Indo-Canadian Interview 50
In: icohc:50; local: Interview_50; uuid: 80dcf5b1-68a0-43a1-8120-3cc024dd8b23;; (1985)
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Le professeur Basran a interviewé un homme de Golden, en Colombie-Britannique, qui possède quelques collections anciennes sur les Sikhs venus à Golden à la fin du 19e siècle, début 20e siècle. Ses parents connaissaient des Sikhs à cette époque. Le professeur souhaitait connaître le sort des Sikhs de la région avant 1903. En 1910, il était âgé de 6 ans ; il se souvient que les Sikhs étaient déjà établis et qu’ils avaient leur temple. Une petite scierie fut bâtie vers 1880 et elle fut agrandie de 1908 à 1910. Il y avait environ une quarantaine d’Hindous qui y travaillaient en 1880. Il allait au temple avec ses parents et ils se sont liés d’amitié avec les Hindous. Le temple consistait en une grande salle de 20x40. Plusieurs Hindous habitaient sur des fermes à Golden. Ils consommaient beaucoup de lait, qu’ils achetaient de la ferme du son père, entre autres. Vers 1910, les immigrants indiens étaient tous des hommes et ils portaient presque tous des turbans. Les femmes sont venues lorsque la loi sur l’immigration a changé, en 1919. Ces hommes habitaient dans des dortoirs et ils mangeaient dans une salle commune. Ils avaient une grande pièce pour s’asseoir lorsque le temps était mauvais. Dans la scierie, il y avait très peu de machines et tout le travail était fait à la main. Il explique que les Indiens de Golden étaient plus grands que la moyenne et très costauds. Ils étaient très respectables et ils soignaient leur apparence. Ils travaillaient fort, ils étaient honnêtes, ils étaient très religieux et ils étaient tous sikhs. Ils ont acheté des vaches qu’ils gardaient dans un étable, derrière l’édifice. Les vaches allaient paître dans les champs entourant la scierie et les Hindous en prenaient soin. Les Hindous se rencontraient au temple tous les dimanches parce qu’ils n’avaient rien d’autre à faire. Les services avaient lieu en soirée, mais on ne servait pas de repas après les services. Il se souvient avoir aidé les Hindous à traire les vaches lorsqu’ils étaient trop occupés et en échange, ils lui donnaient des crêpes et du Saag. Le temple fut démoli en 1927, après la fermeture de la scierie et le départ des Hindous. ; [This transcript was created by optical character recognition (OCR) software and the accuracy depends on the quality of scanned images and complexity of original text.] SIKHS IN CANADA Interviewer: Professor, G. S. Basran Department of Sociology Informant: Norman Kingh Golden, B. C. SIKHS IN CANADA Interviewer: This is Professor Basran He has some of the early collections of the Sikhs, who came to Golden, around turning of the century. He also told us that there was a Temple around that time, about 1818. His parents were associated with some of the Sikh families who lived in that particular time and he has some of the early recollections, we are trying to figure out the sikhs came here before 1903» they were working in a Lumber Mill in Golden, which is of Colombia River Lumber Company, closed on around in 1927, and of course after that most of the sikh families left Golden and went to the coast of Vancouver and some of the other places. The focus of the interview is simply to know the sikhs happened to be here earlier -ttiben 1.903 or 1904. This person, Norman Kingh is the ritual, who had ;tpersanalt.: - con- tacts with the people who were here in the early period. G. B.: Could you may be, tell us what is your early experience with the sikhs and particularly your paretts experiences, what time do you think did they come here? Informant: Well, when I was only six years old that was 1910, they were established here, and the Temple was there* then/,they were working there numbers of years. G. B.: Would you say they came around 1880- Informant: Well, you see I am not established, say what year that early because at that time I just knew them. G. B.: You were, like your dad ever mentioned about that time period appro- ximately when they came? Informant: They came, there were only few of them, because I have got the pictures of the Mill, I have not the pictures of them just Hindus, were working in 1890, I don't know about the 80's, because there was no Mill there in the BQ's.— G. B.: When the Mill was built? Informant: It was built in small pit, small parts, it was built in 1880 and they kept enlarging it , 1908 to 1910.there,must been 40 or 50 Hindus working. G. B.: It is possible that they came around in 1880 or 1890? Informant: Ye, yes. G. B.: I see, what, so the Temple perhaps was built after that? page 2 Informant: It must have built quite a number of years before, I was young, enough to visit it, because dad and mother was there before I visited the Temple, dad and mother were very friendly with the Hindus that is why we were so close to them. G. B.: So, you visited the Temple in 1910 and the members of your family had already visited it before, but we do not know when approximately? Informant: No, I could not say that, must been quite a long while, because they only started off with few Hindus working, at that time there must be 40 working, because you can say from the late 80's anyway,. as it gets bigger more men came. G. B.: I see, and what, when you visited the Temple? You say it was sort of a. separate building? Informant: Yes, it was separate. G. B.: It was not the part of any thing, and what the building look like? Informant: It was roofed, it was alright, just four wall building with front door and porch and you went in and the. G. B.: And you would say the room was something