An archaeological example of Aboriginal management of a hydro-ecological system in the Murray River valley, South Australia

Author:

Westell CraigORCID,Roberts AmyORCID,McCullough DanielORCID

Abstract

Context A rare archaeological example of Aboriginal water management in a Murray River floodplain upstream of Renmark is described and contextualised. Aims Historical accounts, archaeological descriptions and hydrological modelling are used to propose a likely function of the site. Methods The site was documented through archaeological field recording, a digital elevation model (DEM) developed through a real-time kinematic (RTK) survey and flood inundation modelling (FIM), and is interpreted through a review of archival and documentary sources. Key results The site represents one of only a few extant physical examples of Aboriginal water management in the Riverland and greater Murray–Darling Basin. Conclusions Our assessment indicates that Aboriginal people had excavated an artifical channel within the Calperum floodplain in order to manipulate natural water connectivity, most likely as part of a fish trap or weir structure. Implications The site builds an appreciation of the complexity of Aboriginal land practices and supports the impression gained though historical accounts of a curated and managed riverscape.

Funder

Australian Government, Australian Research Council

Publisher

CSIRO Publishing

Subject

Ecology,Aquatic Science,Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics,Oceanography

Reference57 articles.

1. Austin J, Gallant J (2010) Stitching elevation and bathymetry data for the Murray River and Lower Lakes, South Australia. CSIRO Water for a Healthy Country Flagship, Technical Report EP105652. (CSIRO Land and Water) Available at

2. Berndt RM, Berndt CH (1993) ‘A world that was: the Yaraldi of the Murray River and The Lakes, South Australia.’ (Melbourne University Press: Melbourne, Vic., Australia)

3. Of the Aborigines inhabiting the great Lacustrine and Riverine depression of the Lower Murray, Lower Murrumbidgee, Lower Lachlan and Lower Darling.;Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales,1883

4. Bloss C, Eckert G, Cetin L (2015) River Murray flood mitigation planning: assessment of flood consequences. DEWNR Technical report 2015/56, Government of South Australia, Department of Environment, Water and Natural Resources, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

5. Builth H (2002) The archaeology and socioeconomy of the Gunditjmara: a landscape analysis from Southwest Victoria, Australia. PhD thesis, Flinders University, Adelaide, SA, Australia.

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