Tasia Siereveld
5-5-15
In Search of Lost time
Wing Luke: The Heart of Seattle’s Asian Pacific American Community
My First Visit to Wing Luke
I’m strolling along in Seattle, but walking beneath the iron and glass pergola hugging the corner of Pioneer Square Park, I can almost imagine that I am strolling through a European metropolis on the cusp of the 20th century. This is something I love about this city; its many faces have a way of transporting you to a different time, and sometimes, a different place. The Beaux Arts of Union Station captures the obsession the West had with Parisian architecture around the turn of the 19th century, the Space Needle takes you back to the post WWII era which marks the love affair so many architects had with everything outer-space, and the Central Waterfront looks out onto Elliott Bay and provides you with all the joys of boardwalk culture. All of these stylistic expressions of Seattle have a special place in my heart, but the district of seattle which I formed a unique affection for is the International District, which greets me as I step out of Pioneer square. It is difficult for me to clearly explain why I feel such a profound connection to the International District, which prior to the 1970s was still referred to as Chinatown. In truth, I think it is due to a whole host of reasons, some obvious and some hidden even from me. I first visited the area 7th grade with an after-school club for Japanese culture enthusiasts. Initially I joined because of my admiration for the teacher who started the club, but I quickly grew very interested in the subject matter. As the grand conclusion to the group’s time together we took a journey to Seattle’s International District(IND). Our first stop, the place I will always see as the heart of the district, was the Wing Luke Museum.
The Wing Luke Museum is dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Seattle’s Asian Pacific American community. The International District is one of the only communities of it’s kind on the US mainland, a remarkable collection of cultures are woven into it’s history, including not only Japanese and Chinese, but Filipino, Korean, Vietnamese, Cambodian, Thai, and Indian. Because of the area’s complex population, there are many complex matters the museum, which is a community based organization, would have to consider as they design their exhibits. There are also questions I must consider if I am to better understand where I feel I fit into this community which I admire so much. In this paper I will be exploring the museum and what it has to offer, not only in the way of knowledge but in the vein of wisdom. In the end, I hope to emerge with not only a better understanding of the museum and the IND community, but of myself.
My first visit to the Wing Luke Museum for the purpose of this project took place on a Friday, and having spent the whole week preparing, I was eager to begin my intellectual journey.Walking up King St. on my way to the museum i could smell the roast duck that was hanging in the window of the Fortuna Cafe, as well as the heady aroma of dried spices wafting out of a small chinese grocery. Upon entering the museum the heavy wooden doors which formed the entrance caused a rush of air to be dragged into the building as they swung open, sending the massive colorful wind chime overhead into a frenzy. I inhaled deeply, as I usually do when stepping into when stepping into what I call “a learning place.” I do the same thing when I step into a library or a theater hall. There is something intoxicating about the smell of books and the silent energy of minds at work. I walked directly up to the front desk.
“Hi, I would like to purchase a year membership.” The young woman sitting behind the desk smiled at me.
“Sure,” she said “just sign this paperwork here please.” She handed me a clip board with a single form on it. I thanked her and went on to explain my mission there at the museum. The young women looked genuinely pleased. “Well we certainly appreciate your interest.” she said. She told me that she could get me in touch with the director of educational outreach, and that they would make sure I got access to all the resources I would need. She then handed me a small map of the museum and gave me some information on the exhibits and upcoming oral history tour. I noted how warm my welcome was, as opposed to the rather stuffy receptions I have received at some other museums. I glanced at the pamphlet for new members, “It’s Your Museum!” it read.
