Bright A., and Marranunggu M.M. (1995) "Burn grass", Rose D.B (ed) Country in Flames, Proceedings of the 1994 symposium on biodiversity and fire in North Australia.

April Bright talks about the importance of burning off the country for the Mak Mak Marranunggu - her country is bordered by the Finniss River, Reynolds River, northern Litchfield and the western part of the Wagait Aboriginal Reserve.

For these people "burn grass" is an old as time itself, burning of the country was handed down from the Dreamtime and is part of their responsibility in looking after their country.

Burn grass is the time of year just after the wet when the grass starts to dry out - the country tells you when to burn and where. The Mak Mak Marranunggu burnt their country every year, if they didnt they would have alot of litter accumulation, then if a fire was lit it would do alot of damage to the plants and animals on the country.

April continues her story by talking about why they burn grass:

• for good hunting

• to control noxious plants

She also talks about the pattern of burning and how as the water dries up, the country dries up and then it is lit. She also comments that:

• big winds - spread fires rapidly and burn dry grass, leaves and dead wood

• slow winds - when there is just enough to keep fires burning, these are done around areas that you want to protect such as areas of signficance or rainforest

• hot burns -are late in the dry season and are lit when the ridge country is dry, these fires help crack open nut fruits, allowing seeds to regenerate

• floodplains - are the last areas to dry up after the wet and are burnt hot before it becomes to dry