According to Cherokee legend, Lightning brought fire to the world, placing it in a hollow sycamore tree. Smoke soon rose through the air, alerting all nearby: people and animals alike. Eager to go after the fire, Raven-- a strong white-feathered bird-- was the first to volunteer to retrieve the element. With the Council's approval, Raven flew to the sycamore and perched on a branch, pondering its next move. As it sat on the sycamore, the fire's heat reached up and scorched Raven's feathers, turning them black. Spooked by the flames, Raven flew away, unsuccessful in its mission. Raven's feathers remained black ever since.
In the legend, lightning-induced flames scorched the sycamore and Raven. Today this story continues to come to life, albeit with a modern twist. Though lightning is still a significant cause of wildfires, a new source of ignition is now in the mix:
When I first read this statistic, I had to do a double-take. "Really?! Aren't wildfires considered natural disasters?". Like earthquakes, floods, and tornadoes, my brain put these events into a category titled: Beyond my Control. Upon further reflection, however, I began to see how wildfire is different. Imagine a world in which spilled milk could start a flash flood, sneezing could send a tornado through your neighborhood, or dropping an expensive vase could trigger a category seven earthquake. It sounds ridiculous. But now picture a single spark-- from a power line, campfire, or match-- bursting into flames and burning a thousand acres.
Unlike other natural disasters, wildfires are easy to create and have an incredible ability to scale. As a result, small actions can have major consequences. Raven certainly had a right to be spooked! Luckily, just as we have the power to ignite wildfires, we can also reduce unwanted ignitions, changing wildfire's origin story. Start now by learning about CAL FIRE's One Less Spark campaign and stay tuned for more info!
Additional Origins of Fire
For this post, I was inspired by the Cherokee "First Fire" legend. However, there are several other origin stories of fire. I invite you to explore more origin stories through the links below.
Resources
All resources in this article are hyperlinked for ease of use. I will be reviewing this article periodically to ensure that the links remain accurate. However, if one of the links is not working, please shoot me an email to let me know! Below are also the standard citations:
First People (n.d.) The First Fire-- A Cherokee Legend.
CAL FIRE (2019) One Less Spark.
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