Densho Digital Archive - Rose Niguma Interview (denshovh-nrose

<Begin Segment 17>

RN: Well, I was thinking about, they would have to know what we had undergone because somebody else will write about it, and you'll feel fictitious maybe. This is real, it's honest, and there has been things I haven't really talked about, but we did run across discrimination, and our parents did. Like my father, when he went to San Francisco, we had that store to buy some merchandise. He was set upon by a mob, rowdy. They threw rocks at him, and I think he must have been about twenty-seven, so he can run. So he ran, and he ran into a saloon, and the bar keeper saw what was happening. He hid him behind the counter and saved his life, so I have a good feeling about bar keepers. [Laughs] I do. He saved his life. So if they came running through, he probably says that way. No, he told me that. So we have gone through things like that. But because of what we had undergone, I think it gave us strength. But we understand, too, probably empathy for others. I don't know. I hope, that's what I think. But I don't think it's all negative at all. It's part of life. I never understood that when I was younger, you know. Everything was so black and white; but now, I understand, probably that means the wisdom we acquire when we grow older. I don't know.

But I know one thing, we are born here, so we love this country no matter what we look like. As far as looks go, we can't help that. That's the way we are. But people should understand that everyone from different countries look differently because of their climate and their environment. They don't understand that. Like that black person with the curly hair, they straighten it now. But that curly hair protected them from the sun. You know, the equator is very hot. That protected them, but people don't know that, see. They judge them by their features and not realizing why, the reason for the feature, see. I think the reason, like our faces are more flatter than Caucasian. Do you know why? Because like in Mongolia, I think we come from, we call us Mongolian, different Caucasoids, Mongoloids, Negroid like that, see. In ancient time, the heat was very strong and the air that they breathe in was shorter because it warmed their whatever. Like in cold country, they have higher bridges because the air takes longer for the air that they breathe in. People don't know that, and I keep wondering why they don't. Somebody should tell them. They learn, but they don't think. I don't think they don't think. That's why different people have different facial features. That's the reason according to the environment they live in through evolution, and probably the people that have features like that survived and others didn't, see. We get a lot of that from channel ten. I find it interesting.

So I think if you live longer, you learn more things. And one thing that I thought, I read that really interested me was through stem cell experiment. They experimented on mice. They were able to grow teeth. So within five years, it will come to human. I think that's wonderful. The litters can grow tails, and they get, you know, they lop it off and [inaudible] be able to grow it, see. We haven't. But through stem cell, some things might happen like they could clone animals now. They cloned twin kittens. They're really cute. And Daisy died, but their clone doesn't live as long. They don't, and fears back where we would never know of things like that. We heard it, but we wouldn't believe it, but it has happen. So we're really progressing. But I like the teeth part because I need dental work, and I'm scared silly. It's not like regular people just getting because of the accident. My jaw really dislocated, fractured it. So whoever does work have to know what they're doing. But I did want implant until I saw what, I thought you just put teeth, you know, open it and just put it in. You don't. You make a, they bore and make a tube, metallic tube, and I thought to myself, oh no, I thought to myself, but that's the way they implant. I think I lost interest in it.

Well, we did live our lives. We're the second generation. The first generation did have a hardship, they survived. The second one did. But I think the second generation had it, and all the other generations that come later, I think we had the hardest.

MR: Why is that?

RN: Well, because we have to go into camp and... but not all Americans were like that during the war. I had my neighbors who wrote to me every time, very faithful. I have some of their cards and things in my pile back there. I didn't have a heart to destroy them, but I may have to because I'll be gone. But the petition I have, it shows real true American, so I'm keeping that. I'm going to donate it to a museum, not here. I don't know where, bigger one because it shows, it shows people with courage and the belief that they have, see. It's very strong. Not many people have it, but they did. I have it, so I kept it all these years. I don't think, even if I donate, they won't value it as much as I did. But that is all gone. It's yesterday, so we have to go into tomorrow. But tomorrow will be more harder than, it seems that every generation, it becomes harder because more population, more new development. Like computers, well, I'm computer illiterate. I don't think my mind could grasp it now. Probably if I was younger, I might. So I kept wondering about myself. I got to keep writing the things. I notice I repeat things, so I'm hoping to condense it before I get, but I did my homework so at least I'll know what I'm talking about. Is it same like the other ones that, is it similar to other people that gave oral history or each one of them different?

