<Begin Segment 9>

[Ed. note: This transcript has been edited by the narrator]

TI: So tell me more about your first experiences at Minidoka, because...

SA: Well, I think along with all the others in the train, we were flabbergasted. Because here, out of the dark (trains), it looks like, and (out of) the buses, we get out, and here we're in the desert. And the dust is something unlike anything you ever saw. It's light because it's lava, old lava dust, and this is why we had trouble. (Because) when it rained, it turns to this shoe-pulling mud, and this is why some of the Isseis made getas, which was ideal, 'cause it's (like thongs) on stilts, it's wood. For the rest of us, it was hard. You almost had to have boots. (...) And again, we had a lot of wind that blew in the desert, and this would hit against the windows. We had one pane to every room, I don't know how you'd put it... so it was always dusty. And actually, as the Issei said, they dusted every day, but it would still seep through. It's really fine and powdery. And again, because it was in the desert, this tale came out that if someone died, they'd get this hinotama, which they claimed rolled into the camp, and it would tell you someone had died. Whether it's true or not, I don't know. I did see one roll in, but later, I thought, I read in some scientific (book) that when animals die, there must be a deterioration), there must be some carbon or something released and maybe (this gas), this blowing thing, looks like a hinotama.

TI: You're going to have to explain this to me. You say "hinotama"?

SA: Hinotama. (It means) a light, a light ball. Hi is "fire," fireball is what... they claim it rolls through. Now, it's an interesting thing because (someone) trying to write about the camp (...) had heard (about the hinotama), and they said, did I ever hear such a weird tale? I said, "It is not a tale, it is true." 'Cause the Isseis would always say that, "Oh, there's a hinotama." It wasn't (a common thing, though).

TI: So explain to me again what it would look like...

SA: Well, I just saw something, I just thought it was just plain dust rolling in.

TI: But it was kind of like, in a ball-like...

SA: Yeah, and they would claim it's a fireball, hinotama, and it would precede (or) it was a notice someone had died, and I don't know if they thought it was a soul. But then I read somewhere that something like that does happen in the desert. I don't know, and they thought it was the decaying bones (of an animal) or something. I'll have to look that up again; I don't know where I found that reference, but it's interesting.

TI: Now, were there other kind of, like, stories like that that you heard from the Isseis about being in the desert, being in the --

SA: (Stories, not as exciting as "fireballs," but they wrote of camp life). There were some, I think Roger Shimomura's got (some of these) poems, haiku and (prose), that were written by the Issei ladies. And Mrs. Itoi (...) had 'em compiled and Mrs. Shimomura must have had a hand in it. So (there are written works). They are really upbeat and (...) they had these (words and songs like) when you see the Bon Odori and they go "choina choina," they'd say you'd see the dust and all this, and the food's terrible, (etc.) and they go "choina choina," and the mess hall gong is ringing, and "Daddy, hurry up and put your shoes on." And it's kind of, I thought it was pretty great of 'em to (have) an attitude like that and to put it to music, "snakes are out there," and all this (musical "choina choina" phrase).

TI: So who was creating these poems?

SA: (Some) Japanese ladies, writing these short haikus. And they wonder "if their iris buds are swelling at the homes (and in) the gardens they had in Seattle," and things like this. It's pretty interesting.

TI: Now, would they ever recite them, or where would these poems show --

SA: I think they wrote 'em, and they must have got together because they were kind of, they were all together in this (compilation)...

TI: And you say Roger has copies of these?

SA: Well, Roger (had) copies of it, but I think, but he was going to use it, he said, but I don't know (how).

TI: Yeah, he didn't tell me about these. I'll have to ask him about this. [Laughs] Okay, that's good.

SA: Yes, he has, and I think Mrs. Itoi somehow, maybe she's the one that (wrote) them down. I (saw) a few.

TI: Okay, but I was just curious, do you recall, besides the, these little fireballs, any other little stories like that that...

SA: Well, you know, we were always afraid of Rocky Mountain Spider fever, because we were in tick country. They're on the sagebrushes, and when they herd their sheep and animals through -- so we did have (an "anti-tick") shot, I think some of us had Rickettsia shots when we came. But I know we did have one case coming in, but we were told, not all of us, I think, I don't know where I (heard) it, probably when I was a nurse's aide, you have to get (these ticks) out, (or you'll) get this "spotted fever" as they say. So that was a prime fear for a lot of the Isseis, too, I'm sure. Well, mainly it was health concerns.

TI: But like superstitions, anything that you could recall?

SA: Gee, I don't (recall superstitions) that's peculiar to the area, I can't think of anything at this time. Probably think of it later (...).

TI: Okay, that's fine, I just wondered if anything came up. So talk about your, your living unit, the barracks and the unit you, your brother and your mother lived in.

SA: Well, we got the end units, as I said before. The barracks, you know the setup that they have, the blocks and then the center is the mess hall and the laundry. And then sometimes (one empty barrack) for activities, but (it was every other block for activities). Block 12, I (lived) in 12-5-F, and so this means (we're) the fifth unit. You count the twelfth block, and then you go one, two, three four... and the end units were the smallest ones. And so if it was the smallest family, and I think (we were), in ours, we had the whole Beppu family, so Monroe and Rosemary had just been married, they took the other end, and we were, my mother and I, because my brother eventually left (at the other end). So we had the smallest (unit), and then the next unit would have four (people), and then the center would be the big one. So in (our) case, "Link" (Lincoln) Beppu had the biggest family. He was in the center. Taft I think was at (the other ones) and Grant (was) in the other. And I think Paul Tomita was opposite us. But, but it was (fortunate for me because when I) needed a job, Grant (headed) that job apple picking, (so) he picked the people, so that's how come (I) got into that.

TI: That was Grant Beppu?

SA: Yeah. Grant headed that, they...

TI: I just have to make a note, it was always curious to me that this family, they named all their sons after U.S. presidents.

SA: That's right, yeah.

TI: Was that something that other Niseis felt interesting or different?

SA: I thought it was great, 'cause she was, I think Mrs. Beppu, wasn't she a midwife, too? I think she was. But to name them that at a time, and they had the tackle, fishing and tackle (shop). Taft, and then -- he was the oldest -- and then Lincoln and then Grant.

TI: Lincoln, Grant...

SA: And then the youngest was Monroe.

TI: So they were all named after U.S. presidents.

SA: Yes. Isn't that amazing? I thought it was wonderful, to me.

TI: And how did other people think about that? They thought that was...

SA: Well, (the Beppu family) were pretty prominent in the town because they (had) older (sons). We didn't have very many older (Niseis). So I just really, I never thought too much about it, but when I thought about it later, I thought, "Gee, that made (them) more American." [Laughs] That's what we were all striving to be, trying to prove our loyalty, and there was a good example.

<End Segment 9> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.