OUTREACH REPORT 03
Community Outreach Update
NNMCC & PWFC Archives Cluster in Tashme, BC
Ensoku 2024 by Kikai Collaborative
On August 17th, the Japanese Canadian community was invited to ensoku 2024, an intergenerational gathering and Obon ceremony at the former Tashme internment camp.
Organized by Kikiai Collaborative, the event included an Obon ceremony and Bon Odori dancing, taiko performances by Leslie Komori and Aki Watanabe, readings by yonsei Japanese Canadian poets and playwrights of The Tashme Project, family history resources, and a chance to visit the grounds and buildings of the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum.
The full day event welcomed over 100 participants from around the world, with people visiting from British Columbia, Ontario, Alberta, Chicago, Washington, and even Japan. This marked the first time an Obon ceremony had taken place at the site since the Tashme internment camp’s closure in 1946.
Further activities were also offered on the following day to the wider public, with additional programming by the Sunshine Valley Tashme Museum, a screening of Henry’s Glasses, and another reading of The Tashme Project.
Kikiai Collaborative is a grassroots network based in Greater Vancouver that connects Japanese Canadian and Nikkei folks through arts and culture, politics, history and more. This is the third ensoku event they have hosted for the community, with previous events held in 2019 and 2023.
Media links: https://www.hopestandard.com/local-news/obon-ceremony-at-sunshine-valley-a-great-success-7492669
Ask an Archivist Booth at ensoku 2024
Processing & Outreach Archivist Sam Frederick from the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre (NNMCC) and Archivist Tomoko Shida from the Past Wrongs, Future Choices (PWFC) project were invited to take part in ensoku 2024 with an “Ask an Archivist” booth in the registrants-only hall where the afternoon activities took place.
The purpose of the booth was to bring family history and heritage resources to the participants who came from communities all across the country and beyond. During the pockets of free time before and after the formal programming, participants could browse the books and other resources, and ask archivists about how to locate information about their families and other Japanese Canadian communities across the country.
NNMCC & Sam’s Reflections
The NNMCC has many records relating to Tashme and other internment camps in our archives so we brought a selection to share with the event’s participants. On display, we had books from our reference library, lists of those living in the internment camps, and a slideshow of archival photographs of grade school classes, ceremonies, and life in Tashme in the 1940s, all materials that are accessible through our archives.
We heard from many people at our booth who were interested in learning more about their family’s history and some who recognized those in the photographs on display. I shared the contact information for our NNMCC Collections & Archives Team and explained how to get started with research at our archives and some available research resources. We’re looking forward to getting in touch with folks to continue this exploration and in helping them discover more about their families.
It was very touching to have had the chance to bring the archives into this real lived space that has impacted so many of those attending this event. These connections between past and present underscore the importance of the archives and of the need to continue these conversations with families and survivors to keep this history available and accessible.
PWFC & Tomoko’s Reflections
On the PWFC side, I was hoping to provide one-on-one demonstrations of how to navigate the Landscapes of Injustice Research Database (https://loi.uvic.ca/archive/), and to provide assistance in interpreting records. Unfortunately, due to the remote location between the large mountains, we could not get an internet connection strong enough for the database to work. Despite this, we were able to introduce the LOI resources to a number of ensoku 2024 participants.
Some elders stopped by to browse the books at our booth, some of whom honoured us with stories of who and what they remembered from their childhood during the Internment Era. I was in turn able to tell them about the database and how it might help them fill in some of the gaps. A couple of these elders then brought their younger or more tech-savvy relatives so that I could explain the database to them. Some younger participants also stopped by who were excited to learn about the existence of the database, including one who had come with her baachan. I hope that in the weeks following ensoku 2024, these families will have the chance to sit down to explore the database together.
Working virtually from home for the PWFC project, it is easy to forget that there are still many who don’t know about the database. Having the opportunity to set up a booth at an intergenerational event such as ensoku 2024 was a reminder to myself about the continued importance of in-person spaces for connecting our elders with the now digital records about them and their history.
