Wed 21 Sep

[Man From Ironbark]

Wonder what you are all up to. My days are while you sleep.

A bit of colour in the distance.

[Dave]

Thanks for starting the Daily, MFI.

That's a very pleasant scene; one of many that your vast country presents.

I haven't taken many photos recently but did manage a few yesterday. Here's one of a small hummer (probably a female Anna's Hummingbird) at the feeder in our inner yard. For a hummingbird photo there is nothing special about it. But I was surprised to see such an intense glow of reflected red light on the birds chin and belly...

   

Wishing a happy, healthy, and productive day to all.

[damar]

Thanks for the start, MFIB Peter!
Looks very sunny and mild in your area!
The yellow looks great through the smooth bark tree trunk!
Despite the time difference, its always nice when you post!

Hi Dave!
Nice HB capture!
Light and color is interesting!

I'm digging back to January 2008 at the Etowah Indian Mounds
(village)
(D200 photos)

This is DD on one of the mounds with the river behind her
   


This is the rock structure in the river used to trap fish

[Dave]

Thanks for sharing the photos of Etowah, damar. That's a pretty large mound.

The fish trap reminds me of similar methods used by Native Americans elsewhere (I'm thinking the Pacific northwest to trap salmon but I'm not 100 percent sure of this).

I did some quick research, and confirmed that Etowah was part of the widespread Mississippian culture. It looks like a small version of Cahokia, although it came a few centuries after Cahokia. Both sites had platform mounds upon which structures for tribal chiefs and/or spiritual leaders were built. And both had extensive defensive fortifications and central gathering areas.

I plan to do more research on this fascinating site; for one thing, I'm interested in learning if Etowah had features indicating careful astronomical observation.

[damar]

Interesting info, Dave. I'm not sure about astronomical observations.
What I find interesting is that our rivers are prone to flooding in heavy rains and this site does appear to be in the flood plain.
So how many times did the river rise and yet the mounds are still there.
Here is a model (from inside the on-site museum) of how they believe the
village was configured. You can still see the remnants of the "borrow pit" where they took soil to build the mounds.
https://66.media.tumblr.com/056d1eb57e2e...3_1280.jpg

[Man From Ironbark]

Thanks for the comment Patty.

Now about fish traps.

It has been suggested that these Brewarrina fish traps may be the oldest human construction in the world. The age of the fish traps is currently unknown.
That even the biggest floods did not disrupt the layout of the stones.
Though white man stole many of the stones to build with;
In the 1920s, townsfolk at Brewarrina loaded carts with stones from the fish traps to use for foundations of buildings in the town. A weir completed in the 1970s damaged some of the traps and altered the sediment flows and ecology of the river. Native fish could not pass through the weir’s steep fishway. Despite over 160 years of destruction and loss of traditional management and maintenance, substantial elements of the fish traps and their significance to Aboriginal people survive. Today, Aboriginal people in the region continue to use, maintain and care for the fish traps.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewarrina...Fish_Traps
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-ne...protection
https://www.dcceew.gov.au/parks-heritage...brewarrina

[Dreamin]

This thread has some interesting information....and some nice photos....Thanks for sharing!