like 20 by 20 or 25 by 25 approximately? Informant: 20 by 40, it was quite a large room, there were many Hindus, they would have to have them. G. B.: And what are some of the early recollections of these people? Informant: Well, they were lots up to the farms, in Golden, they used to use lots of milk, they bought their milk cows from our farm from my dad, and then we sold them all kinds of pork, we sold them lot of butter, box of ?0 pounds of butter a week without the salt in it. Vegetable spinch things like that. G. B.: And all of them were, like you saw them around 1910, all of them used to wear turbans ? Informant: Yes, all but the one I think, one did not wear turban I think may be sometimes they wore and sometimes they didn't. G. B.: All of them were male there were no female? Informant: At that time before they were all male, I cannot remember the date when they got their wives. G. B.: Yes, that would be 1920, because the Legislature was changed in 1919. Informant: Well, yes that time they got their wives, Hari Singh he was a doctor page 3 and Arjan Singh, they brought their wives over. G. B.: Oh, I see, and you sort of visited sometimes their homes or they visited you? Informant: Oh, yes, we visited them, they were four of them at that time, they were great men, there was a one man, he was a great character. G. B.: Hardit Singh? Informant: Oh, yes, Hardit Singh, he was great, he bloom everybody when you met him. G. B.: And what by 1910, there were 40 families here? Informant: Not families, just men. G. B.: And they lived sort of in the bunk houses? Informant: They had their own boarding rooms, and they come down and have communale meals, if the weather was good they sat outside, and then they had a big room for where they sit when the weather was bad, but they had separate eating place and separate living places. G. B.: I see, how many men do you think were working in the Mill at that time total number? Informant: Well, most of them, those days they powered lumber by each boat, some of may be could duckt the boat but most of the lumber at complex all lumber in the big yard. I have the picture of that. But in the Mill Saw there were just few on the green chain. There were none that I know running machines. G. B.: Oh, I see. Informant: Because there were not too many machines those days. G. B.: Most of the work was done with hands. Informant: Most by hands, all the, I cannot remember how many millions of feet, year,that they piled that had to be all separate, Jile Saw when it rained there was an angle to the top down to the bottom part and in the front in, that was to kept the rain, that was just piled per- fectly, so all the rain ran down at the back, kept the lumber dry. G. B.: Oh, I see, can you tell us about those people, how friendly, they were, how sort of they look, they were sort of very tall and sort of some general idea. Informant: Most of them were above average in size and tall, husky looking men. They all had good foreheads. G. B.: Is that right? page 4 Informant: Yes, our family admired their foreheads, well, broad, and lots of room their for material lives outside. And they were very respectable, and some would dress up except turban and walk around, Hari cane, he walked around with cane, I took him and showed him around the farm four five of them at one time, dad was working but they were up alot, used to get mustured leaves for the G. B.: That is, we used as a dish, I like in Saskatchewan, they grow lot of that stuff locally, what we do we go out and ask the farmer if we can pick up and some of the farmers cannot understand that, but we make some- kind of vegetable out of it, it is delicious. Other voice (Boy)s You know that the spinch we made that in our home? Informant: Yes, yes, it was quite hot. BOY: Oh, yes. Informant: Oh, yes, they were good citizens, as far I know. All they like to buy the cows and liked to have few dollars off, when they used to buy our cows. We get 24 quarts of milk a day, they bought the best. G. B.: Where did they keep these cows? Informant: They had the stable at the end of the back away from the building. G. B.: Away from the building? Informant: Away from the buildings. G. B.: They would simply feed and take care of these cows? Informant: Oh, yes, oh, yes, and they could turn them loose around the Mills there and had a good pasture .there . G. B.: G. B.: Oh, I see. Informant: They had toilets also at the back, but in the bush there, kind of private. Everybody had toilets outside those days. G. B.: That is right. Informant: If somebody has to go out there, we get 30 and 40 below zero, you still got to go to the toilets. G. B.: And then they would meet in this Temple every Sunday? Informant: I am sure they would meet every Sunday because we always knew that is where they met. I would not be down there to check on that but I know that they must been there. Most of them would meet because they have not something to do. G. B.: When you visited the Temple, what kind for example, the services were held, like it was in the morning on 10 o' clock or you remember . Informant: It was in the evening. page 5 G. B.: It was in the evening? Informant: That is right, that is why mother and dad could go, dad was working you see. G. B.: Oh, I see, then they would serve meal after that, oH any --- Informant: No, (Boy's voice) : that was daily evening prayer like Rehrass Sahib, they are also doing right now in the evening. G. B.: Oh, I see. Informant: No, I do not recall that. But I been there and had meal with them. G. B.: In their homes? Informant: No, at their place, the Hindus. G. B.: Temple? Informant: No, not the Temple, but