<Begin Segment 38>

VY: I think Caitlin's going to talk a little bit more with you about a couple of things, and then we'll wrap up with some reflections.

MM: Okay.

CC: I just mainly wanted to talk to you about the camp pilgrimage. I'm assuming you remember, we went as a family, like maybe ten years ago. So we went on the Tule Lake Pilgrimage, and I just wanted to know how you felt about it, if you came away from anything learning stuff, thinking about new stuff.

MM: Okay. It was interesting to me in that I didn't realize how bad it was until I went on the pilgrimage. And the part that really hurt me, I mean, knowing about it, was when we looked at that prison that was inside the camp, it made me want to cry. That's just ridiculous that they would do that to people. I mean, anybody, it's just horrible. So that was the thing that affected me emotionally really badly. And then the other part was kind of knowing actually where our place was and actually getting to step on that land, but I don't know that we actually knew. But what I would like to know, actually, is -- and I don't know if you could find this out for me. But you know that I think that every family was allowed to only take what you could carry. So when you have an orchestra, you have to have music, and everybody would carry their instrument. I mean, I'd carry, even if I could only take two, I was carrying my violin, I would stuff things into my violin as much as I could. But you can't stuff a bunch of music into it. So how did they get their music? I just don't know. Was somebody kind enough from the outside to bring it to them, and you have to have music stands, they're heavy. It's just like if you had all the music you have to take to make music, that's really heavy, and for you to have room for your clothes and things like that. So I just kind of wondered.

CC: Well, they were able to buy things in camp and they were able to have things shipped to them.

MM: Oh, really?

CC: From the outside, yeah. Over the course of however many years that they were in. So it probably happened that way.

MM: Okay. So I didn't know that, okay.

CC: So initially they brought a certain amount, and then over the course of the years they were able to acquire more.

MM: But you can bring in furniture, wood or something to beef up your place to make it better. Did I tell you... oh, anyway, I don't know if this matters. But Holly, my daughter-in-law, Jim's wife, her dad actually helped build those things in Tule Lake but those structures, what do you call those structures?

CC: The barracks?

MM: Yeah, the barracks. And when he found out that we had been in there, he felt so bad. But the thing is, he was just a youngster and he needed to make money, too. There were people who needed to make money even if you weren't in the war. He was, I think, seventeen or eighteen. And so he went to Tule Lake and helped build those barracks. He felt so bad for my mom and dad.

CC: Were you happy you went on the pilgrimage? Do you think it helped you kind of process things and being there with your family?

MM: Yeah. Well, I did like being with you guys for sure. I mean, I wouldn't have gone by myself probably. But it was a good thing for me to see. It made me feel closer to the community as such, and that was mainly it. That I learned a little more about it, about what it was about. So that was really good, I'm glad I went. And I kind of wanted to go again, but now I'm too old. I wouldn't be able to... I hurt too much in different places. It's hard to walk.

<End Segment 38> - Copyright © 2024 Densho. All Rights Reserved.