Artifacts of Loss: Crafting Survival in Japanese American Concentration Camps

List of Illustrations

ix Illustrations 1 Living unit at Tanforan 15 2 Cabinet made by a Tule Lake crafter 23 3 Table and chairs made from found materials at Topaz 24 4 Embroidered landscapes served as colorful wall hangings at Heart Mountain 28 5 Carved clay tablet depicting the Heart Mountain landscape 28 6 Artificial flowers made at Manzanar 31 7 Artificial roses made at Manzanar 31 8 An example of ikebana from Jerome 33 9 Kobu was a popular art form in the Arkansas camps 37 10 A bon-kei and ikebana display at Amache 38 11 Nameplates helped internees distinguish their living unit from that of their neighbors at Amache 39 12 A nameplate made from woven cotton yarn at Amache 40 13 Wooden spoons made from discarded apple crates at Heart Mountain 44 14 Making furniture for schools at Heart Mountain 47 15 School furniture made by Manzanar internees 48 16 Intricately carved butsudans created by internees were used in camp-wide services 49 17 Internees quickly transformed the areas around their living quarters 54 x illustr ations 18 Garden in front of a Tanforan barrack 56 19 Internees arriving at Topaz found a flat, dust-filled landscape 61 20 Manzanar barrack garden 64 21 Harvesting daikon at Gila River 66 22 The climate and soil conditions at Rohwer produced lush gardens 68 23 Preparing the soil for spring planting at Heart Mountain 70 24 Woman working in a Manzanar community garden 74 25 Potato planting at Tule Lake 77 26 Playing golf on Manzanar’s dirt- and dust-filled fairways 79 27 Ice-skating was a popular winter activity at Heart Mountain 82 28 Walkways constructed at Rohwer helped internees avoid ankle-deep dust or muddy silt 85 29 Manzanar before and after 86 30 Camp-made outdoor play equipment at Tule Lake 91 31 Typical interior scene in one Manzanar barrack 95 32 Lapel pin made at Topaz 97 33 Picture of a dog drawn at Poston and mailed 100 34 Small items made with shells and wood were often given as gifts 101 35 Small objects were easily mailed to friends beyond the camp boundaries 103 36 Attending exhibits was a popular activity in most camps 104 37 Wood carvings made by students participating in the adult education classes at Amache 105 38 Kobu used as a vase 106 39 Kobu artists at Rohwer and Jerome frequently displayed their works 108 40 A wide range of art was exhibited at camp shows 112 41 Much needlework featured floral designs 114 42 Heart Mountain art class 117 43 Jewelry created from discarded tin cans at Rohwer 122 44 Some Japanese Americans were driven to suicide by their internment experience 128 illustr ations xi 45 Senninbari vests were made to protect friends, husbands, sons, and brothers who joined the U.S. armed forces 130 46 Masahiro’s artwork was often mailed to his father, who was imprisoned in a Department of Justice facility 133 47 Funeral wreaths at Heart Mountain 136 48 Women making artificial flowers 137 49 Boys carving model planes at Poston 140 50 Girls proudly display the dolls they made at the Labor Day Festival 143 51 Father and son carve small wooden animals 147 52 Manzanar craftsman making getas 149 53 Bird lapel pins made from scrap wood 153 ...