I decided to spend the few minute I had before the begin of the oral history tour in one of my favorite exhibits. To reach the exhibit one must climb a set of stairs which on a sunny day seem to ascend into the brightness of the sky. The stairs look to be made of old recycled dock wood, and I can easily imagine them leading out to the puget sound. At the end of the staircase there is a landing bathed in the sunlight shining through the panel of glass which forms the ceiling. The installation is titled “The Letter Cloud”, and was designed by Susie Kozawa and Erin Shie Palmer. The walls of the hall also look to have been pulled from an old seaside shanty, covered in tar and ornamented with frosted windows glowing with candle light. The azure sky shining through the skylight is meant to represent the blue of the ocean. Hundreds of paper letters are suspended overhead by fishing line, and dance in the wake of an artificial breeze. From the end of the hall comes the sound of a gentle voice, but the words are lost in the sound of the waves until you reach the bench at the back of the hall. The voice was that of a woman reading an old letter from a young man to his love across the sea. Other readings from other immigrants followed, often read by their children or grand children. The matters of which they wrote were so relatable and timeless that i couldn’t help but feel a deep sense of solidarity with them and their struggles and their successes.The letters were read in their original tongue as well as in english, increasing their accessibility. “A cloud of paper floats these letters across time and space…” reads a portion of the description on the wall.
The oral history tour started on the ground floor of the museum in front of the biographical exhibit for the museum’s namesake, Wing Chong Luke. Only two other people were waiting for the tour, so the group was small. Our guide, Don, was incredibly personable; he asked where we were all from, and chatted about his family and where he was from. His casual conversational style lent itself perfectly to the tour, and at times I could hardly distinguish what was planned in his presentation, and what came organically. For instance, Don revealed parents were actually from the same province of China as Wing Luke. He told us of the first time he visited their old home and his surprise at finding the people of China to be extremely warm and welcoming towards him. “There was a time when American born Chinese people were not well received there.” he informed us. Traveling for Don had been a great learning experience, and he encouraged all of us to travel to China some day. “Travel transcends racial lines.” he said.
As Don covered the life of Wing Luke, the part of his story which seemed the most significant took place in his childhood. In primary school he was the only non-caucasian child, and was picked on terribly. Wing, we were told, was also an incredible artist. Don asked us “So, if you could draw really well, and all of these kids were picking on you, how would you draw them?” I looked kind of bashful and hesitated. “I guess I would make them look pretty stupid.” I said. Don nodded, “Well Wing didn’t do that, he wanted these kids to like him, and so he drew them all as superheroes!” As it turns out, this worked, Wing became one of the most well liked boys in his entire class. A class photo with Wing standing at the center, with all the student’s smiling added a pleasant visual ending to the story.
The tour moved to the front of the museum where we learned about the history of how the International District was built and then outside where we could look at the city directly. The tour then moved to the East Kong Yick Building which was donated to the museum after it closed. The store, which was rebuilt as a part of the museum is still filled with all the original jars of dried goods and account books. Don reveals that he used to come to the shop in it’s original location as a child. He would buy dried plums as a treat and help his brother carry the 100 lb bag of rice his mother would purchase there every month. More and more I was realizing that Don was himself a part of the story he was laying out for us.
From the Yick building we moved on to the Freeman Hotel, which was one of the first resting places of many immigrants coming to Seattle from Asia. The hotel rooms were small and sparsely furnished, it was hard to imagine that these rooms were used as permanent living quarters for grown men. The hotel also contained meeting rooms for Family Associations. Family Associations were essentially clubs comprised of people who came from the same provinces in China, and wanted to recapture the sense of the community they had when living in their old villages. The first of such banquet style meeting rooms we entered belonged to the Gee How Oak Tin Family Association, the largest in the nation. Such associations are a testament to how important maintaining a sense of community was and still is in the early days of the international district. It also demonstrates the creative ways in which immigrant populations go about maintaining a sense of cultural identity and how they valued the roots of their past. After learning about the history and structure of family associations we moved into the adjoining room which stood for yet another family association and displayed a collection of antique mahjong tiles, a traditional chinese game similar to dominoes.
