Expressions of Ethnicity in a Modern World, Archaeological and Historical Traces of Pre-WWII Japanese-American Culture

Summary

Artifacts and structures produce data for historical archaeology. They can be used to construct chronologies, explore social arrangements, and identify function and ethnic groups.  Japanese men came as laborers to the Pacific Northwest in the late 19th century, working in logging camps, on the railroad, and in other industrial settings. By the early 20th century, Japanese families (re)turned to farming as they sought greater economic opportunity. Two such first generation Japanese families, the Fukudas and Horis, were independent farmers and tenants on the Neely Farm in the White River Valley of King County. The most prominent signature of this occupation is a bathhouse, or furo, and associated artifacts. While nearly three quarters of the state’s Japanese-American farmers were in the White River Valley, only one furo has been identified to date. This paper explores the potential for identifying other such structures and archaeological deposits in agricultural and industrial settings in the region.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Writing Inequality, Endurance, and Transnationalism: The Archaeology of Chinese and Japanese Immigrants and their Descendants in North America   •
• Society for Historical Archaeology 2017

Keywords

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Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 709