Designing for the Local Environment
Designing for the Local Environment
A major feature of many First Nations engineered solutions is that they respond directly to the conditions of a particular place.
This can include consideration of: - locally available materials - climate and weather - water availability - plants and animals - geography - seasonal changes - community needs - cultural knowledge.
This means there may not be one solution that is appropriate everywhere.
A material that is easily available and sustainable in one location may be rare or environmentally damaging to collect somewhere else.
An effective solution therefore considers where the system will be used, rather than assuming the same design should be applied everywhere.
Examples
You do not need to memorise every example, but you should understand the engineering thinking behind them.
Budj Bim aquaculture systems
The Budj Bim Cultural Landscape in south-west Victoria contains an extensive aquaculture system developed by the Gunditjmara people.
Channels, weirs and dams were used to manage water and support the trapping and harvesting of kooyang.
From a systems engineering perspective, this demonstrates: - understanding of water flow - interaction between multiple parts of a system - modification of the environment for a specific purpose - knowledge developed from long-term observation of Country - management of a food resource.
The important point is not simply that it is a "fish trap".
It is an example of an integrated system designed around environmental conditions and knowledge of Country.
Woomera
A woomera is a spear-throwing device used by some Aboriginal peoples.
It acts mechanically as an extension of the user's arm, allowing a spear to be launched at greater speed and over a greater distance.
From a systems engineering perspective, it demonstrates: - the use of leverage - transfer of force and motion - material selection for a particular purpose - optimisation of a system to improve performance.
Navigation systems
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples developed sophisticated ways of navigating using interconnected knowledge of: - stars - landmarks - coastlines - ocean currents - seasonal conditions - cultural knowledge.
Rather than relying on a single input, navigation can involve interpreting multiple environmental inputs together.
This is another example of systems thinking.