Don lead us all to the window and pointed to the other side of King street. “Do you see that building over there?” he asked. Another type of association in the area was known as a tong, which was originally a secret business organization generally of ill repute. They were known to be involved in gambling, smuggling, and even prostitution once upon a time, but have since become merely places for older chinese people to gather socially. Don’s father was actually a member of the Bing Tong Association, which we could see from the window, and often kept that part of his life separate from the rest of his life. Yet Don does remember his father showing him card tricks, and demonstrating how easy it would be for him to swindle any rube who tried their luck at gambling with the tong.
The tour ended where I began, at the “Letter Cloud.” Don left us with the message that the story the museum tells is a part of us all, it’s a story of immigration, of struggle, and of seeking the American dream.Those who visit the museum aren’t only supporting it financially, but we are participating in keeping certain memories alive, and we are spreading that knowledge and insight to the rest of the community when we leave. “It’s Your Museum!” say the flyers sitting outside the museum entrance.
Analysis of My Visit: What I Learned
From the first moment I walked into the museum, I was made to feel welcome. The young girl at the front desk was accommodating and kind. She also displayed genuine excitement that I had designed a project around the museum and used the royal “we” when she expressed that excitement, showing that it was the whole museum and it’s staff who were pleased with my presence. This shows how important each member visitor is to the museum, and how they create a sense of belonging from the moment you arrive. This was emphasised by the statement on the front of the pamphlet: “It’s Your Museum!”
The young woman at the front desk also informed me about the museum’s library and got me in touch with the director of educational outreach, which shows how important they feel the education of the community is, and how willing they are to go the extra mile to help someone learn.
While on the tour with Don, I rediscovered that feeling I had at 13 when I visited, the feeling of connectedness, the notion that I was a part of the community I had come to learn about.Throughout our time together he kept us engaged by asking us questions rather than just giving us answers, this allowed us to recognize when we were learning something new, as well as occasionally add a bit of our own knowledge to the tour. In this way we were a community of learners rather than passive recipients of information. It kept us engaged and made the subject feel relevant. It also allowed us to question what we already knew, and recognize when we were learning something new.
The story about Wing Luk using kindness to make friends with the students who were teasing him really the museum’s message that community and understanding is important, and that it can be achieved through compassion and education.
I also felt that it was a powerful teaching tool, to have the group look directly at the city while we learned about it. It makes one feel like you are a part of the community you are learning about. It also reminds you that the museum isn’t the only resource for learning about this vibrant portion of seattle, we can actually venture into the city ourselves and seek out answers independently. The wing Luke Museum web site and staff actually encourage you to do just that.
Don’s background was also an important factor in his aptitude as a guide, because as it turned out, he had a personal connection to the museum’s subject matter Don’s family actually hails from the same province of China as Wing Luke, and are amongst the many families to have immigrated to the area. His memories of the area as a child brought the subject matter quite literally to life as it was embodied by him. For instance his description of his visits to the Yick store as a child with his mother and brother. Hearing about this history from someone who actually went to the store as a child, and who has a place in the history we were talking about made it a very personal experience. Listening to an oral history from someone who could provide a personal perspective to enhance the information we were receiving made me realize how relevant this topic still is to the seattle community today. Being able to walk through that shop, suspended in time, transported us back to the past and allowed us to adopt a different perspective far more easily than by looking at pictures in a book. Learning about the area’s history and culture from a person with roots in it inspired in me, as I am sure it does in others, a sense of solidarity, and connection. People help us connect because compassion is a gateway to enlightenment.
At the end of the tour, Don’s point that the museum presents a story that is related to all of us, because most all of us are descendants of immigrants spoke to a larger message, that despite our differences, we are all in this together. Even today, just like the early immigrants of the 1900s, we are all struggling to achieve our goals, and find our place in society while maintaining our own identity.
