Tribes call on spirits for strength to fight Carr Fire

If you missed this, it’s worth finding and reading. The Redding Record Searchlight reported that in August during the Carr Fire the Redding Rancheria Tribe welcomed Hawaiian and Samoan firefighters with prayer and celebration when they arrived. In turn the American Samoan group sang for their hosts.

The firefighters were welcomed with prayer, food, drumming and singing by the North State Native Americans. It was the first time these groups had met. Included in the story is how the tribes used to collect and burn the underbrush that fuels these fires each year.

That tradition was passed along to European-American sheep farmers who settled there later and it worked well. That changed when a big bear named Smokey arrived and determined all fires should be put out. Burning the underbrush stopped. Fires became a bigger problem.

See the story at redding.com or  https://reddingne.ws/2MfNayy