<Begin Segment 7>

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

TI: And so you mentioned earlier how, so your dad was getting confused and was that when he started talking about maybe going back to Japan?

SA: He was very confused, not knowing what we should do.

TI: Your father. How about for you personally? With other people, perhaps other teenagers who came with their families. How was the interaction with you and sort of the newcomers?

SA: Well, I made a lot of friends (in Tule Lake). And like I said, I twirled the baton. (I) enjoyed (it a lot). And I had nice teachers. (...) And it was sad, though, when some of my friends (...) went to Heart Mountain, another (...) to Hunt, Idaho. (...) You know, they were just scattered all over, when (Tule Lake) became a segregation center. And they would say, "What camp are you going to, Sumie?" I said, "I don't know. My father can't make up his mind." But we stayed and had to live with that turmoil within the camp. But my father kind of, didn't get involved too much. He would join these different groups, but not be what you call a leader. He wasn't what you call a leader. He would just kind of go along with (what others did).

TI: Did any of your siblings have any difficulties that you can remember, with these different groups? You mentioned you had two older sisters, two younger sisters.

SA: No. We continued to go to American school, my two older sisters. And my dad had some of the younger ones, who were younger, go to Japanese school (...) because (it was) offered (...) during the day.

TI: Was there any kind of suggestions to you from other people, besides your parents, that maybe you should go to Japanese school?

SA: No, we made our own decision. But (for) the younger ones, (my father kind of) forced them to go to Japanese school during the day. Because, like I said, it was a time of turmoil, he didn't know (about) our future (...). The main thing was he didn't know whether we would get our place back in Bellevue, because people were living (in our house).

TI: 'Cause I've read some other accounts of people who were kind of in a similar situation where they initially went to Tule Lake. These, a lot of people from Bellevue and Tacoma, places like that, went to Tule Lake. And they said, some of them stayed past the time when it became a segregation camp. And they said it was very difficult for them, and that in some cases, they were harassed to perhaps join the more pro-Japanese movement and things like that. So I was just wondering if you saw things like that.

SA: We did, like you would see these (youths), especially (those who) were real (pro-Japanese). They would get up like five o'clock in the morning, wear these headbands, and go "Washa washa," (marching). We didn't become (...) militant. (...) Besides, we would always say, "No, we don't want to do that." And he (would leave the older ones alone).

TI: So this is your father talking to you about this, or who was talking to you about this?

SA: Oh, if he wanted us to, well, he never pressed us to join any group, because we were, we just would say no. And he took that for an answer. But I think we were kind of on the low-key side compared to a lot of families. But it was certainly a camp of turmoil. They had shootings there. They had the military, they came to every barrack and went through to see if you had any firearms or anything like that. I remember that. And in retrospect, they were kind of difficult years, especially for my parents. Because I was still a teenager and not even thinking seriously about all these things. I certainly didn't want to go to Japan though.

<End Segment 7> - Copyright © 2008 Densho. All Rights Reserved.