Artefact 7; Tashme Camp, cont.

Citation: [Unknown]. 1943. “Dining Hall at Tashme Camp.” P. Japanese Canadian Photograph Collection. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.14288/1.0049223. 

Label:

This photograph reveals a moment of communal gathering within the Tashme Internment Camp, specifically capturing Japanese Canadian internees during mealtime in one of the camp's dining halls. Opened in 1942, Tashme was speedily constructed to house thousands of Japanese Canadians forcibly relocated under the War Measures Act during World War II. The camp, built on a former dairy farm, included several barns and buildings repurposed to meet the basic needs of its inhabitants.

The dining hall, a crucial hub of daily life, was likely one of the existing farm structures adapted for communal use. Despite the camp's remote location and harsh living conditions, internees strove to maintain a sense of routine and community. Meals were shared in large communal settings, reflecting both the scarcity of resources and the internees' efforts to forge a community under oppressive circumstances. Internees' also regularly practiced recreational activities to boost morale and have a sense of fun including various types of sports, celebrations, and parades. This image not only shows the spatial constraints and crowded conditions under which these meals were had but also highlights the resilience and adaptability of the internees, who organized their limited space to preserve social interactions and community bonds during their internment. Mealtime offered a brief respite and a space for social connection amidst the extensive uncertainty and hardship of camp life.

Bibliography:

[1] "TASHME - JAPANESE CANADIAN INTERNMENT CAMP 1942 - 1946"  https://www2.gov.bc.ca/assets/gov/driving-and-transportation/driving/japanese-internment-signs/tashme_internment_camp.pdf

[2] "Life in a Japanese Canadian Internment Camp, 1942-1946", tashme.ca