Densho Digital Archive - Sumiye Takeno Interview (denshovh-tsumiye-01-0014)

<Begin Segment 14>

RP: And then how did you, how did you hear about the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Sumi?

ST: Of course, it was a shock. And of course I wondered what was going to happen. So, I immediately had to go back home because of that.

RP: Right after...

ST: Yeah, uh-huh, the Pearl Harbor, Uh-huh. And the, these people were very nice and very sympathetic. So, so I immediately went back.

RP: And so did your sister?

ST: Huh?

RP: Your sister left and went back, too?

ST: Yes, uh-huh. We all...

RP: Went together.

ST: We had to because see, they were talking about evacuation already.

RP: And it was very uncertain what would happen.

ST: Uh-huh. So the family have to be together otherwise you'd be separated. So we all went back. And the evacuation wasn't that bad.

RP: Can you describe for us what you did?

ST: In the camp?

RP: Before you, during evacuation --

ST: Oh, you mean to prepare?

RP: -- to prepare.

ST: Well, I think, as I said earlier, he sold it for forty thousand, the whole farm, 80 acres.

RP: All the equipment and everything?

ST: Everything. And then it was sad because it was worth much more than that. But we had no time. We just... it was just have to take the first buyer or second buyer.

RP: And did your father put the money in a bank or what, what happened to that $40,000?

ST: You know, I really don't know. I think he must have put it in the bank. He had to have some money after the camp. So, I didn't question him at all. So, so when I was marrying Roy, he gave me some money. I think about a thousand or something. He said, "This is to help you get started."

RP: He might have taken some of that money with him to camp, a little bit, just to...

ST: Uh-huh, yeah, I think so. So, no, as I said, I was ready to leave for my nursing school and then I thought I'd better listen to my father, get married. And I never regretted it. We had a good life.

RP: What was, what were some of the thoughts running through your mind about this whole evacuation thing and that you had to leave your home?

ST: You mean how I felt about it?

RP: How did you feel about it and I know, I know the parents were usually very stoic and...

ST: You know, maybe I'm different. But I thought it was kind of a good thing for many of us.

RP: For your family?

ST: Uh-huh, for my family, too. We were just existing on the farm and I think this gave us opportunities to do, like my brothers, do whatever they want to do or be independent, and not be stuck on the farm.

RP: How about your father? He'd been farming for a while.

ST: And I think he was happy, too. I think he was getting pretty tired or it. And you know, when he bought a house, he can go fishing every day, which he couldn't do before. And he was very happy about that, I could see in his face. So, he probably did not regret it that much. And he, he helped my brothers doing the gardening. He, they gave him an easy job to do.

RP: After camp.

ST: Uh-huh. So, that was it. And then pretty soon I was, well then I was already married by then.

RP: Where did you assemble to be evacuated? Do you remember where you went? Was it the Florin area near the railroad or a train station?

ST: Oh you mean at the time of evacuation? I think we, we gathered at some place to get, get on the train.

RP: You went by train?

ST: Uh-huh.

RP: Were there any neighbors, Caucasians or anybody, who came by and offered support or...

ST: We only had one Caucasian friend which was across the road. We used to talk to each other and whenever we had crops, we used to take it to them. But that was the extent of it. We didn't go back and forth, have parties or things like that. But we were just good friends. And so, I think my father went to talk to them. And then the others were all practically all Japanese around us anyway. We were all evacuees.

RP: And was... the Florin area, from what I've heard, was divided up into four zones or sections and each section went to a different camp.

ST: Uh-huh, yes.

RP: But the area of your neighborhood or...

ST: Uh-huh, but the good thing was that most of our neighbors were evacuated to the same camp. So we felt at home. We weren't thrown in with all the strangers.

RP: Strangers. There were a lot of different people from Los Angeles.

ST: Oh, yes. Our block was mostly Florin people. But the next block were all L.A. and all strangers. So, so that made us, easier for us to get settled.