![Moore River Settlement Hospital](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/62/Moore_River_Settlement_Hospital.jpg)
The Moore River Native Settlement was the name of the now defunct
Aboriginal settlement and
internment camp
Internment is the imprisonment of people, commonly in large groups, without charges or intent to file charges. The term is especially used for the confinement "of enemy citizens in wartime or of terrorism suspects". Thus, while it can simply ...
located north of
Perth
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...
and west of
Mogumber in
Western Australia
Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...
, near the
headwaters
The headwaters of a river or stream is the farthest place in that river or stream from its estuary or downstream confluence with another river, as measured along the course of the river. It is also known as a river's source.
Definition
The ...
of the
Moore River
Moore River is a river in the Wheatbelt region of Western Australia.
Geography
The headwaters of the Moore River lie in the Perenjori, Carnamah and Dalwallinu Shires. The river then drains southwards through Moora, flows westerly before j ...
.
History
![Mogumber Western Australia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/2c/Mogumber_Western_Australia.jpg)
The settlement was opened by the Government of Western Australia in 1918. It was originally intended to be a small, self-supporting farming settlement for 200 Aboriginal people, with schooling and health facilities available for the children and employment opportunities for the adults. The settlement was supposed to accommodate Aboriginal people mainly drawn from the Murchison, Midlands and south-west regions of Western Australia.
The ambition to turn the settlement into a farming community failed because the land was unsuitable for cultivation. During the 1920s its purpose shifted; residents were usually brought there against their will as the camp attempted to fulfil the broader functions of orphanage,
creche, relief depot and home for old persons, unmarried mothers, and the unwell. It also housed many "
half-caste
Half-caste (an offensive term for the offspring of parents of different racial groups or cultures) is a term used for individuals of multiracial descent. It is derived from the term '' caste'', which comes from the Latin ''castus'', meaning p ...
" (mixed-race) children. Many of the Aboriginal and mixed-race children were sent to Moore River, usually against their will, as part of the
Stolen Generations
The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian federal and state government agencies and church miss ...
.
The Moore River Native Settlement was opened under the auspices of the Chief
Protector of Aborigines
The role of Protector of Aborigines was first established in South Australia in 1836.
The role became established in other parts of Australia pursuant to a recommendation contained in the ''Report of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Abori ...
,
A. O. Neville. Neville came to this position completely inexperienced in Aboriginal affairs or any dealings with Aboriginal people. He was strongly guided by
Rufus Henry Underwood. Neville adopted Underwood's anti-mission stance and between them developed the "native settlement scheme", devised to meet the varying demands of non-Aboriginal people, for their segregation from the wider community and the continuing need for Aboriginal labour. It was also meant to fulfil Neville and Underwood's determination to devise a solution involving an absolute minimum of expenditure.
Settlement timeline
The below timeline is based in part on the chronology created by the Mogumber Heritage Committee and published in 1990 as part of their Pictorial Collection Exhibition
Poor conditions
The camp population became increasingly mixed as Aboriginal people came in from various parts of the state, with some coming from as far away as the Kimberley and Pilbara. By the mid-1920s conditions in the institution had declined significantly as overcrowding and poor sanitation were the norm, with many health problems being reported amongst its population. From 1924, the settlement had an average population of 300 and its buildings were becoming dilapidated. By 1933 the Aboriginal population at the institution had risen to over 500, leading to greater deterioration in the conditions experienced. Between 1918 and 1952, 346 deaths were recorded at Moore River Native Settlement, 42% of which were children age 1–5.
Socially, Moore River Native Settlement practised strict segregation of the sexes and separated children from their parents under the dormitory system. Compound inmates were not allowed to leave without written permission. Absconding was a common problem as many tried to re-unite with family members living outside the settlement. To counter this practice, a small number of Aboriginal men were employed as trackers to apprehend absconders.
Name change
In 1951 the government handed control of the settlement to the Mogumber
Methodist
Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a group of historically related denominations of Protestant Christianity whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's b ...
Mission, which renamed it Mogumber Native Mission.
A greater emphasis was placed by the new owners on
Christian
Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...
guidance and on the vocational training of youths than had existed when it was a government institution. The facility remained running until 1974, when it was taken over by the Aboriginal Land Trust. Currently the land is leased to the Wheatbelt Aboriginal Corporation, and is known as Budjarra.
Cultural and journalistic coverage
Several plays, films and books have been produced which tell harrowing tales of life in the settlement:
*Aboriginal poet and playwright
Jack Davis' play ''
Kullark'' where an Aboriginal man named Thomas Yorlah is forcibly moved to the settlement and makes numerous attempts to escape. Along with this, in his play ''
No Sugar
''No Sugar'' is a postcolonial play written by Indigenous Australian playwright Jack Davis, set during the Great Depression, in Northam, Western Australia, Moore River Native Settlement and Perth. The play focuses on the Millimurras, an Austral ...
'', the entire Aboriginal population in
Northam is sent to the settlement. Davis lived in the settlement in the 1920s.
*The book ''
Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence
''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' is an Australian book by Doris Pilkington, published in 1996. Based on a true story, the book is a personal account of an Indigenous Australian family's experiences as members of the Stolen Generation—the fo ...
'' by
Doris Pilkington
Doris Pilkington Garimara (born Nugi Garimara; c. 1 July 1937 – 10 April 2014), also known as Doris Pilkington, was an Australian author.
Garimara wrote ''Follow the Rabbit-Proof Fence'' (1996), a story about the stolen generation, and base ...
and its film adaptation (''
Rabbit-Proof Fence
The State Barrier Fence of Western Australia, formerly known as the Rabbit-Proof Fence, the State Vermin Fence, and the Emu Fence, is a pest-exclusion fence constructed between 1901 and 1907 to keep rabbits, and other agricultural pests from th ...
'') tell the story of three Aboriginal girls who ran away from the settlement in 1931.
*The book ''Broken Circles'' by
Anna Haebich
Anna Elizabeth Haebich, ( ; born 18 December 1949) is an Australian writer, historian and academic.
Career
Haebich is a John Curtin Distinguished Professor and Senior Research Fellow in the Faculty of Humanities at Curtin University. She wa ...
provides a detailed description of stolen generation experience.
See also
*
Noongar
The Noongar (, also spelt Noongah, Nyungar , Nyoongar, Nyoongah, Nyungah, Nyugah, and Yunga ) are Aboriginal Australian peoples who live in the south-west corner of Western Australia, from Geraldton on the west coast to Esperance on the so ...
Notes
References
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{{Authority control
History of Western Australia
Australian Aboriginal missions
Populated places established in 1918
Stolen Generations institutions
Wheatbelt (Western Australia)
Noongar
1918 establishments in Australia
1974 disestablishments in Australia