Bury My Bones in America: From San Francisco to the Sierra Gold Mines
SKU:
9781887694117
$25.95
$25.95
per item
Author: Lani Ah Tye Farkas
Published by Carl Mautz Pub (1998)
Paperback
ISBN: 9781887694117
The Saga of a Chinese Family in California 1852-1996.
Bury My Bones tells the story of Yee Ah Tye, a Chinese immigrant who came to California during the Gold Rush, and his descendants and fellow immigrants.
“…Extensively researched and well illustrated…one of the very few published histories of a Chinese American family.” -Fred Egloff, Booklist, American Library Association
“Yee Ah Tye…was a California pioneer in every sense of the word. During his long, multi-faceted career as a merchant, gold mine operator and Chinese community leader, he was an eyewitness to, and participant in the many historical events.”-Him Mark Lai, Asian Studies Department, San Francisco State University
What does the haunting title, Bury My Bones in America, mean?
The author explains, “Most Chinese came to America as sojourners, hoping to make their fortune and return to China as rich men and die among their people. If they should die in America, rich or poor, they made sure of one thing: their bones must be returned to the land of their ancestors and be buried there, so their spirit would not wander forever in the darkness of a foreign world.”
But Yee Ah Tye broke with all tradition and shocked his family and friends when on his deathbed he insisted that his bones be buried for all time in America, his adopted home. It was a symbol of his deep commitment to this new land and the deep roots he had established for his family. It was the beginning of a new dynasty involved in intrigue and diplomacy, teaching and medicine and in myriad subtle ways contributed to the vibrant culture of California.
160 pages, 8 ½ x 11
More than 100 photographs, woodcuts, drawings and maps
Bibliography, Family Tree, End Notes, Index
“Yee Ah Tye…was a California pioneer in every sense of the word. During his long, multi-faceted career as a merchant, gold mine operator and Chinese community leader, he was an eyewitness to, and participant in the many historical events.”-Him Mark Lai, Asian Studies Department, San Francisco State University
What does the haunting title, Bury My Bones in America, mean?
The author explains, “Most Chinese came to America as sojourners, hoping to make their fortune and return to China as rich men and die among their people. If they should die in America, rich or poor, they made sure of one thing: their bones must be returned to the land of their ancestors and be buried there, so their spirit would not wander forever in the darkness of a foreign world.”
But Yee Ah Tye broke with all tradition and shocked his family and friends when on his deathbed he insisted that his bones be buried for all time in America, his adopted home. It was a symbol of his deep commitment to this new land and the deep roots he had established for his family. It was the beginning of a new dynasty involved in intrigue and diplomacy, teaching and medicine and in myriad subtle ways contributed to the vibrant culture of California.
160 pages, 8 ½ x 11
More than 100 photographs, woodcuts, drawings and maps
Bibliography, Family Tree, End Notes, Index