The definition of gaslighting can be extended to include an act or acts perpetuated by any person in a position of power designed to manipulate less powerful others to doubt themselves or question their own sanity or memory (Davis & Ernst, 2019).
Ive had some interesting emails before but a month ago I was contacted by Jeri-Lynn Fleming with the DV Program based in North West North Dakota. She uses the same quote as the title of this blog – originally from the Shona people of Zimbabwe. Jeri-Lynn had selected scarred trees “to illustrate the long-term emotional effects of abuse” and wanted to use some of my website photos. She went on to say “CMTs are deeply relevant to many indigenous tribes in Australia. Home of the worlds oldest known hafted (‘with a handle’) ground-edge axe” Jeri-Lynn explains the process of psychological warfare aka Gaslighting in the DV area. “The goal in Playing Dumb/ Feigning Ignorance is to wear down the victim into self-doubt and frustration”.
What I have faced in the last 5 years is institutionalised academic gaslighting. Universities & Indig.organizations refuse to acknowledge TinTs and the local Elders group/ Land council won’t request research. Aboriginal studies academics rarely reply to emails and never come to see the TinTs for themselves so it’s a classic bureaucratic catch-22. I’m leaving here in 2026 and the knowledge goes with me but the website will remain open to shame you all.
Now if the Australian Aboriginal ancestors made the first true axes and baked the first bread its possible they also discovered the first medicinal & fire starting uses of fungi …ie were the first mycologists as well as botanists. There is a large fungus found around a few camps here on CMTs or Needlewood trees (Hakea leucoptera – bin.gawin.gal). This fungus is known as the Tinder or Horseshoe fungus & its scientific name is Fomes fomentarius. It’s a big saprophytic (wood decomposing) fungus whose fruiting body (the bit you see) is shaped like a horseshoe. The ‘Tinder’ name comes from this fungus being found with the 5000 year old body of a man preserved in the Swiss Alps aka the “Tyrolean Iceman”. F.fomentarius has never been recorded growing away from the coast in Australia before (ie not found in inland Australia) yet here it is about 1 K from my house.
“Fomes fomentarius was found with the 5000-year-old Iceman who might have used this polypore (shelf fungi) to make and preserve fire, as first aid kit, as insect repellent, or for spiritual purposes” & “The history of the tinder fungus is deeply intertwined with human civilization, dating back to the era of our hunter-gatherer ancestors. Despite being inedible, F. fomentarius has traditionally been used as the key ingredient of amadou, a material primarily used as tinder for starting a fire. (Peintner et al., 1998; Pöder and Peintner, 1999). European medicinal polypores – A modern view on traditional uses 2014, Journal of Ethnopharmacology
Now this is where it gets really interesting – the Tinder fungus is also found on TinTs over on Wailwun country. These 2 similar wilga in blackbox TinTs have Tinder fungus implants and are less than 2 ks apart.
In a straight line between these 2 fungal TinTs is this splendid black box ring tree below. The southernmost wilga/fungal TinT is less than 3 Ks from Cuddie springs while the northernmost wilga/fungal TinT is 1.6 K from the Scaevola Spinescens {Maroon Bush, Murin Murin, Prickly Fan Flower, Currant bush} BinT shown below.
“Scaevola spinescens/Maroon bush is an Aboriginal bush medicine and has traditionally been used by Aboriginal people for the treatment of cancer, heart disease, intestinal trouble, urinary problems, kidney trouble and general illnesses. It is believed to be beneficial in the treatment of cancer.” Maroon Bush Medicine web site http://bushmedicine.ws
To all those academic sceptics out there I ask you this – do you think birdshit is responsible for the Wilga guest growing in the blackbox AND the F.fomentarius fungus on the same tree? What about the same size combo 1.8 Ks away? Think bigger & acknowledge traditional knowledge!
F. fomentarius may have originated on the coast but someone(s) probably brought it inland & traded it at the regular Narran lakes / Brewarrina fishtraps / Cuddie springs / Macquarie marshes gatherings. The Kamilaroi & Wailwun clans have grown it in eucalypts & needlewood & possibly supplejack here (need to check that) for whatever cultural purposes. Come & see it for yourselves before it dies out – Wikipedia says the tinder fungus lives 30 years max but l suspect its way older. The Tinder fungus just near the house (1st pic 20th Oct 2022) has died off & now looks like the next 2 photos (29th March 2025) as pointed out by my niece Emilia Currey. This fungus is only thriving in needlewood trees here, not bimblebox – more wood in solid rather than hollow trees or eucalypts have stronger defences?
I suspect this fungus & others may have been used to prep trees to accept guests. This is what my mate James Briggs (Kamilaroi) who is the Project Manager at the Butchulla Native Title Aboriginal Corporation (BNTAC) and his CHO (Cultural Heritage Officer) have to say …
“The establishment of TinTs remains a complex mystery, raising questions about how they were planted and sustained in harsh conditions. If, as Allan Tighe suggests, they weren’t watered, then their survival depended on precise placement. This could mean a deep understanding of microclimates, selecting the right host tree, and possibly even preparing the site in a way that encouraged natural establishment. There may have been techniques such as stripping bark, hollowing sections, or using fire to weaken the host just enough for the guest tree to take hold.”
&
“If watering wasn’t part of the process, then timing and location must have been crucial. The trees may have been planted during rare wet periods or in places where underground moisture was accessible. It’s possible that mycorrhizal fungi played a role in transferring nutrients between host and guest, creating an underground network that kept the guest alive even in extreme heat. Understanding these ecological relationships could be key to replicating their survival today.”
The connection between TinTs and fungi remains unclear. I think the Tinder fungus may have had another use, & that was to prepare a host tree to accept (& nurture?) a guest.
“The mycelium forms symbiotic relationships with plants, particularly their roots. This is called mycorrhiza. The plant, in the process of photosynthesis, provides the mycelium with carbohydrates, while the mycelium feeds the plant with important nutrients such as phosphorus, nitrogen, and water, which it extracts from the soil. This is extremely beneficial for plants in nutrient poor environments.”
“But that’s not all! Through the mycelium network, plants are capable of sharing resources. For example, a large well established tree might transfer nutrients to a small, sapling struggling in the shade, ensuring that the next generation of trees get a head start. This type of cooperation is vital for the survival of the forest as a whole.”
FROM Mycelium: Nature’s Underground Network of Life by Rosie Gabriella · Published August 11, 2024 · Updated April 2, 2025
So what if the host or ‘hub’ tree (mostly old hollow eucalypts) could be tricked into sustaining a guest tree (22 different scrub species) like it was a ‘kin’ tree. What if the ‘old clever people’ had worked this out & applied this knowledge to creating TinTs?
These holes in eucalypts below have been created by F.fomentaris/ Tinder fungus – were they then used as living seedling niches connected to & fed by the host via mycelium? You tell me …
