tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28554820.post6109927773440283149..comments2023-04-14T03:30:33.167-07:00Comments on New Denver British Columbia: Nikkei Internment Memorial CenterTrevorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01884338998452420471noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28554820.post-70444824326909495762013-02-10T13:09:39.180-08:002013-02-10T13:09:39.180-08:00Hello, thank you for doing the write up. I am glad...Hello, thank you for doing the write up. I am glad to be able to read something about the museum from the town of New Denver, and have been there several times. Congrats on the National Historic Site designation as well.<br /><br />I noticed your use of the word 'hut' to describe the dwellings built for the internees. Perhaps out of respect for the former residents, you could rephrase this to 'house' as this is what they were. The Japanese men were ordered to build them and I think they would also take objection to this description. <br /><br />Second, being made from timber, with four walls, a gable roof, and glass windows, even though the living conditions were still unbearable as there was literally no insulation for these mostly coastal people, 'house' would be a more accurate description. <br /><br />Finally, hut - conjuring up a pit-dwelling, a shelter or home put together by free people of their own determination and volition and experience with the environment implies a context of internment that is historically and politically inaccurate. The builders were tragically unfamiliar with the mountain climate, again being mostly displaced coastal people. But even if they had been, they were not free to determine the best suited housing for the environment. These were dwellings designed by the government and built by Japanese men who were essentially working as prisoners.<br /><br />I hate to argue over words, but words were one of the primary weapons used to fashion and justify the internment. I believe that you will want to incorporate this understanding into the way this blog writes about it. <br /><br />Thank you,<br />Kenji Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com