Contact us!
For more information or to make a research appointment at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Museum, contact the NNMCC Collections & Archives Team at archives@nikkeiplace.org or 604-777-7000 ext. 111. Browse archival records from the NNMCC’s collection on our database at www.nikkeimuseum.org.
If you are a Japanese Canadian group planning an event in 2025, please reach out to the PWFC Archives Cluster at tshida@nikkeiplace.org. We would love to bring our travelling Ask an Archivist booth to your community!
Visit kikiai.ca to learn more about Kikiai Collaborative.
Caption: Three members of the PWFC Project’s Archives Cluster were able to meet at ensoku 2024 in Tashme, BC. From left to right: Lisa Uyeda, Tomoko Shida, Masumi Izumi. (Image credit: Masumi Izumi)
OUTREACH REPORT 02
Community Outreach Update
PWFC Archives Cluster in the Yukon
PWFC Archives Cluster co-chair Lisa Uyeda and archivist Tomoko Shida travelled to Whitehorse, YT on May 2, 2024 to take part in an Asian Heritage Month event titled “Bridging Generations: Japanese Canadian Workshops & Showcase.” The event was organized and co-hosted by two PWFC community partners: Japanese Canadian Association of Yukon (JCAY) and Hidden Histories Society Yukon (HHSY). It was supported through grants from the Japanese Canadian Legacies Society and the Yukon Government.
The Yukon has seen a marked rise in newcomer families from Japan in the past couple of decades, and according to JCAY president Yoko Oda, some of these newer immigrants have limited knowledge of what happened to Japanese Canadians during World War II. Thus, the topic of the first PWFC session was the history of Japanese in Canada and the Yukon. Lisa and Tomoko started with an overview of Japanese Canadian history, highlighting and using various outputs from the Landscapes of Injustice project including the Writing Wrongs digital exhibit, the Timeline of Injustice from the digital storytelling website, and the LOI research database. Long-time Whitehorse resident and Hidden Histories Society Yukon founding member Lillian Nakamura Maguire then highlighted the stories of Japanese individuals living in the Yukon, from the late 1800s to the present.
HHSY founding member Lillian Nakamura Maguire highlights the stories of individual Japanese people who lived in various parts of the Yukon. (Credit: Yoko Oda)
This year marks the 15th Anniversary of the founding of JCAY in 2009. Our local hosts Yoko and Lillian asked the PWFC Archives Cluster to prepare a session to support the community as they embark on an anniversary project to preserve the history of the Japanese community in the Yukon. Therefore, the second PWFC session led by Lisa and Tomoko was more of a how-to workshop on preserving local and ethnic community histories.
PWFC’s Lisa Uyeda and Tomoko Shida introduce themselves to the participants gathered at the Whitehorse Public Library meeting room on May 4, 2024. (Credit: Jun Kukina)
The first session had an attendance of about 32 participants from a diverse demographic. The second session drew a smaller, more intimate crowd of about 12 participants. In attendance were both longtime and newer members of JCAY, their friends and family; HHSY board members; and members of the broader public. We were fortunate to have professionals from various communities and heritage fields who contributed to a lively Q&A session following each session, including a faculty member with the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, a retired archives librarian of the Yukon Archives, a reporter from the Whitehorse Star, as well as former Commissioner of the Yukon and current President of the Board of Directors of the Association franco-yukonnaise, Angelique Bernard.
In addition to JCAY members, attendees of the morning session included a reporter from the Whitehorse Star, former commissioner of the Yukon, a faculty member from the Dechinta Centre for Research and Learning, and a retired archives library from the Yukon Archives. (Credit: Jun Kukina)
In addition to the two PWFC Archives Cluster sessions, the full-day event included a JCAY Cultural Showcase that took place at Kwanlin Dün Cultural Centre and featured the launch of a film on the role of JCAY’s playcare group and language school in preserving Japanese culture and language. It also included performances by Yukon Taiko and JCAY children, as well as traditional activities such as mochi pounding, calligraphy, and origami.
