In this episode of Digging to the Other Side, we interview Priscilla Wegars and Renee Campbell, who head the University of Idaho's Asian American Comparative Collection. They share their insights and experiences on the importance of preserving and showcasing the diverse history and culture of Asian Americans in the United States. From the acquiring and cataloging artifacts to the impact that this collection has on the Asian American community, this interview is a must-listen for anyone interested in the rich and complex history of Asian Americans in the United States.

Show Notes:

Priscilla Wegars

Renae Campbell

In this episode, we talk with Chelsea Rose about her work on the Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project. 

We talk about early Chinese contributions to the development of Oregon; how they worked, built, and settled in the state. We talk gold mining, railroads, Chinese Merchants, and of course, Buckaroo Sam the most famous Chinese Cowboy in the Old West. 

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Show Notes:

Chelsea Rose - Time Team America

http://timeteam.lunchbox.pbs.org/time-team/meet-the-team/chelsea-rose/

Chelsea Rose - Academia

https://sou.academia.edu/ChelseaRose

Oregon Chinese Diaspora Project

https://oregon-chinese-diaspora-project-sou.hub.arcgis.com/

Portland Chinatown Museum

https://www.portlandchinatownmuseum.org/

They Called Him … Buckaroo Sam: The Imagined Life of a Chinese Cowboy

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5403/oregonhistq.122.4.0546

Chinese Diaspora in Oregon. Oregon Historical Quarterly Vol. 122, No. 4

https://www.jstor.org/stable/10.5403/oregonhistq.122.issue-4

Today we talk with Laura Ng about her research on early Chinese migrants in America and their return to their homelands. We talk about what American goods they brought back with them, the homes they built in China with the money they made in America, how they changed the American cultural landscape, and the lasting impacts of Chinese immigration to the US. 

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Show Notes:

Laura Ng

https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/laura-ng

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Laura-Ng

https://twitter.com/cocalola

Chinese Diaspora Archaeology in North America (book)

https://florida.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.5744/florida/9780813066356.001.0001/upso-9780813066356

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Digging To The Other Side Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/DiggingToTheOtherSide

Email:

[email protected]

Today we talk with Koji Lau-Ozawa and Leanne Riding about their research into Japanese Incarceration/Internment Camps in North America. We learn a great deal about how America and Canada treated Japanese Americans/Canadians during World War 2 and how that treatment can be seen in the archaeological record today. We also talk about how doing projects like these can help descendant groups reconnect with their history and why these types of projects are important to archaeology as a field.

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Show Notes:

Leanne Riding’s Research on the Japanese Canadian Labour Camps of NorthEastern B.C.

https://yellowheadroadcamps.wordpress.com/

Koji Lau-Ozawa’s bio page at Stanford

https://anthropology.stanford.edu/people/koji-lau-ozawa

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Digging To The Other Side Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/DiggingToTheOtherSide

Email:

[email protected]

We talk with Dr. Yasui about Jomon period foods. 

Why is there a perception that the Jomon peoples were eating primarily nuts? What evidence is there for what they were actually eating? and Where do hamburgers come from?  

All that and a robust discussion about food as an ambassador for culture, and noodles

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Dr. Emma Yasui: Emma is a mixed-Japanese Canadian archaeologist who conducts research on the past relationships between people, plants, and stone tools in southern Hokkaido, Japan. She is also interested in pop culture and Japanese diaspora topics, which she often covers as a member of the Asians Represent podcast.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Emma-Yasui

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Show Notes:

Asians Represent podcast

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC72SWZ0tamtQeiQMn11YGOA

and their Patreon 

https://www.patreon.com/aznsrepresent

Jōmon period

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J%C5%8Dmon_period

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Digging To The Other Side Patreon:

https://www.patreon.com/DiggingToTheOtherSide

Email:

[email protected]

Today we talk about early Chinatowns in California and Canada. Bryan informs us about the history of the city of Stockton and its early Chinatown, and we talk about how early Chinese immigrants came to America and Canada, the hardships they faced, and how they adapted to increasingly hostile countries. 

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Show Notes:

City of Stockton

http://ww1.stocktonca.gov/

SJC Historical Musuem 

https://sanjoaquinhistory.org/

Today we talk about the clandestine removal of a monument memorializing a shooting victim at the Topaz Japanese Internment Camp. The memorial was reportedly removed at the behest of the Topaz Museum, the non-for-profit that is supposed to be preserving the history and integrity of the internment camp. The Topaz Museum claims they removed the monument, without notifying survivors and Descendents, or anyone really because they needed to keep it safe from vandals. We talk about why that explanation doesn't seem to fit with the situation or the treatment of the monument post removal. 

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Show Notes:

Topaz Museum 

https://topazmuseum.org/

Excavation of Utah internment camp monument upsets descendants trying to heal

https://www.npr.org/2021/12/12/1063539436/excavation-of-utah-internment-camp-monument-upsets-descendants-trying-to-heal

Group works to honor WWII Topaz internment camp inmate after monument removed

https://ksltv.com/478680/group-works-to-honor-wwii-topaz-internment-camp-inmate-after-monument-removed/?

Unearthing a monumental controversy: Removal of memorial to Topaz shooting victim enrages community

https://www.nichibei.org/2021/10/unearthing-a-monumental-controversy-removal-of-memorial-to-topaz-shooting-victim-enrages-community/

Welcome to the Digging to the Other Side inaugural episode. We're glad to have you digging with us. In this episode, we meet our hosts; Tommy Ng, Anna Coon, Bryan Baldeon, and Daryl Basarte. We talk about what it's like to be Asian hyphenated archaeologists and how that changes the way we see and do archaeology. We talk about the challenges we face because of how the field perceives us, and mostly we pick on Tommy for being old. 

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Our Hosts are:

Tommy Ng: Tommy is a Chinese-Canadian archaeologist and partner at a CRM firm based in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His company carries out work all throughout Western Canada and the Territories. He has been doing CRM for over 25 years. 

Anna Coon: Anna is a Filipino Irish American archeologist. She works as a tribal archeologist for the Spokane tribe in Washington State. She also serves on the board of directors for the Association for Washington Archaeology.

Bryan Baldeon: Bryan is an Ecuadorean-American undergrad student at California State University, Stanislaus majoring in anthropology. He is an intern at the San Joaquín County Historical Museum and is a member of the Cultural Heritage Board for the City of Stockton. 

Daryl Basarte: Daryl is a Filipino Mexican American and is part of the ArchaeoGaming Collective. He creates and runs the 'Welcome to Goblin Town' DnD Adventure, using gaming to teach archaeology to a greater audience.