Spark Artist

‍Cultural burning using Indigenous fire skills, technologies & techniques

Joe Scott is a member of the Confederated Tribes of Siletz and identifies as a Rogue River Indian. He is a lifetime resident of Oregon, currently living in the Willamette Valley on the ancestral homeland of the Kalapuya People. This abundant landscape of woodlands, meadows and waterways shaped his sense that human people, ecology and beauty are interconnected. Through the study of Tribal language, Joe worked with traditional artists and knowledge keepers. He began making dance regalia, developing and refining his skills as a carver and weaver, and learning other traditional arts and practices. A common theme through this work emerged: superior plant and animal materials are shaped by Indigenous fire science and technology. Joe studied with elders and practitioners to learn the tools, techniques and traditions of cultural burning. He is currently studying Indigenous fire use as fundamental to restoring material culture and tradition. This field of focus has guided his work as a cultural fire practitioner, supporting ecological balance and abundant materials, and as a craftsperson using those fire-tended materials in his work.

“The traditional knowledge and skills defining and shaping material culture come through generations of ecological understanding, stories, and shared experience. Central to this knowledge is the role of community-led burning and the tending practice of cultural fire. The complex and nuanced process of restoring this fundamental element to Indigenous communities and fire-adapted landscapes is itself an artistic endeavor, and the grace and beauty of good fire is expressed in the material culture it supports. These are the gifts of fire.”