2.8.2
The pearl shell trade
Pearl shells travelled the furthest of all traded items in ancient Australia. The Ngarluma People collected them from beaches or reefs using rafts. They traded the shells with the Yindjibarndi, Nyamal and Njangamarda-Iparuka Peoples for spears made from mulga and witjuti wood. Wrapped in soft bark, the shells passed through many hands. The Gooniyandi People collected pearl shells from the Fitzroy River and traded pearl shells, stone blades and spear points for boomerangs and carved spears with desert peoples.
SOURCE4 Pearl shells
The further the pearl shells travelled from the Kimberley coastline, the more valuable they became. Evidence of their journey is found from the tropics in the far north to the mallee scrub between Adelaide and Victoria. 2.8.3 Trade practices Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities lived in small groups on Country for most of the year, moving with the seasons and available food. An important event was the annual gathering when food was plentiful. Feasts on freshwater eels in Western Victoria or Bogong moths in the Snowy Mountains allowed for ceremonies, marriages, legal decisions and trade. 2.8.4 Gatherings When groups gathered, they sent formal invitations with message sticks. In western Victoria, the land was crowded, but people shared resources and traded when there was enough food. At Mount Noorat, people traded spear points, possum cloaks, acacia resin, seashells and net bags during eel feasts. Leftover eels were dried and wrapped in kangaroo skin to take home. In the Snowy Mountains, when the snow melted, there was plenty of food. Every year, the Ngarigo and Walgalu Peoples sent message stick invitations to nearby groups for trade and ceremonies. Men caught Bogong moths, cooked them into rissoles, and shared them at feasts. Did you know? Dr Heather Builth, an archaeologist, studied how the Gunditjmara People farmed eels in Victoria’s Lake Condah wetlands. She thought the farms could feed up to 10 000 people. Bogong moths come from the Bogong High Plains in the Victorian Alps. When roasted, they taste nutty and are very nutritious.
TOPIC2 Deep Time to modern era 47
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