The morning session concluded with a lively Q&A time. Pictured in the back row are four of the JCAY members who volunteered their time to make the event a success, including JCAY President Yoko Oda pictured on the far right. (Credit: Jun Kukina)
The afternoon session drew a smaller, more intimate crowd perfect for the more hands-on workshop on the how-to’s of preserving community histories. (Credit: Yoko Oda)
The event was covered in the media by the CBC and the Whitehorse Star. Listen to the recording of the CBC radio interview of local hosts Yoko and Lillian here. The Whitehorse Star news article can be found here.
Lisa and Tomoko are especially thankful to Yoko Oda, current president of JCAY and Lillian Nakamura Maguire of HHSY for inviting, organizing, and hosting the PWFC Archives Cluster’s first community outreach event. Both work tirelessly for their respective communities. In fact, shortly after this event on May 6, Lillian’s contributions to the community were recognized. She was one of six Yukoners awarded the inaugural King Charles III Coronation Medal that day, out of a total of 21 people in the Yukon who will or have received the medal this year. Congratulations, Lillian!
Media links:
https://www.whitehorsestar.com/News/celebrating-asian-heritage-month
OUTREACH REPORT 01
Chairs: Masumi Izumi, Theressa Takasaki, and Lisa Uyeda
Archival Spotlight collections of historical sources will bridge the records of Nikkei experiences in the participating countries, before, during, and after the 1940s. Translated transcripts in English, Portuguese, and Japanese, aim to ignite new transnational research.
The cluster will also support the preservation and use of archival materials. Digital and in-person sessions, will provide partners with training in collections management, enabling local preservation, and supporting access to existing digital resources.
Past Wrongs, Future Choices Archives Cluster Update
Past Wrongs, Future Choices (PWFC) is a partnership project based at the University of Victoria. Building on the work done by the Landscapes of Injustice (LOI) project which focused on the dispossession and displacement of Japanese Canadians, PWFC expands this lens to bring together the global history of the mistreatment of Nikkei during WWII.
Archives Cluster
One of the project’s four “clusters of activity” is the Archives Cluster. We have been tasked with two main outputs: an international Spotlight Series and Community Sessions across Canada. Meet the team behind the Archives Cluster!
L-R: Lisa U., Theressa T., Masumi I., Tomoko S.
Lisa Uyeda is co-chair of the Archives Cluster, and the Collections Manager at the Nikkei National Museum & Cultural Centre. She has continually contributed to the preservation and access of Japanese Canadian history and heritage, as well as served on numerous volunteer committees dedicated to Nikkei history, human rights, and young leadership.
Theressa Takasaki is co-chair of the Archives Cluster, and Heritage Manager; Archives, Collections and Programming at the Japanese Canadian Cultural Centre (JCCC), located in Toronto. Previously associated with the LOI project, she has curated multiple exhibits about Japanese Canadian culture and history.
Masumi Izumi is co-chair of the Archives Cluster, a Professor of North American Studies at the Department of Global and Regional Studies, Doshisha University, in Kyoto, Japan. She is a historian of Japanese Americans and Japanese Canadians, and she has written extensively about their wartime removal and incarceration as well as about their post-internment community building efforts. Masumi examines the racial persecutions of diasporic Japanese population in Canada and the US, and highlights the reactions and activism in the Japanese North American communities against such injustice.
Tomoko Shida is an archivist for the Archives Cluster, and works remotely for the project in Ottawa. Prior to joining the PWFC team, she worked as a secondary school history teacher in Tokyo, and more recently, as an archivist at the University of Toronto Mississauga Library. Born in Japan, she spent her earlier years in Alberta, British Columbia and Quebec prior to moving to Ontario, so she is looking forward to revisiting some of her childhood haunts as she travels for the community sessions.
