<Begin Segment 16>

AI: You had mentioned then, that when that beet topping work was over, you did go back to camp, to Minidoka about the end of October. And then I recall you had written in your diary that so many of the other young people were out also doing farm labor that the camp was relatively quiet.

TI: Yes. Felt kind of lonesome. And, waited till more of them came back. A huge amount of farm produce that the Niseis really saved for the Idaho area, let alone United States. But it was a huge amount that we were able to harvest.

AI: And when you say that that harvest was saved, can you tell me what you mean by that?

TI: Well, in our camp newspaper, this kind of information was, was mentioned. I don't know if I've seen any such recognition of our contribution to the war effort in the area newspapers, but at least we knew what we were doing. And so when the farmers needed help, there seemed to be no problem in getting volunteers to go out there. And we had contracts that we had to sign -- these are the conditions, the living conditions, the pay, and this sort of thing. And they weren't necessarily honest at times. But that's part of the experience we went through. We felt at that time, powerless to complain, so we just handled it, took it.

AI: So in other words, the contract that you signed for the labor agreement, the farmer or owner or contractor may have put down that you would have had certain living conditions or compensation?

TI: Yeah.

AI: But when you got there, you, that wasn't necessarily what you received.

TI: We were, in a way like slaves, working and had no real say to protest anything. So we managed it, and gave each other support, and then went way back to camp.

AI: So you were back in camp for really only a short time again, maybe about, in fact, less than a week, and when you found, I think you said in your diary that it was boring...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...and you had no friends around, so you decided to sign up for another contract...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...and went out again...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...until, as you say, it got really cold, really...

TI: Yeah.

AI: ...frozen.

TI: So that friendship really meant a lot to me. So when we had that bonding experience was to go with another crew again. So even though it's rough work, lousy living conditions, poor food, it was worth getting out of the camp to be free, somewhat, somewhat we were free.

AI: While you were out doing the harvest work, what was happening to the rest of your family?

TI: I have no idea. [Laughs]

AI: They were...

TI: No. Actually what happened was my sister and older brother took off for Salt Lake City to go to complete their college education. And so my younger brother was there with Mother and Father in the camp.

<End Segment 16> - Copyright © 2000 Densho. All Rights Reserved.