mybeingthere

Every time I see these bird pins - I cannot resist posting them, perhaps their history, with its fragility and strength, attracts me again and again. 

Bird pins (brooches) made out of scrap materials by Japanese Americans held in internment camps during World War II.From The Art of Gaman: Arts & Crafts from the Japanese American Internment Camps 1942-1946 by Delphine Hirasuna (Ten Speed Press, 2005).

Gaman is a Japanese term of Zen Buddhist origin which means “enduring the seemingly unbearable with patience and dignity”.

harvestheart

This is a fascinating part of history I never heard of before.

They are even more beautiful now as the symbol of perseverance.