Broken Promises

There's a new show on at Surrey's Museum. Called "Broken Promises" it places the spotlight on events that occurred in 1942 when Canada placed the tag 'enemy alien' on people of Japanese descent. First generation or third, it made no difference. If you were in any way deemed to be Japanese, you and your family (yes, little children and all) were rounded up and sent away to camps. 

In addition, your possessions were seized, on the promise that they would be held for a later date and you'd get them back. That was just one of the many broken promises. 

Boats that belonged to fishers were gathered together and burned to the waterline where the sea at least had the mercy to douse the flames. 

Appropriately it seemed, the celebration marking the opening of this important exhibit started with a blessing and a song from Harley Chappell, elected chief of the Semiahmoo Nation. He has a rich singing voice which, accompanied by the drum he holds in his hand, certainly seemed to command respect from all who heard him. Chief Chappell, as well as the other speakers, had their words interpreted by two signers. You can see the hands of one of them in motion in the photo above. 

Considering all that's gone on this week, with the delegation of Indigenous people in Rome, it was hard not to think of the sign for this event as also possibly meaning "Token Promises" as so many of the promises made to Indigenous Peoples via treaties and other agreements have not been fulfilled. 

Despite the sad circumstances which this event was commemorating, the evening itself held new promise, including its recognition of the currently unfolding spring, as with the presentation done by a troupe of Japanese dancers -- in this case, celebrating the time of cherry blossoms.