Dearest Foxy,

Ah ! I get it now ! God, I'm a slow learner - you and Paul and Steele are in on Pascoe's spoof ! I didn't realise; what a fool I am, such a smart-arse but conned all the way along :)

You sure had me there ! Fair enough.

Love,

Joe

Joe,

I have tried to understand your current and
past explanations, on
the issues concerning the relationship between
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and
the settlers who came after 1788.

I used to take your word and your interpretations for
granted until I started to do my own research
and reading. What I found puzzling was your total
rejection of everything that did not agree with
your viewpoint. And now you've sunk to an all time
low of trying to ridicule an author - Bruce Pascoe.
Why? Does he pose some kind of a threat to you?
Or is it because he puts forward a compelling
argument for a reconsideration of the hunter-gatherer
label for pre-colonial Aboriginal Australians?

He does present evidence - from original sources
of behaviours inconsistent with the hunter-gatherer tag.

You turn your back on that and simply mock.
Have you even read his work?

Very disappointing to say the least. And it certainly
lowers my respect for you by these uncalled for
mockings - of both him and us.

Also kindly don't patronise me with "Dearest Foxy,"
or "Love."

Thank You.

Foxy,

Clever ! Okay, I won't let on. Clearly, some people are having doubts that hunting & gathering societies actually owned - rather than 'merely used - the land, and that thereby may not have had what might be recognisable as 'sovereignty' or even land ownership. So it's vital to try a different approach and try to 'find' evidence of stronger links to the land. That might work.

But let's push this spoof along: is it possible to 'find' evidence of digging or harvesting tools, or any reference in Dreaming stories to master-toolmakers ? Or any evidence of plants that were very productive and easy to propagate, and/or reap; or animals which could actually have been domesticated, at least partially, so that they could be penned and hand-fed ?

We could push the idea that Aboriginal people were extremely clever at concealing any of those farming and pastoralist practices from newcomers, to such an extent that there now is no visible evidence. But maybe we could find some oblique or vague references in some Dreaming story which could, with a bit of imagination, be interpreted to indicate the existence of a farming or pastoral society ?

This could be great fun ! Thanks, Foxy.

Joe

Joe,

Read Bruce Pascoe's book, "Dark Emu,"
then I'll talk to you.

Foxy,

I just watched
"A real history of Aboriginal Australians, the first agriculturalists | Bruce Pascoe | TEDxSydney"

It's on Utube.

What a scream. or should that be scam?

.

Dear Loudmouth,

.

You wrote :

« … immigrants were cultivating the soil from the first weeks of settlement/invasion across what is now the city of Adelaide, and across huge areas of SA within five and ten years: much of the Barossa Valley, for instance, around Port Lincoln, up in the lower Flinders, across the South-East - all within five and ten years »

Yes, I'm sure you're right, Joe. That sounds perfectly logic to me. It ties up with the history of the early settlement of South Australia as described in the Flinders Rangers Research (FRR) article for which I provided a link in my previous post.

Apparently, the squatters/pastoralists/graziers lost no time occupying the most fertile land when the state of South Australia was created in 1836. The crop farmers later pushed them further north to the more arid land due to the increased need for food as a result of population growth.

The FRR article describes the historic sequence of events as follows :

« Despite the intention of South Australia’s founding fathers to make the colony an agricultural paradise, pastoralism developed well before farmers had even turned the first sod. From the start in 1836 the pastoral industry has been, and still is, very important to South Australia. The industry began with the arrival of some sheep, cows and goats in 1836 followed by later additions from Tasmania and the eastern colonies.

« It was the overlanders, such as Bonney, Hawdon, Hart, Sturt and Eyre, who really established the pastoral industry in South Australia. Their herds of cattle and flocks of sheep from New South Wales were eagerly bought by the early South Australian settlers.

« During the initial period of settlement pastoralists were able to move almost unrestricted into any area they liked and over large distances. While building up their runs they made their own rules, eg first come first served. This was possible because before 1842 no pastoral or other leases were issued by the government. ...

.

(Continued ...)

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