HIGA Denzo
比嘉傳三
Born: 29 November 1881 – Died: 17 June 1943
Particulars:
Denzo farmed on the north coast of Kanaky / New Caledonia in Touho with his wife Lora, the daughter of a Kanak chief, and their eight children. After the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941, Denzo was arrested because he was born in Okinawa. However, the farm wasn’t seized as most others’ property and possessions were, because everything had been put in Lora’s name. Denzo and Lora wrote to each other while he was incarcerated in Australia, until he died of a respiratory infection in the winter of 1943. He was 61. His grave is in the Japanese Cemetery in Cowra, New South Wales, Australia.
–Sophie Constable
More info:
Sophie Constable
Artist/s Statement:
We thank the Higa family for consenting to this digital quilt portrait of their ancestor Denzo to be used as the flagship image for the When You Call My Name Project.
Artist Bio:
Sophie Constable is an artist, scientist, researcher, and educator at The Australian National University in Canberra.