#MyBaachan 13. Farming #Nikkei #History
As Japanese migrant labourers became settlers, they moved into farming, particularly strawberry farming.
They began by working land that had been cleared of big trees.
Strawberry crops required back-breaking, meticulous maintenance, which perhaps similar to growing rice.
Japanese farmers worked together in cooperatives, as in the area still known as Strawberry Hill in Surrey. One of these farmers would become my grandfather.
This drawing is based on Photo 2010.23.2.4.708 in the Nikkei National Museum online collection, taken in Haney around 1920.