Confinement in the Land of Enchantment is a traveling exhibit which chronicles the experiences of people of Japanese descent who lived in New Mexico just before, during, and after World War II. The exhibit will be on display April 27, 2019, at the Fort Stanton Historic Site Visitor’s Center with a community forum and reception at 1:30 PM. Guest Speakers include: Dr. Roy Ebihara, Baca Camp Internee Tessa M. Cencula, Fort Stanton Historian Dr. Diane Ball, CLOE Educator.
Event Details:
The Confinement in the Land of Enchantment Story Map utilizes maps, oral histories, letters, artwork, photographs, official site records, and memoirs to chronicle the experiences of people of Japanese descent who lived in New Mexico just before, during, and after World War II. Included are the histories of the four confinement sites that were located in the Land of Enchantment at Santa Fe, Lordsburg, Fort Stanton, and at Baca/Old Raton Ranch.
Confinement in the Land of Enchantment is the result of a collaborative effort among members of the New Mexican Japanese American community, survivors of confinement and their families, and scholars from across disciplines to represent the varied and complicated histories of Japanese Americans in New Mexico during World War II. The histories presented in this Story Map are tragic, hopeful, funny, heartbreaking, and inspiring; they are stories about the past and present meanings of identity, citizenship, and civil rights in New Mexico.
Working under a National Park Service grant and with the support of NMJACL and CNM, we will be showcasing the exhibit at Fort Stanton Historic Site, Saturday, April 27th.
The exhibit will be housed in the visitor’s center, and at 1:30PM there will be a community forum and reception. Following this event, there is an optional field trip to the site of the Baca Ranch Camp which is a few miles outside of Fort Stanton. There will be guest speakers including Dr. Roy Ebihara who was a child at the Baca Ranch Camp.
Questions? Contact Victor Yamada, Project Director at vyamada@yahoo.com.