Traces of Sovereignty: Plumes of Smoke in Colonial Prints.

In early colonial prints of coastal profiles and inland surveys, wisps of smoke uncoil in uncharted territory, signalling human presence on this continent. From today's perspective, since our reprisal of the doctrine of terra nullius, they can be seen as place markers of Indigenous sovereignty. Before European incursion, we have recently learned, traditional burning practices had kept the Australian landscape 'parklike' and flourishing for millennia. Once emptied of their custodians and carers, these Indigenous estates became overgrown, fire-prone and unable to sustain their distinct and varied ecologies. This article shows settler perceptions of Indigenous fire practices as graphically depicted in a selection of early engravings by convict artists and explorers. How do we view these colonial artworks of Aboriginal traditional burning through the retrospective lens of a belated recognition of its role in managing bushfire? Images of Aboriginal smoke plumes in colonial topographies, and the changing technologies of print that produced them, offer new ways to reflect on recent Australian bushfires, with their many layers of loss. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]