Undelya "Minnie" Apma (c.1909 - 14 August 1990) was a

Arrernte Arrernte (also spelt Aranda, etc.) is a descriptor related to a group of Aboriginal Australian peoples from Central Australia. It may refer to: * Arrernte (area), land controlled by the Arrernte Council (?) * Arrernte people, Aboriginal Australi ...

domestic servant A domestic worker is a person who works within a residence and performs a variety of household services for an individual, from providing cleaning and household maintenance, or cooking, laundry and ironing, or childcare, care for children and ...

who was born at Horseshoe Bend Station in the

Northern Territory The Northern Territory (abbreviated as NT; known formally as the Northern Territory of Australia and informally as the Territory) is an states and territories of Australia, Australian internal territory in the central and central-northern regi ...

of Australia. As a young girl she was adopted by

Herbert Basedow Herbert Basedow (27 October 1881 – 4 June 1933) was an Australian Anthropology, anthropologist, geologist, politician, Exploration, explorer and Medical practice, medical practitioner. Basedow was born in Kent Town, South Australia, Kent Town ...

, in order to work within his household, and lived in

Adelaide Adelaide ( , ; ) is the list of Australian capital cities, capital and most populous city of South Australia, as well as the list of cities in Australia by population, fifth-most populous city in Australia. The name "Adelaide" may refer to ei ...

for much of her life. She is a member of the

Stolen Generations The Stolen Generations (also known as Stolen Children) were the children of Aboriginal Australians, Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, Torres Strait Islander descent who were removed from their families by the Australian Gover ...

Biography

Apma was the fourth child of Charley Apma (Apmwe) Pelharre who was from the Jay Creek area and Joulta, a

Traditional owner Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title right ...

for Imarnte. In May 1920, when Apma was 11, the family were living at Crown Point Station where, soon after (in June 1920) they met with Herbert Basedow. Basedow had travelled, alongside his wife Olive (Nell), to document the medical condition of Aboriginal people in the area and, through this, examined Apma and her father. Afterwards, when Charley was away from the station, Basedow took Apma from there and planned to adopt her and take her to Adelaide. When they left Crown Point Station they were planning to first stop in

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

but, while they were travelling there, in a camel-drawn buggy, damage occurred and they had to stop at Hermannsburg (Ntaria) to make repairs. The people at Hermannsburg were worried for Apma, who appeared very sad, and decided that she needed a friend of her own age for company on the journey and 12 year-old Luritja girl Tjikana (Tjikarna) Cooper was chosen to travel with her.

Frieda Strehlow Friederike Johanna Henriette Strehlow née Keysser (31 August 1875 – 30 April 1957) better known as Frieda Strehlow, was a German missionary who lived and worked at Hermannsburg, Northern Territory, Hermannsburg in the Northern Territory of Au ...

wrote in her diary about the exchange that the Basedow's "want to take the two girls with them to the south, female servants are too dear: 30 shillings a week". Once in Alice Springs an agreement was made between Basedow and

Robert Stott Robert Stott (13 July 1858 – 21 April 1928) was a constable and later police commissioner in the Northern Territory of Australia. Early life Robert Stott was born in the blacksmith's croft at Nigg in Kincardineshire, Scotland, the son ...

, with whom they were staying, to adopt the girls and train them in domestic duties and they were both taken to

and to the Basedow's house in

Kent Town Kent Town is an inner suburb of Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters local government area. History Kent Town was named for Benjamin Archer Kent (1808 – 25 November 1864), a medical practition ...

. There were several investigations into the circumstances of Apma and Cooper's removal and, in response to accusations that the girls were adopted for the purposes of scientific study it was the response of the Basedow's that the girls where adopted "in a spirit of friendship" as they had no children of their own and that "the plight of the two appealed to them". Despite this many were convinced that the girls were primarily brought in as domestic labour and treated as such and, in 1929, a photo of them (alongside Basedow) was printed in

The Register News-Pictorial ''The Register'', originally the ''South Australian Gazette and Colonial Register'', and later ''South Australian Register,'' was South Australia's first newspaper. It was first published in London in June 1836, moved to Adelaide in 1837, and ...

, which stated they were servants. In 1922,

Frederic Urquhart Frederic Charles Urquhart (27 October 1858 – 2 December 1935) was a Native Police officer, Queensland Police Commissioner and Administrator of the Northern Territory. Early life Frederic Charles Urquhart was born at St Leonards-on-Sea, Hasti ...

the

Administrator of the Northern Territory The administrator of the Northern Territory is an official appointed by the governor-general of Australia to represent the Crown in right of the Northern Territory. They perform functions similar to those of a state governor. Strictly speaking ...

, prompted by Charley Apma, contacted the Police Commissioner of South Australia and noted that: Following this inquiry a police constable visited the home and reported that the girls were well and happy. Later, in 1928, Apma's father Charley contacted Basedow directly via telegram demanding that his daughter be returned. He said: Once again further inquiries were made but no action was taken and, in 1930,

John Henry Sexton John Henry Sexton OBE (2 July 1863 – 3 November 1954) was a Baptist minister in South Australia. History Sexton was born in Callington, South Australia, Callington, the fourth son of Alfred Sexton and his wife Grace James née Bray. He grew up i ...

, Secretary of the

Aborigines' Friends' Association The Aborigines' Friends' Association (AFA) was established out of concern for "the moral, spiritual and physical well-being" of Australian Aboriginal people from the Northern Territory and particularly South Australia. This organisation operated ...

, added to these complaints. When Herbert Basedow died in 1933 the grief of Ampa and Cooper, now in their early 20s, was reported

The Mail (Adelaide) The ''Sunday Mail'' (originally titled ''The Mail'') is an Adelaide newspaper first published on 4 May 1912 by Clarence P. Moody. Through much of the 20th century, ''The Advertiser (Adelaide), The Advertiser'' was Adelaide's morning broadsheet, ...

which referred to them both as "two sad-eyed native girls" and that they "deeply mourned the untimely death of Dr. Basedow, and refused to eat for two days". This article also reported that they would both stay with Nell Besedow, however, soon after they were 'given' to Basedow's unmarried sisters; Blanca, Elsa and Hedwig. Little is known of their lives during this time, however, it is known that Apma had two children: Charlie who was born in 1942, who was taken by Basedow's sisters to raise as their own, and Margaret who was born in 1943, who was sent to the Colebrook Home.

Myra Ah Chee Myra Ah Chee (born 13 April 1932), also known as Kanakiya Myra Ah Chee, is an Aboriginal Australian artist, interpreter and translator, storyteller, and author. In 2021 she published her autobiography, ''Nomad Girl: my life on the Gibber Plains ...

remembers visiting her Apma, when "only Hedwig was left", and said that she would knock on the door and: She also recalled that many family members would visit them there, sometimes as boarders when working in Adelaide, as the house was so large that it could easily accommodate everybody. In 1958 Apma was able to return to Central Australia where she was able to reunite with her daughter Margaret; her parents had already died. During this time Apma spent many years visiting with extended family throughout Central Australia Apma died in Alice Springs on 14 August 1990 and is buried at Alice Springs Cemetery.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Apma, Undelya (Minnie) 1909 births 1990 deaths 20th-century Australian women 20th-century Indigenous Australian people People from the Northern Territory Members of the Stolen Generations 20th-century Australian people Indigenous Australian women