There is a book called “1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus” written by Charles Mann that you might be interested in.
It goes into depth on the numerous indigenous cultures in the Americas right before contact with Europeans. What they did and how they managed their environment was NOT taught (and most likely not known) when I was going to school in anthropology in the late ‘70s - early ‘80s.
Fire was a big part of it. Very interesting read. I highly recommend it.
When they opened the Oakland Museum in the 1960s much of the exhibits were based on the “Fire Cycle” of the California landscape. The exhibits were beautiful and showed how periodic forest and grass fires rejuvenated the landscape with plant forms that could not thrive in a landscape with mature trees emerging from the charcoal. There are some native seeds that will not grow without the stimulus of fire.
BUT, they never once claimed in their exhibits that the Indians started some of those fires. They always blamed lightning. Of course, anyone who has lived in CA for any length of time knows that lightning storms are not as prevalent as they are in the Mid West, for instance.
I think I read an article (or excerpt) from Charles Mann’s book recently. The title sounds very familiar. Maybe it was here.
Just finished his 1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created, from which I assume this article is drawn.
Fascinating.