Spotlight Series Update
The plan for the international Spotlight Series is to draw together archival records from Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States on various “spotlight” themes related to Nikkei during WWII. These primary sources will be translated and made available in English, Japanese and Portuguese.
Overseen by Cluster Co-Chairs Masumi and Theressa, progress on four Spotlights and additional supplementary primary sources has been underway with the help of Spotlight Fellows around the world.
The work of the Archives Cluster began in earnest in 2023 not with a Spotlight, but with the identification and digitization of Supplementary Primary Sources which will be made available through the PWFC website in the records’ original language. During the spring and summer of 2023, Andrew Hasegawa spent months digitizing the hearing records of the Japanese in Alien Tribunal Transcripts archived in the National Archive in Australia. Andrew is a Yonsei researcher, former PWFC Scholar-in-Residence, and Governance Board member representing Nikkei Australia. Eric Muller at the University of North Carolina has hired research assistants to help create plain-English summaries of the provisions of the Administrative Manual of the War Relocation Authority.
Based in the United States, Spotlight Fellow, former PWFC Scholar-in-Residence, and PhD candidate in history at UC Santa Cruz, Jonathan van Harmelen leads the Legal Enactment Spotlight. Jonathan has identified the important laws that were used to justify the wartime incarceration of Nikkei communities in Australia, Brazil, Canada and the United States, and collected these documents from various archives in each country.
The Camp Garden Spotlight is being led by Sansei visual artist Elysha Rei based in Australia, who is also a PhD candidate, former PWFC Artist-in-Residence, and Chair of Nikkei Australia. This Spotlight will gather visual and archival materials on gardens created in Japanese incarceration camps in Australia, Brazil, Canada, and the United States. Working with Elysha are the following Spotlight Fellows: US-based Sansei/Yonsei Postdoctoral Fellow at UCLA, Koji Lau-Ozawa; Canada-based Sansei Leanne Sumiko Riding who specializes in research on the Yellowhead-Blue River Highway Labour Camp; and Brazil-based Yonsei visual artist, photographer and designer, Vinicius Nakashima.
The Education Spotlight is being led by cluster co-chair Theressa. This Spotlight will collect visual and archival materials related to schools and other educational facilities in the camps. Working with Theressa are Kei Nakatsu, a Yonsei undergraduate student in Human Geography and Art History at the University of Toronto; and Australia-based Andrew Hasegawa.
Work on a fourth Medical Spotlight began in January 2024, and is being led by Canada-based Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Victoria, Letitia Johnson. Her doctoral dissertation examined Japanese Canadian health, healthcare and healthcare providers during internment. Andrew Hasegawa will also be working with Letitia on this spotlight to source records from Australia.
PWFC JC Community Partners: Outreach workshop opportunities
A major goal for 2024 is to begin planning and running community outreach sessions to support our Japanese Canadian partner associations and societies and their members to learn about, preserve, and teach their own histories. We are actively seeking hosts and collaborators across Canada!
The aim of these community sessions is (1) to support Japanese Canadian individuals and families to access records and information shared on the Landscapes of Injustice (LOI) research database, and (2) to provide training in collections management and support the preservation of Japanese Canadian and Japanese diaspora materials.
The Archives Cluster has professionally trained archivists who are available to travel to your community or host an online session. Some ideas about what we can offer include (but are not limited to!):
- Workshop on how to navigate the LOI database, and how to understand the archival records found in it
- Workshop on preserving and digitizing family or group records
- Workshop on how to use and access archival records related to Japanese Canadians held at archives in Canada
- Booth at your event to field questions related to the LOI database, PWFC project, researching Japanese Canadian or family history, etc.
- Consultation meetings for Japanese Canadian groups looking into preserving the group’s history and records
- Other requests are welcome!
If you are a Japanese Canadian organization or group not already affiliated with PWFC and would like to partner with us for an event, workshop or project in 2024 and beyond, please reach out to us at tshida@nikkeiplace.org.
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