Narrow Results By
Subject
- Academic Disciplines 3
- Accidents 10
- Accidents - Automobile Accidents 26
- Accidents - Train Accidents
- Adornment - Jewelry 3
- Adornment - Lapel Pins 1
- Advertising Medium 10
- Advertising Medium - Signs and Signboards 166
- Aerial Photographs 127
- Agricultural Tools and Equipment 16
- Agricultural Tools and Equipment - Cultivators 1
- Agricultural Tools and Equipment - Gardening Equipment 10
Artist Bud Sakamoto
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription96368
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2003]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of artist Bud Sakamoto posing next to his painting of a seascape of commercial fishing on the Fraser River, as promotion for the exhibition "Natural Reflections" with Pat Maertz at the Burnaby Arts Council Gallery.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [2003]
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby NewsLeader photograph collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) : col.
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 535-2049
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2018-12
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of artist Bud Sakamoto posing next to his painting of a seascape of commercial fishing on the Fraser River, as promotion for the exhibition "Natural Reflections" with Pat Maertz at the Burnaby Arts Council Gallery.
- Names
- Burnaby Arts Council
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Bartel, Mario
- Notes
- Title based on caption
- Collected by editorial for use in a March 2003 issue of the Burnaby NewsLeader
- Caption from metadata: "Bud Sakamoto's stormy seascapes of commercial fishing on the Fraser River are part of Natural Reflections, a joint show with Pat Maertz, at the Burnaby Arts Council Gallery in Deer Lake Park. Sakamoto's paintings capture the vivid memories of his own family's life on the river. The show runs until March 30."
- Geographic Access
- Deer Lake Avenue
- Street Address
- 6344 Deer Lake Avenue
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Burnaby Lake (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Douglas-Gilpin Area
Images
CPR passenger train wreckage in Ontario
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription45211
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- August 21, 1964, published August 21, 1964
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 24.5 x 18.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of twisted rails and uprooted railway ties from an accident involving a Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train in Ontario. Eight were killed and fifteen were injured when a gravel truck collided with the passenger train and derailed it at a grade crossing near Ottawa. One of the many w…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- August 21, 1964, published August 21, 1964
- Collection/Fonds
- Columbian Newspaper collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 24.5 x 18.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 480-097
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2003-02
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of twisted rails and uprooted railway ties from an accident involving a Canadian Pacific Railway passenger train in Ontario. Eight were killed and fifteen were injured when a gravel truck collided with the passenger train and derailed it at a grade crossing near Ottawa. One of the many wounded was Burnaby school teacher; sculpture and painter Jack Hardman.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- United Press International (UPI) Radio Telephoto
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 2
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory517
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1942-1969
- Length
- 00:07:41
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s growing interest in Japanese culture and arts, studying the Japanese language after she was 22 in Montreal. She talks about how she learned paper-folding (origami), to make silk dolls, flower-arranging (Ikebana), and how to wear a kimono, and …
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s growing interest in Japanese culture and arts, studying the Japanese language after she was 22 in Montreal. She talks about how she learned paper-folding (origami), to make silk dolls, flower-arranging (Ikebana), and how to wear a kimono, and then began to teach others these skills in Montreal .
- Date Range
- 1942-1969
- Length
- 00:07:41
- Subjects
- Education
- Arts
- Persons - Japanese Canadians
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track two of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track two of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_2.mp3Train wreck
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription74184
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 542-001
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2012-23
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Subjects
- Accidents - Train Accidents
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note in pen on border (recto) of photograph reads: "Head-On Collision - Between - "
Images
Train wreck
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription74185
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 542-002
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2012-23
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Subjects
- Accidents - Train Accidents
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note in pen on border (recto) of photograph reads: "CNR + GNR - July [?]4, 41"
Images
Train wreck
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription74186
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a group of people viewing the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 542-003
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2012-23
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a group of people viewing the aftermath of a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut due to a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Subjects
- Accidents - Train Accidents
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Note in pen on border (recto) of photograph reads: "In - North - Road Cut."