The most prominent theme I discovered was that of community and communal learning. The Wing Luke museum understands the importance of people in the learning and preservation process, which is why they make sure that the community of Seattle’s International District plays a key role in the museums design. In 1995 the museum won the National Award for Museum Services for their “cutting edge work in fostering broad-based participation in the development of exhibitions and programs.” The museum’s goal is to get the Pacific Asian American communities and the public at large to become engaged with learning about the cultures and histories tied to the IND and to participate in the growth of the museum. One way they do this is by using the Community-based Exhibition Model. Community members are involved in the process of making exhibits every step of the way, from brainstorming ideas to installing exhibits, to outreach and publicity. The team of people that puts together an exhibit always includes not only staff members, but “core community members,” which make up the Community Advisory Committee(CAC). The members of this group all have some personal connection to the subject matter of the exhibit to be created. They are the ones with authority over the the content of the exhibit, and what it’s main messages are. The CAC is also charged with branching out further into the community, inviting others to contribute their talents or stories to the formation of the exhibit. On occasion, a leader is necessary for the group to run smoothly. Such a person is chosen based upon their strong role within the community rather than a history in museum work. They will facilitate group meetings, help the museum connect further with the community, and generally sharing their wisdom.
As I learned about the process the museum goes through to design their exhibits, and how much they value the community in the process, I began to further value where I fit into the equation. As a patron of the museum I support it not only financially, but I come as a vessel for the knowledge and the wisdom its stories would bestow upon me. I matter in this community for the simple and powerful fact that I care. Because I care so deeply about this community and their stories, I carry them with me, and thus bring parts of the museum with me wherever I go. I am not the only one of course, many others share my role, but our role is also an important part of the process because our passion for the museum spreads awareness to others, who in turn become interested in visiting the museum. In this way, stories and community keep history alive.
I believe that Wing Luke is truly is a community museum, in that it preserves the history of a community, promotes communal memory, and creates it’s own community within and without its walls.
My Second Visit to Wing Luke
On my second visit to the Wing Luke Asian museum, I decided to explore some of the exhibits on my own. I wanted to wander where my fancy took me and try to gain some insight into what some of the museums main themes were.
After checking in at the front desk I made my way upstairs to the Central Gallery on the second floor where I passed briefly under the “Letter Cloud.” The Central Gallery was empty of people, leaving me to explore in solitude. I could hear the sound of chimes and trickling water coming from a pair of speakers hanging over a ring of wooden benches with a small boulder at its center. I turned to the first exhibit within my reach, a collection of portraits placed above an artificial fire mantle. The portraits were of dolls, and a caption was placed near them: “We recreate old cultural ways in their homes…” The dolls were a physical reminder of the land their immigrant owners had left behind. The rest of the caption expressed the concerns Asian immigrants had with not belonging as well as the struggle to keep the memory of their origins alive. “Memories of the home-land dissolve with time.” The dolls are meant to preserve that memory.
Near the entrance to the gallery is a display that reads: “Honoring Our Journey: Asian Pacific Islanders.” The display goes on to describe what it means to belong to this group. They are “members of thriving communities,” who share a “common history and common experience in America.” Their goal is to ban together and spend meaningful time trying to identify themselves. Another Display elaborates on the reasons why someone may join the Asian Pacific Islander American(APIA) community and the additional aspects they may have to their identity, such as “multiracial, straight, gay, intermarried, etc.” They come together as a community to have “their history known, their voices heard, and their needs addressed.”
I moved further into the gallery where I found a bench sitting in front of a wall on which images of Asian American culture were being projected. Some of the images I recognized from my book, Seattle’s International District: The Making of a Pan Asian Community. As I looked to my left I found that pristinely stenciled words adorned the smoothed cement wall. There were two sections, the first was titled “Asian American- A New Identity.” The section talks about the importance of the term APIA being a more accurate identifier: “We are both Asian and American.” The paragraph also talks about the way in which the title can be perceived as positive (“strength, community, unity”) or negative (“separation, clannish”). Questions are asked in the paragraph about how children adopted from Asia or those of an interracial marriage identify themselves. No explanation was given to these questions, and thus I believe they were intended to give the viewer food for thought as they explored the museum.
