Description
From the introduction to the document ... '... In summary there are eleven major reasons for American Indian ecosystem burning, which are drived from well over 300 studies: Hunting ...Crop management ... Improve growth and yields ... Fireproof areas ... Insect collection ... Pest maagement ...Warfare & signaling ... Economic extortion ... Clearing areas for travel ... Felling trees ... Clearing riparian areas.' From the text...'The folllowing references are part of a growing literature of the intentional use of fire by American Indians in English speaking portions of North America. The compiler has shamelessly used bibliographies from the many reports, chapters, and books to build up the Indian use of fire references that will prove useful for many researchers and authors. I have not had the time to check the accuracy of every source. Also, I have not listed references from other countries (e.g. Australia), although they will certainly prove instructive. Henry Lewis has written extensively about the use of fire by the Aboriginal people of Australia. Steve Pyne, in his book World of Fire: The Culture of Fire on Earth (1995) notes that use of fire by native peoples to change ecosystems or portions thereof is almost universal.'