MR: Everybody has their own story.

RN: Were they different?

MR: And it's like making a big quilt out of all the stories.

RN: Oh, I see.

MR: Or layering the paint.

RN: If any of them said that they hold nothing against the camp's history and all that, they're lying. They're easing it because I haven't forgotten it, and I think it left a scar on me, long, long time, took me long time to get over it because it was so unfair. And then when I was at Village, you know, where the registered nurses are, cared for my brother, there was a young man from Denmark. He's working there so he could get into medical studies here. He's Danish. He said, "I don't think what you underwent in the war was right. It was very wrong," he told me. I knew what he meant. I said, "How did you know? You're from Europe." He said, "We in Europe knew," and they did. But here, they whitewashed. They whitewashed it, so people in the Midwest don't even know it occurred. But Europe, they did. That's what he told me. I was surprised. I said, "Oh, you knew," I said. But I didn't say anything more beyond that. I didn't want to talk about it. And one of my instructors came from Midwest. He said he didn't know anything about it. He wanted to know more about it, but I didn't want to talk about it. But in my case, I thought I didn't care, but I had to because of the future generation. They have to know the truth because a lot of people will write books, and you won't have to use fictitious things. Well, they're getting it right from the horse's mouth, and it's true. So I decided I better not be so private, you know. But I didn't know whether I would do a quicker one. I did my homework. I really did homework, and I ran a lot of ink out of my pens. And I thought I'm getting older, things kept coming back, you know. They didn't join the same thing over here, something different here, so I thought I'll put it all together.

MR: So as you pulled it all together --

RN: What?

MR: As you pulled it all together, did it, how did it make you feel to now be thinking about all this stuff again?

RN: No. It receded because I didn't, I've been bitter for a long, long time. But one thing, I love this art. So when I return to it, it just softens it. I don't feel that way anymore. But I did paint about Minidoka, and somebody swiped it. I don't know why they want to swipe it. I don't think they know what it was all about anyway. It's just sad. See, people are on drugs and they're desperate. I think that's it. Brinks on the door, but I think they came through the window or came through one of the sides of the windows. That's what I think. I never got it back. I don't care. It doesn't bother me because I went into bigger things. They took smaller things. They can slide through the door or through the window. They took five of them, never got them back. They cost about $5,000 each, and that's $25,000 there, but I continued on. In my house even, they stole things. I changed the locks every so many times, still they come in. They're lock pickers. They know how to pick locks. I think they're on drugs, and they're desperate for a fix, and they have to have it, so they learn.

[Interruption]

MR: So what would you like the next generation to know about your experience in your life? What's the message to the next generation?

RN: Well, I'd say, this is your country. It makes mistake, but it rectifies it that you receive 20,000 dollars. This isn't much, but it was a help. And I'd say, love your country. I did. Even if I was in camp, I never, never thought we'd lose a war. We never did. We have though. Vietnam I think we lost, didn't we? I think we're going to lose the Iraq too, and I'm hoping that we get Kerry a couple of days. I do. I don't want Bush. He ruined our economy, our environment. I don't think he had any concept. Well, he's in a very dry country in his ranch. He doesn't love the fruit trees like I do. In my painting, I put fruit trees there, Mount Hood. He doesn't feel it because he's in a drier country. Well, I never did like sagebrushes tumbling around. I never did. But you adjust to your environment and your life. I'll just say love your country. At the moment, they may look very negative, but it will turn positive. Because of diversity, it would strengthen you, your character. That's what I would say. And never take things for granted. I'm a very private person, but I opened up for their sake. After I'm gone, I hope they'll never experience what we did. If any other person undergo anything like this which is unjust or unfair, they should help the victim. That's what I say.