The second part of the mural says “Remember the Past, the Struggles!”It then lists some of the civil rights movements the community had participated in, as well as some of the hurtful things that are frequently said to people of an Asian American background.
I was also struck by a case filled with symbols of different Asian cultural traditions. The case held buddhist statues, wooden carvings which depicted a Korean wedding party and a collection of religious symbols. The exhibit presented the idea that “tradition provides depth and meaning to one’s life”, and that tradition has “deep roots” often based in folk beliefs, and is “kept alive through ritual.”
After exploring the Main portion of the Central Gallery I decided to wander in the direction of the Kid’s Center. Near the entrance to the children’s portion of the gallery there were two little trees covered entirely in colorful paper tags. The tags were New Year wishes which people wrote for their loved ones and hung on the little trees in the hopes that they would come true. This chinese tradition appeared to have been popular with visitors, and I found that rather touching. The children’s center was decorated lavishly with mostly Chinese New Year decorations. A large dragon puppet, the kind seen snaking down the street in New Year parades, hung from one corner of the ceiling, and near it hung a large happy mask meant to resemble the face of a doll. Little red envelopes, which are used to present children with money on on New Year for good luck, are pinned accross the wall. A panel on the wall talked about the significance of the New Year in the context of tradition, and the exchange of such of cultural practices to new generations and new communities. The first portion reads: “Asian immigrants settling in the Pacific Northwest bring with them many holidays from their homelands…Here in America [APIAs] pass along their traditions to their children.” The piece continued by talking about how the APIA community practice their traditions not only at home with family but in the community. The celebration of the New Year is compared to other holidays such as St. Patrick’s day, because though it did not originate in America, it has been adopted by American culture. The piece continues with “While many New Year traditions have changed to accommodate new surroundings in America, their essence still remains.”
After wandering about the children’s center a bit more, I moved into the adjoining hall which contained the Community Portrait Gallery. The gallery contained 5 exhibits at the time: I Am Filipino; Vietnam in the Rearview Mirror; Alaskeros: A Documentary Exhibit on Pioneer Filipino Cannery Workers; Cambodian Cultural Museum and Killing Fields Memorial; Hometown Desi: South Asian Culture in the Pacific Northwest.
I Am Filipino was a very interesting piece which took up an entire room. On one wall of the room there were pictures of dozens of people, all of whom were of Filipino descent. Every individual looked incredibly unique, and every one of them had a different definition of what it is to be Filipino. One quote said, “ It is hard to say what being Filipino is. It can be anything.” Oral history stations were set up around the room so that the visitor could listen to interviews done with various Filipino individuals on the topic of their experience with identity. One woman who was interviewed talked about how she manages to balance her new identity as an American as well as her Filipino identity. she referred to herself as a “weekend Filipino.” The term refers to living a lifestyle that requires her to suppress her filipino identity during the week and while she works, and only participating in the traditions of home during her off days. She talks about how the woman who hired her confessed to her that she wasn’t sure how good of a worker she would be because she had a strong accent.
A young woman named Karen Johnstone reflected in another interview on what it was like for her to be fair skinned and have a dark skinned Filipina mother. She also talked about the struggle her mother had with being dark skinned and having a fair skinned mother. “She definitely made efforts to make connections but she also felt very isolated.” Karen said about her mother. Karen said she learned a lot from her mother about the importance of self esteem when it comes to identity: “She taught me and I have learned through her and through my own experiences as being very fair skinned and also being very immersed in the Filipino Community, that I have to accept myself, and true, there will be those who will question or reject me, but I’m not going to let them take away my identity.”
As I wandered through the rest of the Gallery I found many similar presentations of identity as something complex and fluid. The matter of identity seemed to be of great importance not only to the Filipino population but to many other Immigrants living in America. People belonging to the Vietnamese, Cambodian,and Indian communities all had important things to say about the nature of identity.
At the end of my self tour there was another photo collage that said “South Asian identities are complex, layered, and fluid.” Under each photo was a short description of that person’s identity as they saw it.
