>White man make big fire and stands back. Indian makes small fire and stands close

That's an old saying I've heard all my life. Someone recently said it the other day.

So, how big of a campfire does /out/ make?

I normally just make a Dakota fire hole, only for cooking/water heating, and only if I don't have my rocket stove with me. I only use a few twigs for fuel. About as much as you can hold in your hands where your thumbs and middle fingers touch tips if you try to grip the entire stack. They are only about 6-8 inches long and each is just a twig. That's normally my fuel for all fires for an entire day.