around the cook house thefc£/ Because, the the Manager's son the Manager of the Mill and I were chums, and we would go down there and we help them because I could milk alot.so, I help them milking the cows, when they were all busy. And they would give these, I forgot the name of it. G. B.: ffoti? Informant: Yes, pancake with the meal, I could still do it. Boy"s voice: Pancake and Saag. G. B.: Oh, I see, you put that thing over the pancake and eat it little by little? Informant: Yes, that is right, but sometimes just leave it open and take a little piece of pancake on the edge little bit here and eat it then. BOY: He already showed it, how they eat. G. B.: Oh, I see. Informant: You see, when I am talking the feeling we had towards Hindus. G. B.: Oh, yes, I know, because most of the people we talked to, felt just about the same as you do. Informant: Yes. G. B.: You see, they were very hard working, honest and very religious people, they did not cheat anybody. They worked hard, and they were all sikhs. Informant: Yes, they never had trouble at the Mill I know that. G. B.: You want to say other things --- ? page 6 Informant: You see lot of them were in the Vancouver Island, when dad was the member here for the Liberal govt., in fact he was Minister of High ways. G. B.: Oh, in the govt.? Informant: In the govt. in the federal. G. B. In the provincial govt.? Informant: Yes, yes, in the provincial govt., so, dad's mother would go and visit them, it is her to start with the small Mill in Victoria, just outside of Victoria, and he developed into a big Mill, and they had couple of Mills, several Mills working for him. G. B.: Oh, I see. Informant: And there was a man, Blakey, he was a fine fellow, all the kids liked him, he liked kids, well he did not have a family, and even some of the men from Nova Scotia and New Brunswick came out here in the West, and they were lonely for families, and they would give kids candies or tubies, those days were ok to do it, nobody thought any difference, that was just kindness. So, you see the feelings. G. B.: And that Temple was here till about 1927? Informant: Just, the last, when the Hindus left, yes, and they gook it all down, took the building all down. We got the inner carpet from the Temple, they asked us where we will have it, we have it in our front room,., so we used it afterwards. G. B.: Oh, I see, what happened to the building then? Informant: They took it all down, when the Mill was finished, they took the whole building down. The big office was moved, that is the rest aurant at the light of the Mill. and there is a warehouse had cut down below, that was a warehouse track down right down to the Colombia river , for the case yard was built they used to boat in the Colombia river. They used to boat in the Colombia river, so that they made a connections with the CPR of Golden, Red Road was down to the river. And then when they did not need the boats any more, they used the Rail Road and then bring the lumber back to the main line with small engine. G. B.: I see, there was of course no road and rail road line at that particular time. How do you think these people arrived here? Where did they come from? Informant: Which people do you mean? G. B.: Hindus. page 7 Informant: Oh, they came from the Coast, but there was rail road in 1886, so you see they must --- Boy: Say by the Colombia River.from Informant: They came from the U. S.? Boy: Yes. . Informant: Oh, I could not say about that. G. B.: So, when you talk to them they mentioned that they originally were working on the coast, or they just came from India or --- Informant: I think some of them worked quite bit at the coast. G. B.: You left something in the Museum, these are the articles which these people brought from India, what time period was that, when these things were brought in here, it was 20's 30's? Informant: 1932 some where, there, dad was a member then.,he was member in 1929 while he was there stayed in 1930. They visited him they were away when dad was member, they came back and gave mother these slippers then I had them, after mother passed. Mother gave me them, I kept them and put them in the museum, so they wouldn't be lost, if you see then you recognize them I am sure, they are in the case. And that ---oh, they gave mother some silk, silk scarves or something like that. Boyi Chunni. G. B.: Oh, I see, I see. Informant: I gues they got lost or something, my sisters wore them quite bit, so you see how close we were. And then Ray told me about when Hardit died, but I don't remember that, dad told me, see we lost dad he was 90 years old, eight years ago. There was a daughter who was born here, mother used to talk about it. BOY: (other voice) One baby boy Informant: Boy or girl? BOY: Boy, he was in Victoria, I do not know what was his name. He was a little baby, you know you told us, that he was the first baby a Hindu baby born in Golden. Informant: I thought it was a girl, I may be mistaken. This go back quite many years ago now. G. B.: Ok Mr. Kingh thank you very much for your assistance, I am sure this very useful to us because we have not been able to get this evidance anywhere else and so this would help us lot. Informant: You are very welcome.
Titel: |
Indo-Canadian Interview 50
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Autor/in / Beteiligte Person: | Gurcharn S. Basran, B. Singh Bolaria. (interviewer) |
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Quelle: | icohc:50; local: Interview_50; uuid: 80dcf5b1-68a0-43a1-8120-3cc024dd8b23;; (1985) |
Veröffentlichung: | 1985 |
Medientyp: | Audio |
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