I stayed until the museum started to close, and spent the last few minutes sitting on the bench of the Central Gallery. In those last few minutes I saw the first and only other visitors I saw while I was at the museum that day. They were a young couple, the male was caucasian and the female was of Asian descent. I watched them as they explored some of the exhibits and as the young woman explained how one of the traditional Japanese dresses was worn. They giggled and smiled and flirted as they explored. Soon the announcement was made that the museum was closing, and I gathered my things and made for the exit. As I left the museum I felt a strong sense that I was taking with me some of the museums wisdom and insight into some of it’s key values.
Evaluation of Second Visit
The first exhibit I explored, which depicted dolls as a reminder of past traditions, clearly expressed how important the memory of one’s origins is to those who are immigrants or whose family emigrated to the US. Because time is such a great oppositional force against memory, an object, like a doll, can be a valuable tool for keeping the past alive. The exhibit also pointed out the difficulty immigrants from Asia had in developing a sense of belonging.
The text I read on the wall next to the entrance, titled “Honoring Our Journey: Asian Pacific Islanders,” also highlighted the importance of belonging as well as identity. The APIA individuals have worked hard in recent years to seek out those whom they share a common culture and ban together to fight for their voices to be heard and needs to be recognized. The display also made it clear that no one in the APIA community is exactly alike, and that their identities differ greatly, whether they are gay, straight, mixed race, etc.
The large display of text on the wall near the bench I sat on made me think a lot about how it is not only challenging to discover your own identity, but to present that identity as well. The fact that people can perceive identifying yourself by your ethnic background as being cliquish or standoffish is referred to in the second portion of the text.
The case filled with cultural figures and items related to Asian tradition reminded me of the exhibit containing the dolls in that the objects in the case were vessels for the collective memories of a community. Those objects and the traditions they are related to root people to their collective past, and therefore have a substantial impact on the formation of their identity.
The children’s portion of the museum also covered the importance of keeping up with tradition for immigrant populations. The celebration of the New Year was used as an example of how traditions not only travel with people to new countries and new homes, but they integrate themselves into that community as well, and may even become part of other cultural identities. I feel that the ability to share traditions and allow them to adapt while still retaining their essence is a fundamental tool for helping people to connect across cultures.
As I explored the Community Portrait Gallery I saw a clear continuation of the theme of identity. The variation in identity amongst Asian Americans and their struggle to maintain a sense of tradition, while still integrating themselves into America appeared to be the major concentration of the exhibit.
Though I didn’t see many visitors while I was at the museum, the couple I did see really affected me emotionally. I found it utterly charming that they were able to bond and enjoy eachothers company by exploring the museum together. I saw their affection for one another as a sign of how times have progressed beyond some of the hateful periods which the museum presents. In addition, I recognize that society still has a long way to go when it comes to creating understanding across boundaries, and I believe the museum will play a large roll in that in the years to come.
Conclusion
The Wing Luke Asian Museum left me with two major themes to consider, community and identity. Community has to do with togetherness and understanding, a community falls apart without harmony and a sense of connection. The Wing focuses not only on the exploration and presentation of the Asian Pacific Islander American community in the Northwest, but on creating a community within the museum and encouraging a sense of connectedness to the community we are learning about. The search for identity and the balancing of multiple identities was also a very important topic in the exhibits that I saw. The significance of someone’s identity in how they related to and formed different communities also came up frequently. My own identity has been shaped through the exposure I have had to different Asian cultures and individuals in my community as well as by the museum. The museum marks an important time in my past, and in a sense is part of my own personal tradition. As I go through the practice of visiting the museum I am strengthening my bond to it and the community it serves within and without its walls. I carry the knowledge I acquired there to others and am thus a vessel for the knowledge the museum has imparted to me. I hope that by visiting the Wing Luke museum more and sharing my experiences there I will be able to aid the museum in its mission to preserve the memories of Asian Americans and strengthen the ties of community as well as aid in the affirmations of identity.