Fishing - Arakoon, NSW, Australia - Australian Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

FISHING
Aboriginal people often acted as "spotters" for commercial fishermen. The Aboriginal Elders could spot the fish and control the fishermen as they positioned their nets. They were highly respected for their traditional and spiritual knowledge. The Elders could read the time and tides and they could interpret the changes in the ocean. How exciting it must have been as a child experiencing this process.

"They would be up on the hill waving from different places. There would be different 'blokes' stranding there and waving to them." © Aunty Zona Martin

"The uncles used to stand on the lighthouse, up around Smoky on whatever good vantage point there was, or on the beach. And they'd just wave their hats to all the boats with nets out. But there was a knack to it, you had to have good eyes and ears. He had good eyes, he could see the coming around the point, probably from out near Hat Head. He'd see some speckles or something in the water and he'd tell them, "They're coming! Get the nets out!" They'd always get a good haul. You could say that Edward Buchanan, he taught everyone here, the white settlers, he showed them everything. I couldn't believe how they would've, sort of knew what they know today." © Eddie Moran

"Well the dolphins, the story I know, I'm sitting out with old 'fellas' and the dolphins helped us. The old 'fellas' get on the beach and clap their hands and the dolphins would come. As the dolphins would come in they'd chase all the fish in. Yeah, get the fish in their nets. That's the story I was told." © Gadan Grahame Quinlan

"They used to watch the moon and the sun, that's how they'd tell the time. See the sun tells the time and then they'd watch that moon then for the tide." © Aunty Zona Moran

Visited: 0926, Sunday, 29 October, 2017