[Japanese Americana]:

[Panoramic Photograph of the Canal Young Buddhist Association While Interned at Gila River Relocation Center During World War II].

Phoenix: Kunkle & Wilcox, [ca. 1943]. Small-format panoramic photograph, 5.5 x 13.75 inches, photographer's studio stamp on verso. Rolled. Minor wear. Very good. Item #3496

A striking panoramic photograph picturing almost a hundred young Japanese-American men and women who comprised the membership of the Canal High School Young Buddhist Association inside the Gila River internment camp. The young Buddhists are organized into five rows in front of a modest wooden structure whose sign reads simply, "Buddhist Church." A handful of older Japanese Americans are also posed with them, perhaps officials of the church or teachers from Canal. Canal High School was located in one of two camps at Gila River, located on the Gila River Indian Community in Arizona. Internees began to arrive at Canal in mid-July 1942, most of whom came from the Central California regions and were previously held at Turlock Assembly Center or had been living in the restricted area. Canal was built for just 4,800 internees and filled up quickly, facilitating the construction of a second camp at Rivers called Butte. Buddhists were targeted specifically during the early stages of relocation because of unsubstantiated fears prevalent in the military and federal law enforcement agencies that Japanese Americans who professed the religion were a particular danger to security. As a result, practicing Buddhists made up a large proportion of the population in internment camps. Still, practitioners of the faith endured under the harsh conditions of the desert landscapes inside the camps, as seen here.

Price: $2,000