the age of four. Her Karuk grandfather taught her about her obligations to Mother Earth after catching her playing with fire. She is a mother and grandmother, and she gathers foods, medicines, teas, and basket materials in post-burn areas. As part of the Cultural Fire Management Council, she works to train fire lighters to restore ecosystems with the greatest tool left by the Creator—fire.
You can learn more about Elizabeth and Cultural Fire Fire Management Council at https://www.culturalfire.org/
Conversation Series Schedule
Connecting with the Essence of the Forest, March 11th
Featuring Kate Gilday, Clinical Herbalist and Flower Essence Practitioner
➡️Webinar
Forest Community: The Ecology of Relationships, March 18
Featuring Luke Cannon, Ethnobotanist, Naturalist and Teacher
➡️Webinar
Forest Folklore, April 1st
Featuring Katherine Parker, Forest Farmer, Storyteller and Guide
➡️Webinar
Cultural Fire, April 8th
Featuring Elizabeth Azuzz, Karuk Cultural Fire Practitioner
➡️Webinar
Our Green Heart: The Soul and Science of Forests, May 6th
Featuring Diana Beresford-Kroger, Botanist, Biochemist, Biologist and Poet of the Global Forest
➡️Webinar
