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GO SPOTTING: ‘The Archaeology of Internment’

“Readers may be interested in the current May/June issue of Archaeology magazine,” reports Janice Kim. “There is an article ‘Archaeology of World War II’ that includes a section ‘The Archaeology of Internment’ that describes some findings at the Kooskia camp in Idaho, where American citizens of Japanese ancestry were interned during World War II. It notes that archaeologists ‘... are uncovering evidence that people not only survived, but also struggled to maintain their identity and dignity even in the most restrictive and dehumanizing environments’, with a picture of go stones discovered at the site. In light of recent events I think it's important to reflect on this chapter in our history, and I was heartened by the Journal's reporting of fundraising events for Japan by the US go community.” - photo: go players in the Wyoming Heart Mountain internment camp in 1943; photo by Tom Parker, The War Authority via The National Archives