The Untold Story

“They kicked us all out. Then they burned the churches, burned the buildings … it was terrible.”

“American citizens were starving … were dying.”

Presentation by Stephen Bregande

The story was never told. And it was such a big story. It was just like it was

purposely held secret, and nobody should know this, because I think it’s a big, black mark on the United States government. I

know there are some elders here, they refuse to utter a word about it, they’ll just say, “No,” (she wipes away tears) “I won’t talk about it.” And … that’s the saddest part.

(Ms. Hope, Aleut descendant)

Thousands of Aleut Indians were taken from their home and shipped to camps 1,500 miles away to protect them from the Japanese.

The evacuation of Aleut Americans began in June 1942Federal officials ordered that anyone of “one eighth (1/8) native blood” must go; to where, no one knew.

They lived in old fishing factories, huts, and sheds, with one toilet and up to 25 people living in one room together.

10% of men, women and children died while in the camps.

KillisnooIts name literally means “bear’s rectum”.Three rotting houses were all the camp had to offer.No bathing facilitiesNo heat.

The mortality rate at Killisnoo, 18 percent, was the highest of the duration camps.

Funter Bay“Officials were aware of the grim reality on shore: field agents had already filed a report declaring the site unfit for human habitation.”

476 indians internedCamp director resigned after three months; Gov’t “did not want to hear his complaints”

Burnett Inlet“There was no plumbing, no electricity, no heat, no beds.”

“There was, however, a healthy population of wolves.”

Petition from Burnett Inlet to the American Gov’t, after one week of internment

Ward LakeThe “most civilized” of the campsAleut evacuee Dorofey Chercasen's first impression was of "being put in prison."

Not until April 1945 would the Aleuts be allowed to return to Unalaska; they would find their homes ransacked and looted by U.S. troops.It would be 40 years until the government acknowledged the events.

Memorial Proposal

The hands come from the ground, referencing the lives lost.

As they touch the cross, they become part of it, as their lives are forever part of history.

The Aleut Indians were Russian Orthodox, so a cross is appropriate.

I hope the memorial creates the feeling of loss, but at the same time unity. The people who died were American citizens, interned by American citizens, and forgotten by American citizens.The memorial shows how their struggle is part of our history, how we should remember their story too.

The hands from the ground would be the most influential part of the memorial. The dead are alive and part of our history. I tried to make this memorial similar to a Holocaust memorial, since the events were similar in some ways.

Since the event is majorly unknown, the memorial’s main purpose would be to inform. The uniqueness of the memorial and event should live in the minds of the audience. The emptiness the memorial created should help prevent this from happening to American citizens again.

I made the cross green to give it an earthlike effect. The dead are buried in the earth, but earth is also what gives us life. So in a sense, this memorial shows how the dead can never die, because they are part of the earth, a part of us.

Sourcehttp://aleutstory.tv/