Outline and provide examples of the nature and purpose of the education provided in at the Moore River Native Settlement.

The Moore River Settlement was established as a work camp that should have eventually become self sufficient, and provide for all of the inhabitants’ of the mission. The Moore River inhabitants early years of schooling and half of the time in the latter years, was devoted to teaching practical skills such as the making of a shack, making a bed, coarse soap and fire, cooking, and simple pottery. This work camp also provided for the training of Aboriginal people in skills such as; Domestic duties-washing up, cleaning, sewing, laundry, cooking, help looking after little children and helping out with school lessons were generally for the girls. The boys and young men of the mission were skilled as gardeners, sanitary disposal, milking, goat herding, baking and collecting wood for the stoves. Most of the Aboriginal men went out to work on neighbouring stations and farms away from the mission when they became of age.
Moore River had paid positions for young men in poultry, yard work, stockmen, general hands, camp cooks and the laundry girls. Most of the girls went out into the wider community as domestic servants, most of these girls went back to the mission because their services were not required anymore or they came back pregnant to have their babies and live with them at Moore River or Mogumber. Although there was time allocated to school lessons, the European attitude that Aborigines’ could only be educated to the grade level of three, lessons catered to the grade level of three. The rest of the day time of the was either taken up by chores or like Moore River, boredom was an issue as there was nothing else to do when school and chores were done. (Maushart. (2003) p.126)

Aboriginal peoples’ interaction and participation at schools is very few if any at all. Just like the nineteenth century when Aboriginal parents sent their children to school thinking that they will be educated to the same standard as the European, and that was that. It was not because you wanted to, but more the fact that you had to, or there would be consequences such as ration cuts. In today’s society, the parents are still penalised for not sending their children to school through penalising the welfare payments, still the old system of do this or that will happen. Some Aboriginal people show a disinterest in education/school, as the system did not work for them, so how is the system going to work for their children, as to these Aboriginal people, nothing else changed when it came to Aboriginal issues, and education. Maushart claims on page 128 of Sort of a Place Like Home: Remembering the Moore River Settlement that adult Aborigines’ wanting to reside at Moore River had to relinquish their adult rights and responsibilities. In addition, if Aboriginal parents wanted a cottage at the camp, they had to agree to have their children live in the compound away from them, but could come home, on occasions, on the weekends. (Mausaut. (2003) p.149) Even the Aboriginals that were fortunate enough to be formally educated and learnt to read and write were disheartened. By the fact that, on sending their children to Moore River for education, found that they could not read or write properly, lived in appalling conditions and did not even have access to cutlery or Manchester let alone knew how these utensils should be utilised. (Mausaut. (2003) p.104)

Moore River settlement did not yield good crops, or the harvest did not satisfy the Aboriginal tastes and the harvest would at times, go to waste. Fish and fruit supplemented the Aboriginals diet in season from the bush, explaining their good health when inspectors observed them on annual visits. The inhabitants acquired the skills that were possible without the necessary utensils, materials, insufficient machinery and unqualified educationist to help them to obtain an equal and self-sufficient life outside of the settlement, which never eventuated for the Aboriginals, resulting in the mistrust and weariness by Aboriginal people of the Government and their promises. The Education and Welfare departments are also subject to this weariness and mistrust when they say to trust them with the children and their education.


References:
Maushart. S., (2003) Sort of a Place Like Home: Remembering the Moore River Settlement. Fremantle Arts Centre Press. Fremantle: Western Australia.