Loading ...

Top: Steveston waterfront at the mouth of the Fraser River. Bottom: Japanese Fishermen’s Hospital on the left and immediately next to it is the hospital’s administrative building. Photos from: The Steveston Fishermen’s Benevolent Society: A Thirty-Five Year History.

By Henry and Patricia Tanaka

Although there have been research papers, books, and documentaries published about significant events and accomplishments of Japanese Canadians in Japanese Canadian history, there is minimal information published about the accomplishments and legacy of the Fureza Gawa Ryoshi Dantai (commonly referred to as the Dantai).

Translated as the Fraser River Fishermen’s Association, it was established in 1897 for the economic well-being of its members and to address the outbreak of typhoid fever and dysentery. The association registered at least two subsequent constitution changes prior to the Second World War, in 1900 and 1934. There were also subsequent variations to its name, but the association was still referred to as the Dantai. After constitutional changes were registered in 1900, the Dantai also became much more involved in other important aspects of members’ lives: healthcare, education, equality, and democratic rights.  

In early 1942, when the federal government implemented the Japanese Canadian internment policy, the Dantai effectively dissolved.   

Economic Well-being  

The economic well-being of the Dantai members depended upon the salmon runs and the price paid by the canneries. When the Dantai was established, it took on the role of organizing its members and negotiating their salmon prices.  

During dramatic and violent instances in the strikes on the Fraser River in 1900 and 1901, the Dantai deftly managed to have their members continue fishing while the Caucasian and Native fishermen continued to strike. Although the Japanese fishermen were labelled “scabs” and instances of violence against them occurred for being strike breakers, the Japanese fishermen could not afford to miss the salmon season. Most were indebted to the canneries for housing, food supplies, boats, and fishing gear. Many family members in Japan also depended on them for financial assistance, and many still had debts to repay for their passage to Canada.  

Unlike the Caucasian and Native fishermen, who had other jobs to supplement their income during the non-fishing season, the Japanese fishermen had limited job opportunities after the fishing season. Contributing factors included the anti-Asian hiring practices, lack of financial resources to start businesses, and employment/contract exclusions with the provincial government due to being excluded from the voters’ list.  

While the first Dantai constitution of 1897 primarily addressed social welfare and health issues, the constitution of 1900 addressed economic well-being and the interests of its members engaged in the Fraser River salmon fishery. Included in this updated constitution were relationships between members and their canneries, between fishing bosses and their contract fishermen, a code of conduct among its members, and responsibilities of the Dantai executives and their employees.  

Another role the Dantai assumed was helping new immigrants navigate their way in Canadian society and seeking employment and housing for its members. Over time, the Dantai evolved into an invaluable community resource stretching far beyond its initial role of ensuring the economic well-being of its members.  

Health Care  

To treat the many fishermen affected by typhoid fever and dysentery, a chapel was converted to a hospital on the Phoenix cannery site in Steveston. After the conversion, the Dantai, with assistance from Tatsugoro Nosse, the Japanese consul for Vancouver, and the Imperial Prince Takehito Arisugawa-no-miya, started on a fundraising campaign for the construction of a much-needed new hospital.

In June 1900, the new hospital was constructed and staffed with some Japanese healthcare workers. Although this hospital was primarily funded by donations from the Japanese community and administered by the Dantai, it was open to everyone regardless of race, religion, or skin colour. An annual membership fee was charged to members, which included most medical services and procedures. Non-members paid fees for each visit, and the amount depended on the type of medical service they received. This medicare system, established by the Dantai for its members, was the first of its kind in Canada.  

Education  

In addition to ensuring the health of its members was addressed, the Dantai also became involved with the children’s education. By the early 1900s, when Japanese parents wanted to send their children to the local public school, the Richmond School Board ruled that only children of parents who owned property could attend the school. Because the majority of Japanese lived in houses owned by the canneries, their children were ineligible for acceptance. The Dantai then decided they would organize the fundraising for their own school and teachers.  

In the early 1920s, several Japanese families realized that Canada would be their home and now felt that their children should be educated in a public school. The Dantai negotiated with the Richmond School Board to have the Japanese students accepted into the public school by agreeing to donate $2,000 to construct a new four-room Lord Byng school. In a few years, the school became overcrowded, and a new 14-room Lord Byng school was constructed in 1930, with a donation of upwards of $20,000 from the Japanese community.  

