Brewarrina fish traps (Baiame's Ngunnhu)
Trampas de pesca de Brewarrina (Baiame's Ngunnhu)
- Date
- fecha indeterminada (en uso en 1840) · confidence low
- Place
- Barwon River, Brewarrina, New South Wales, Australia
- Credited to
- Ngemba people and neighbouring nations
- Field
- Life & health
⚠️ Disputed: the sources disagree.
What it is
A maze of stone walls about 500 m long in the riverbed that channels fish towards pools where they are caught according to water level. Its use was regulated by rules that shared out the catch among several clans.
Its age is unknown: estimates range from thousands to more than 40,000 years without reliable dating. Part of the structure was damaged in the 19th century.
What it led to
- collective management of a fishery resource
- large seasonal intertribal gatherings
- dry-stone hydraulic engineering