Pilgrimage

Annual Pilgrimage

The annual Japanese American community Pilgrimage to Amache National Historic Site is a special time for Amache descendants. The Pilgrimage is a time to commemorate and honor their ancestors that were wrongly imprisoned here during World War II.

History

A group of Amache survivors and descendants, friends, and allies, organized the first formal pilgrimage in 1975. Inspired by pilgrimages to other wartime incarceration sites, the first pilgrimage built on years of organizing by community members. These other pilgrimages drew inspiration from other social movements of the 1960s and 1970s.

Pilgrimage is an important opportunity for community building and learning. Some Amache descendants who attend pilgrimage are learning about their family history for the first time. Many have never talked with their families or loved ones about camp. For others, attending pilgrimage is an annual tradition. Regardless of level of experience or knowledge, attending pilgrimage is a meaningful, joyful, and challenging experience of community and memory.

An Emotional Experience

As commemoration of a difficult past, Pilgrimage can be emotional and painful but also a time of healing. The entire site holds important family histories and silences for Amache descendants. Families and individuals come to visit the site to honor and remember history, culture, and resilience. Please treat the entire site with respect and care, whether you visit during the annual Pilgrimage or at another time.

Cultural Connections

There are specific locations on the site that can hold special significance. The foundations and current standing barracks mark locations where Japanese American ancestors lived. Visiting foundation remains can be a powerful and sometimes difficult experience for descendants. The cemetery is another site of significance at Amache. In addition to honoring the dead, the cemetery is a place where visitors interact with the site. Here they can connect with the past and communicate with each other. Although the offerings and memorabilia left at the cemetery are contemporary and ongoing, they also have potential historical significance. The offerings demonstrate how visitors interact with the site at a particular time and in reaction to other historically significant occurrences. The NPS recognizes that many of the offerings and memorabilia left at the cemetery are worthy of collection and preservation.

In addition, Cheyenne and Arapaho tribal descendants of the Sand Creek massacre attend the pilgrimage to offer their support and solidarity to Amache descendants. The site of Amache resides on ancestral lands of 14 Native American tribes.

Cultural Etiquette

All are invited to Pilgrimage but please understand this is a significant and, in many respects, sacred cultural and community event unique to Japanese American Amache descendants. Please be respectful during the Pilgrimage.

• All cultural practices associated with the Pilgrimage are reviewed and concurred by the Amache descendants, tribal partners, and the National Park Service.
• Please be respectful when elders of descendant communities are speaking.
• Any planned activities associated with the Pilgrimage requires Special Use Permit Review by the National Park Service.
• Please understand the time of Pilgrimage has been set aside for healing and reflection for Amache descendants, Sand Creek descendants, and others attending.
• Do not applaud or cheer after a prayer or cultural practice.
• Please ask permission before photographing elders or descendants for close-up photos.
• Please be kind to others attending and use respectful tones at the site during the Pilgrimage.
• Do not pick up or remove any artifacts at the site.
• Do not disturb any wildlife or natural resources.
• Please follow all rules of the National Park Service.

Amache descendants, tribal partners, and the National Park Service thank you for your attendance at pilgrimage.
Amache National Historic Site Foundation Document Overview
Director's Order #71C: Consultation with Indian and Alaska Native Tribes