Equality  

In 1893, the Caucasian fishermen formed the Fraser River Fishermen’s Protective and Benevolent Association, and one of their goals was to remove the Japanese fishermen from the entire B.C. coast. Persistent lobbying from this organization, other groups, and Native fishermen finally resulted in the implementation of the Duff Commission’s recommendation to systematically reduce the number of fishing licences held by Japanese fishermen each year, starting in 1922, until they were all eliminated.  

The Dantai organized fundraising to assist Japanese fishermen who were displaced from the industry and devised a system to determine who could keep their fishing licence. Those who decided to enter farming were given some monetary funds and provided loans to purchase farmland. Other displaced fishermen started corner stores, gardening services, and laundromats, while others became labourers in other industries.  

The priority for licence retention was given to men with families, and the first groups to lose their licences were the most recent entrants in each fishing district and those best able to find employment in other industries.   

While the licence reductions were happening, the Dantai were involved in fundraising to mount a legal challenge to the Department of Fisheries’ licence reduction decision. Fortunately, in March 1928, the Supreme Court delivered a decision in favour of the Japanese fishermen. Although the decision was appealed to the Privy Council in London by the Department of Fisheries, the Supreme Court decision was upheld. In total, 1,374 Japanese fishermen lost their licences, and these licences were not restored.  

Democratic Rights  

After the Japanese Canadians were stripped of their provincial voting rights in 1895, the consequences of this racially fuelled political decision were far-reaching. Not being on the provincial voters’ list meant that they could not vote federally and could not be elected to the provincial legislature, municipal office, or the local school board. They were also denied employment by the provincial and municipal governments and denied admission to professions such as pharmacy and law. It also meant they could not enter into contracts with the provincial government, such as logging or mining on crown land.  

Being disenfranchised, Japanese Canadians had virtually no political influence and no one to listen to their concerns; they, in fact, became the target of anti-Asian rhetoric by several politicians, especially during elections.  

Realizing how important the franchise was for Japanese Canadians, the Dantai chose Tomekichi Homma to mount a court challenge for the right to vote in 1900. With financial support from the Dantai and lawyer R.W. Harris representing Homma, the BC Supreme Court ruled in his favour. It was the same result when the case was appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada. In 1902, when the case was appealed to the Privy Council in London, the earlier decisions were reversed, and the ruling also stated that the province had the right to determine who could be on the voter’s list. Another formal attempt to regain the franchise occurred in 1937, when a four-person Japanese Canadian Citizens League delegation went to Ottawa and made a presentation to the Special Committee on Elections and Franchise Acts, to remove the British Columbia franchise laws, which deprived Japanese Canadians of the right to vote. Although the delegation impressed the committee, they were unsuccessful in regaining their voting rights.  

The franchise was ultimately reinstated to Japanese Canadians federally on June 15, 1948, and in B.C. on March 7, 1949. Unfortunately, Tomekichi Homma did not live to witness this historic event; he passed away in the Slocan Internment Camp in 1945. The city of Richmond has recognized his fight for democratic rights, and in 1990, an elementary school was named in his honour.  

Postwar contribution  

Starting in April 1949, Japanese Canadian fishermen started to re-establish their livelihoods on the B.C. coast. The vast majority required fishing company loans, since their savings were exhausted during the internment years. With several families returning to the Steveston area and the need for recreational facilities, the Japanese Canadian community donated funds for the construction of the Steveston Community Centre. Another donation from the Japanese community was the funds remaining in the Dantai’s bank account, which was $15,000.  

While there is minimal mention of the accomplishments of the Dantai in Japanese Canadian history, their impact on the lives of many Japanese Canadians before the Second World War should not be forgotten. This is only a brief outline of their accomplishments, and we hope it will inspire readers to do further research and investigation of the expansive extent of their work. Although the association encountered financial challenges (especially during lean fishing seasons) and member disagreements, the Dantai executives managed to convince its members that unity was paramount to attain its constitutional goals. Their leadership and involvement in the areas of health care, education, democratic rights, and the welfare of its members is a testament to their vision and perseverance.   

We hope that when significant Japanese Canadian events or milestones are recorded, the achievements of the Dantai are not forgotten.  

***

Henry Tanaka was the primary author, and Patricia Tanaka was one of the editors of the BC and Yukon Prize-winning book Changing Tides: Vanishing Voices of Nikkei Fishermen and Their Families.