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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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584 results for: Asian American

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Image of George Tsutakawa with art works at his home, Seattle, January 4, 1994
Photograph

George Tsutakawa with art works at his home, Seattle, January 4, 1994

Born in Seattle and raised there and in Japan, George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was an internationally recognized painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde fountain designs. Over the course of his career, he created more than 70 fountains for public places around the world. Tsutakawa studied sculpture at the University of Washington, and served in the US Army during World…
ID Number:2000.107.214.28.08
Date:1994
Image of George Tsutakawa sitting in his living room, Seattle, January 4, 1994
Photograph

George Tsutakawa sitting in his living room, Seattle, January 4, 1994

Born in Seattle and raised there and in Japan, George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) was an internationally recognized painter and sculptor best known for his avant-garde fountain designs. Over the course of his career, he created more than 70 fountains for public places around the world. Tsutakawa studied sculpture at the University of Washington, and served in the US Army during World…
ID Number:2000.107.214.28.09
Date:1994
Image of Mayumi Tsutakawa, Seattle, November 5, 1990
Photograph

Mayumi Tsutakawa, Seattle, November 5, 1990

Internationally recognized artist George Tsutakawa (1910-1997) and his wife, Ayame Iwasa Tsutakawa (1924-), raised their four children with great appreciation for the arts. Gerard Tsutakawa (1947-) apprenticed under his father and is himself an accomplished sculptor; Mayumi Tsutakawa (1949-) is an author and editor who has worked for the Washington State Arts Commission and the Wing Luke Museum; Deems Tsutakawa…
ID Number:2000.107.214.29.01
Date:1990
Image of Japanese American servicemen playing chess at Fort Lawton, Seattle, July 22, 1945
Photograph

Japanese American servicemen playing chess at Fort Lawton, Seattle, July 22, 1945

In spite of having their loyalties questioned after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, and with more than 110,000 people of Japanese descent incarcerated in camps in the western U.S, Japanese Americans served in the U.S. armed forces in disproportionate numbers. Most served in the segregated 442nd Regimental Combat Team, the most decorated unit in U.S. military history for its…
ID Number:2000.107.217.01.01
Date:1945
Image of Jung Oy Chinn signing U.S. naturalization papers, Seattle, September 17, 1951
Photograph

Jung Oy Chinn signing U.S. naturalization papers, Seattle, September 17, 1951

In 1943, the Magnuson Act repealed exclusion of Chinese immigrants and allowed for a small amount of ethnic Chinese immigration to the United States. The act helped lead to additional measures allowing for quotas of other Asian ethnic groups immigrating to the United States, and in 1965 the ending of the National Origins quota system.This photo shows Jung Oy Yee…
ID Number:2000.107.217.22.02
Date:1951
Image of Tamura family posing at U.S. naturalization ceremony, Seattle, November 1, 1965
Photograph

Tamura family posing at U.S. naturalization ceremony, Seattle, November 1, 1965

The Immigration Act of 1965, also called the Hart-Celler Reform Act, removed the national origins quota system of American immigration, effectively ending a system of quotas by racial ethnicity that had been in place since 1924.In this image, Mr. and Mrs. George Tamura are with their 20-month-old daughter Rica at her naturalization ceremony. Caption information source: "Asian American History," Japanese…
ID Number:2000.107.217.23.01
Date:1965
Image of Nyra Sone holding flags at U.S. citizenship ceremony at the Seattle Center, July 4, 1986
Photograph

Nyra Sone holding flags at U.S. citizenship ceremony at the Seattle Center, July 4, 1986

Each year, the Immigration and Naturalization Service holds ceremonies for new immigrants to become U.S. citizens. In this image, Nyra Sone, a 9-year-old from Laos, is holding two American flags at her naturalization ceremony on the Fourth of July at the Seattle Center. Caption information derived from captions written by Post-Intelligencer staff and attached to the back of the photograph.
ID Number:2000.107.217.23.02
Date:1986
Image of Velma Veloria taking oath of office at Washington State House of Representatives, Olympia, January 11, 1993
Photograph

Velma Veloria taking oath of office at Washington State House of Representatives, Olympia, January 11, 1993

Velma Veloria (b. 1950) was the first Filipina American elected to a state legislature in the continental United States when she was elected to the Washington Legislature's 11th District in 1992. Veloria served for 12 years, from 1992 to 2004. Born in the Philippines, Veloria grew up in the Bay Area and became an activist through her participation in the…
ID Number:2000.107.219.31.01
Date:1993
Image of Two women holding Vietnamese infants at Sea-Tac Airport, April 6, 1975
Photograph

Two women holding Vietnamese infants at Sea-Tac Airport, April 6, 1975

In April 1975, shortly before the end of the Vietnam War, several thousand Vietnamese children were brought to the US to be adopted. Over 400 children, mostly under the age of two, were met at Sea-Tac airport by a crowd of adoptive parents. About half of the children were adopted by parents who lived in or traveled to Seattle to…
ID Number:2000.107.220.18.01
Date:1975
Image of Adoptive and foster parents waiting for children from Vietnam, Sea-Tac, April 6, 1975
Photograph

Adoptive and foster parents waiting for children from Vietnam, Sea-Tac, April 6, 1975

In April 1975, shortly before the end of the Vietnam War, several thousand Vietnamese children were brought to the US to be adopted. Over 400 children, mostly under the age of two, were met at Sea-Tac airport by a crowd of adoptive parents. About half of the children were adopted by parents who lived in or traveled to Seattle to…
ID Number:2000.107.220.18.02
Date:1975
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Phone: 206 324 1126
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