Images
Train wreck
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription74187
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a Great Northern Railway train-car damaged from a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut. This was a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1941
- Collection/Fonds
- Gordon McDonald collection
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 8 x 11.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 542-004
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- 2012-23
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a Great Northern Railway train-car damaged from a train wreck that took place in the North Road cut. This was a head-on collision between Canadian National Railway (CNR) and Great Northern Railway (GNR) trains.
- Subjects
- Accidents - Train Accidents
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Collision
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription65783
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [194-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Field family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) ; 600 ppi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of spectators surrounding a collision involving a British Columbia Electric Railway tram and a car.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [194-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Field family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) ; 600 ppi
- Material Details
- Item is a scan of a faded sepia photograph
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 521-016
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2010-14
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of spectators surrounding a collision involving a British Columbia Electric Railway tram and a car.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Collision
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription65784
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [194-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Field family fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) ; 600 ppi
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a car and the damage it suffered in a collision involving a British Columbia Electric Railway tram.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [194-]
- Collection/Fonds
- Field family fonds
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph (tiff) ; 600 ppi
- Material Details
- Item is a scan of a b&w photograph
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 521-017
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- Reproduce for fair dealing purposes only
- Accession Number
- 2010-14
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a car and the damage it suffered in a collision involving a British Columbia Electric Railway tram.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
Images
Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 7
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory522
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and dis…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s memories of the internment, separation of her father from the family to work on road camps, where she was born in Richmond at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, confiscation of home in 1942, eventual Redress, and lingering feelings of fear and distrust in her family. She also talks about visiting Hiroshima on her trip to Japan in 1980
- Date Range
- 1930-1990
- Length
- 00:13:56
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track seven of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_7.mp3CPR Engine after falling over an embankment
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription34364
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1925
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.6 x 8.9 cm on page 17.4 x 26.5 cm
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a railroad car standing on the tracks. An unidentified boy is sitting on the train which has been identified by the caption as a Canadian Pacific Railway engine that fell over a bank at Cisco. This photograph appears to have been taken by Arthur Peers, who travelled through the Frase…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- July 1925
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Peers family subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 6.6 x 8.9 cm on page 17.4 x 26.5 cm
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 020-071
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS2007-04
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of a railroad car standing on the tracks. An unidentified boy is sitting on the train which has been identified by the caption as a Canadian Pacific Railway engine that fell over a bank at Cisco. This photograph appears to have been taken by Arthur Peers, who travelled through the Fraser River Valley and worked on the construction of the Trans-Provincial Highway during the later 1920s.
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Photographer
- Peers, Arthur Francis "Mike"
- Notes
- Title based on caption accompanying photograph
Images
Hideko Shimotakahara
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/archivedescription35156
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1922] (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Description Level
- Item
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mrs. Hideko Shimotakahara in front of family home at 4055 Keefer Street (later changed to 4055 Frances Street), North Burnaby. Note the honeysuckle arbor in front. Cherry trees were planted along the boulevard in front of the house.
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date
- [1922] (date of original), copied 1986
- Collection/Fonds
- Burnaby Historical Society fonds
- Subseries
- Pioneer Tales subseries
- Physical Description
- 1 photograph : b&w ; 12.7 x 17.8 cm print
- Description Level
- Item
- Record No.
- 204-013
- Access Restriction
- No restrictions
- Reproduction Restriction
- No known restrictions
- Accession Number
- BHS1988-03
- Scope and Content
- Photograph of Mrs. Hideko Shimotakahara in front of family home at 4055 Keefer Street (later changed to 4055 Frances Street), North Burnaby. Note the honeysuckle arbor in front. Cherry trees were planted along the boulevard in front of the house.
- Names
- Shimotakahara, Hideko
- Media Type
- Photograph
- Notes
- Title based on contents of photograph
- Geographic Access
- Frances Street
- Street Address
- 4055 Frances Street
- Historic Neighbourhood
- Vancouver Heights (Historic Neighbourhood)
- Planning Study Area
- Willingdon Heights Area
Images
Interview with Toki Miyashita by Rod Fowler February 27, 1990 - Track 1
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/link/oralhistory516
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Date Range
- 1900-1946
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver,…
- Repository
- City of Burnaby Archives
- Summary
- This portion of the interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, and her Oikawa grandparent’s immigration to BC and settlement on Lion and Don Islands at the mouth of the Fraser River. She describes how the family was moved to the internment camp “The Orchard” in New Denver, but managed to find a place to live outside the camp where her grandmother grew a large garden from seeds brought in the seams of her clothing. She notes that the Lion Islands were named Oikawa-shima by the Japanese settlers.
