Archaeology And Gardens At A WWII Japanese American Incarceration Camp In Gila River, Arizona

Summary

Violence can be seen in the archaeological record in many different ways, from trauma in the osteological record to depictions in iconography. This paper will focus on reactions to violence.  In World War II, all those of Japanese Ancestry living on the West Coast of the United States were forcibly incarcerated in prison camps. These people reacted to this violent act of imprisonment with many different strategies.  Recent archaeological work has examined the material manifestations of these strategies, documenting the diverse and creative ways that incarcerees dealt with this trauma. My research focuses on the creation of gardens at Butte Camp of the Gila River Relocation Center. These garden features stand as testaments to the ways that incarcerees navigated the complex threads of identity and imprisonment. They also demonstrate the utility of archaeology in illuminating the stories of those incarcerated.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Archaeologies Of Violence And Privilege   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2016

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Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

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PaperId(s): 566