Embedded Files
Community Collaboration
Community Collaboration
Densho’s mission is to preserve the testimonies of Japanese Americans who were unjustly incarcerated during World War II before their memories are extinguished. We offer these irreplaceable firsthand accounts, coupled with historical images and teacher resources, to explore principles of democracy, and promote equal justice for all.
JASM provides a place where both individuals and businesses are able to engage in cultural activities, meet others with an interest in Japan, form new business relationships, learn, and build mutual respect between Japan and America.
MN Humanities Center Veteran’s Voices
Drawing on the power of the humanities, Veterans’ Voices changes the narrative of Veterans and honors their contributions. It empowers Veterans to speak in their own voices through plays, discussions, literature, and the Veterans’ Voices Award.
Black Veterans of America is a veterans fraternal organization (501-C19) founded by David L. Hall Jr., in 1991. Mr. Hall began his work to meet the needs of Black veterans who had problems accessing services. BVA currently advocates for Veterans and helps them navigate VA Systems. The BVA also serves as a cultural advisor to the city, county, state, and regional Veterans Service Organizations. We collaborate with Veterans and Community Organizations to help Veterans, especially African Americans, access VA services.
Note: While our project focuses on the military narratives of African American and Japanese-American military members at HFS, Dakota people were at the “fort” long before its colonial seizure and subsequent development. They have also participated in every major military encounter from the Revolutionary War to the present. Native Americans and Alaska Natives are serving at a higher rate in proportion to their population than any other ethnic group. Their perspectives on the future of HFS should always be at the forefront of the work we as practitioners plan to do there.
Native American Veterans Association
(NAVA) serves and honors men and women who have served active duty and their families transition from their warrior’s journey to civilian life through readjustment assistance; strengthening family ties; links to mental health and wellness services and career and educational training.
Native American Veteran Assistance (NAVA) is non-profit organization serving the veterans of Native American Communities across America. We are the community we serve, we are Veterans, we are Native Americans. As members of the tribes we help provide assistance for our fellow veterans, no matter which branch of the military they served in. We know first hand the struggles of not only the Native American communities but also the great warriors coming home from service to the greatest nation on the planet.
3D Object Imaging
3D Object Imaging
Objects imaged in 3D can be viewed in internet browsers or in VR devices like Google Cardboard. 3D digital objects can also be inserted into virtual reality or augmented reality environments to strengthen the interpretation capabilities.
Another group in the HSPH 8003 course digitized some objects found at HFS at Bdote. Some of their 3D models can be found here.
Oral Histories
Oral Histories
Oral Histories can be digitally embedded into the VR spaces in web browsers as well as through a combination of Google VR goggles and headphones. This would create a multi-sensory experience for the viewer which could allow for greater multi-vocality in the interpretation of contested sites.
Possible Oral History Collaborations:
- Where Rivers Meet Podcast (HSPH 8003 Project)
- Densho Oral History Project
- MNHS Oral History; US Dakota War of 1862 Project
Future Sites
Future Sites
VR technology allows for multi-vocal interpretation in varied sites without a high cost burden on the organization. The technology is adaptive and flexible to spaces of varying size and allows for creative digital collaborations using 3D artifacts and oral histories. We have proposed a few sites for future interpretation including the Military Service Intelligence Language School and the Band Barracks at the Upper Post.
Band Barracks at the Upper Post
Built in 1903, the Band Barracks house at the upper post originally housed 28 military musicians. The house has also served as an isolation hospital from 1918-1919. The virtual reality interpretation of this space could begin to uncover questions about hierarchal military organizations and how those intersect with race and class. Who lived in the band barracks house? How does this house - its architecture, floor plan, materials - compare to those of the larger barracks closer to the fort?
Image Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society
Military Intelligence Service Language School
The Military Intelligence Service Language School (MISLS) was established in Minnesota on January 1, 1942 at Camp Savage to aid the United States military with interpretation, translation, and interrogation during the Pacific War. In August of 1944, the school was relocated to Fort Snelling. The school trained Nisei (the children of Japanese immigrants) in reading, writing, and conversation as well as Japanese law, military jargon, and tactics. By the final commencement in June of 1946, the MISLS has more than 6,000 graduates. At the commencement Major General Charles Willoughby was quoted saying, "The Nisei shortened the Pacific War by two years and saved possibly a million American lives and saved probably billions of dollars."
There has been little preservation efforts around the spaces occupied by the MISLS because of this their current condition is poor. Virtual reality of these spaces can aid in preserving these spaces as well as giving digital access to them. However, these spaces and their interpretation also ask larger questions around Fort Snelling's history. Why has the military focus of Fort Snelling been centered around white narratives? For their immense contributions, why have the Nisei narratives been cast aside? How can virtual reality and archival materials be combined to provide a more holistic history on MISLS?
Image Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society
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