Kunjin — Fire

Kunjin

Kunjin is the Yalanji term for fire. This element, much like water, is sacred to the Yalanji community and holds significant cultural lineage with Yalanji men as Kunjin signifies the role they play in nourishing the earth through the traditional fire burning practice. The First Law of Yalanji links men with fire as far back as the creation of the technology – jimal (fire stick) – that brought abundance of fire to the Yalanji. Yalanji have five seasonal categories, known by the typical weather patterns of that period. 1. Kambar: proper wet season late December to March 2. Kabakababa: winter rain season April to May 3. Buluriji: cold season June to September 4. Wungariji: hot season October to November 5. Jarramali: stormy season late November to the middle of December Within these seasons there are significant cultural ceremonies and practices such as men’s traditional fire burning and women’s water ceremonies which also link into ceremonies and the use of technologies and tools that highlight the important lineage with men’s and women’s business. The role technology plays in Yalanji culture was vitally important to sustaining the environment. Much can be learnt if Western Science accepts First Science as an important equal way of science practice. • Watch the Gordonvale High School Year 8 students develop inquiry skills by focusing on the science and skills that

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people have developed and still use today in fire making. bit.ly/354KxKx • Read the Careers with STEM: Indigenous article ‘Mixed Reality Storyteller’ p7 on Mikeala’s Jade’s augmented reality app. bit.ly/3IfzBrM • Read about Roianne West’s Professor of First People’s health in ‘Emergency! Health careers are spreading fast!’ on p10 of Careers with STEM: Indigenous issue. bit.ly/3IgXAa4

Culture & Governance

The jimal is the Kuku Yalanji word for firestick. The use of this ancient technology enabled Yalanji to terraform the environment through traditional fire burning practices, which has sustained our environments for thousands of years and has a positive impact on carbon reduction. Considering projects which convert Indigenous knowledge such as Traditional Burning into AI and the use of drones and fire cannons, what are the ethical things to consider in combining technology with Indigenous practices, bearing in mind that Indigenous ways of learning involve being on country? The role of technology has shaped our cultures and defined our personal views of the world we live in. What are the ethics involved in the use of the technologies and digital devices you use on a daily basis and what are some governance issues with these technologies (for example, facial recognition on your phone and Artificial Intelligence)? How might you use technology to share knowledge and stories? Who gives permission for these stories to be shared? Read/research: Responsible use of drones — CSIRO: bit.ly/3hsWH2k

Arts & Communication

Narrate your own experiences in learning science and using technology from the perspective of an avatar. Talk about yourself in your environment – how do you feel when you start and finish this task? Create a narrative around the experience of learning science using any tool you like - this could be audio or visual, a song, poem, poster, video or mood board, that represents how you see yourself in the environment.

First Science

Food, the environment and people form part of an interconnected network. There can be positive and negative aspects to terraforming the land, and the way we use the land now might not be how we want to use it in the future. Indigenous governance around terraforming has had a positive impact and will continue to have a positive impact now and into the future. There is a lot humanity can learn from Indigenous peoples and their unique relationships with the lands. Research the use of technology like jimal, or the returning boomerang — how was it used in the past? How is it used today, and how might it be used in the future? Invent a new product that focuses on food security is based on something from the land (such as plants, algae, animals). What does your product do and who is it for? What are the ethical implications of using this technology? How will the use of this product impact the environment/ecology it is from? How might people use your technology in the future?

CURRICULUM LINKS

Year 7/8 — Science knowledge can develop through collaboration across the disciplines of science and the contributions of people from a range of cultures (ACSHE223)

Year 9 — Ecosystems consist of communities of interdependent organisms and abiotic components of the environment; matter and energy flow through these systems (ACSSU176)