- Date Range
- 1900-1946
- Length
- 00:07:05
- Interviewer
- Fowler, Rod
- Interview Date
- February 27, 1990
- Scope and Content
- Recording is of an interview with Toki Miyashita, conducted by Rod Fowler. Toki Miyashita was one of eleven participants interviewed as part of the SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee's oral history series titled, "Voices of Burnaby". The interview is about Toki Miyashita’s family’s internment during WWII, her awakening interest in Japanese culture after the war, her subsequent interest in teaching others about Japanese crafts and arts, and becoming a helpful intermediary between Burnaby and visitors from Japan. The interview explores her interest in the Ainu of Japan and their possible link to the aboriginals of BC, her impressions of the Ainu carver Nuburi Toko, and her involvement in the events surrounding the creation of the sculpture “Playground of the Gods” for Burnaby Mountain. The interview also contains interesting details about the art of Japanese flower-arranging. To view “Narrow By” terms for each track expand this description and see “Notes”.
- Biographical Notes
- Toki Miyashita was born in Richmond B.C., ca. 1935, at the Nelson Brothers “fishery”, a second generation Canadian descended from the Oikawa family who settled on Don and Lion Islands (Oikawa-shima). In 1942 the Japanese Canadians in BC were forcibly moved from the coast and their belongings confiscated. Toki Miyashita, her parents, two brothers, and grandparents were first taken to Hastings Park where her father was separated from the family to work in road camps, and the rest of the family were interned in New Denver. Her resourceful grandmother moved the family to land outside the internment camp, growing a large garden from seeds brought with her. In 1946 the family moved to Kamloops and in 1958, after finishing high school, Toki Miyashita moved to Montreal to be with relatives and a small Japanese community. At this time she became interested in Japanese culture and took a Japanese language course at age 22. She learned about Japanese flower-arranging (Ikebana), paper folding (Origami), silk doll making (from a Russian Jew), and how to wear a kimono. She began demonstrating these arts in schools and to other groups, which she continued doing when she, her husband and two young children moved to Burnaby in 1969. Toki Miyashita has been called an unpaid “ambassador” of Japanese culture to the Lower Mainland. She has acted as liaison between Burnaby and her sister city Kushiro in Japan, which involved her in the creation of the Ainu sculpture “Playground of the Gods” on Burnaby Mountain for Burnaby’s Centennial. Toki Miyashita is a recognized Master in Ikebana Sogetsu, a school of flower-arranging, and has served on the board of the Vancouver Ikebana Association. She also served on Burnaby’s Family Court in the 1980s.
- Total Tracks
- 11
- Total Length
- 01:34:10
- Interviewee Name
- Miyashita, Toki
- Interviewer Bio
- Rod Fowler returned to university as a mature student in the 1980s after working about twenty years in the field of economics and computerization in business in England, Europe and Western Canada. He graduated with a BA from SFU in both History and Sociology in 1987, his MA degree in Geography in 1989, and his PhD in Cultural Geography at SFU. He taught courses in Geography, Sociology, History and Canadian Studies at several Lower Mainland colleges, before becoming a full time member of the Geography Department at Kwantlen University College.
- Collection/Fonds
- SFU/Burnaby Centennial Committee fonds
- Transcript Available
- Transcript available
- Media Type
- Sound Recording
- Web Notes
- Interviews were digitized in 2015 allowing them to be accessible on Heritage Burnaby. The digitization project was initiated by the Community Heritage Commission with support from City of Burnaby Council.
Audio Tracks
Track one of interview with Toki Miyashita
Track one of interview with Toki Miyashita
https://search.heritageburnaby.ca/media/hpo/_Data/_Archives_Oral_Histories/_Unrestricted/MSS187-017/MSS187-017_Track_1.mp3