Good morning! Today I am going to feature the 1900 Island. This is a historically based reality TV series.
Four families are heading back to 1900 and living in a small fishing village. The men will go fishing and the women will take care of the home. The children will be educated in the 1900 schoolhouse. So what hardships will these families face living this lifestyle? Will the families come together to help each other? Will they fall in love with the past? In this first episode, we meet our four families and they are on an Island off of Anglesey living on an island on the Irish Sea. Nobody lived on the island for the past seventy years. Now four families are going to experience life on the 1900 Island. They will experience the harsh realities of a fishing village. One family has seven members while another has five members and speaks Welsh. One family has experience living off the grid. Another family is a retired couple and is an experienced fisherman. Each family talks about the challenges they will face and what they think they will learn from the experience. The weather is proving to be a challenge on the families' first day as they approach the island. Eventually, they make it to the island the cottages they are going to live in. Each of the cottages has the family name on it. There is a community hall and a boathouse. They will have a small amount of money at the start and will have to use an outhouse or a chamber pot. They will be living on this island for a month. The families explore the cottages. For one family the cottage will be a squeeze. It was common for the children to share a bed. One cottage is sparse with few possessions and it is owned by the man of the family. Living in the 1900s will be a challenge for the children. How will modern children cope with the changes? Will the community come together to help each other? The biggest change the families will face will be the clothing. The families remove their Twenty-First-century clothing and change it into the clothing of the 1900s. Quite a few people are finding the clothing amusing. Not everyone is finding the clothing amusing. The clothing would have been made from wool and would have been for warmth. The corsets and the layers of clothing are proving to be a challenge to the women. The weather proves to be stormy so the families shelter in the cottages for the night. They prepare to fire up the stove for the first night. The stove will be the source of heat and cooking. The families will also have to rely on candles for light as well. The weather prevents the men from fishing for the day. So they will help the women adjust to life on the 1900 Island. In 1900 the women and girls were responsible for the household chores. The families will have to live frugally as well and stockpile provisions to see them through. With rationing, it should see them through the next few days. There is also a small vegetable patch available. With the weather against them, they will have to be careful with their food situation. Will the men be able to find work besides fishing? So how will modern families cope on the 1900 Island? What will they learn about their experience? Watch this series to find out about life on the 1900 Island. This is a fascinating history-meets-reality-TV series that could be shown in a history classroom.
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I am doing to do something a little bit different this week. I am going to do a blog on the Lincoln Highway. This documentary is featured on the Wyoming PBS YouTube Channel. The documentary is called 100 Years of the Lincoln Highway.
The Lincoln Highway started in Times Square New York and crossed the country in San Francisco. IT was the first cross-country road in America. The country did not have many roads before the automobiles. Every road was a bike path or a dirt road farmers used to get in and out of town. These roads did not link together and go somewhere. So what prompted the creation of the Lincoln Highway? Bikes were the driving force behind encouraging good roads. Oftentimes, the bicyclists encountered rough roads on their travels. So they felt that good roads were needed. Then when the automobile was invented, they took up the mantle of good roads. Carl G. Fisher lead the good roads movement, and his company worked on lights for automobiles. He also founded the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Fisher had the idea for a hard road highway that went from coast to coast. He went to the other automobile manufacturers for donations. He thought it could be done in time for the fair in San Francisco in 1915. Commerce was part of the puzzle however they wanted to encourage travel. He raised 4 Million dollars for the road. Henry Ford was the only hold out to donating because he believed that the government should build the road. Cars were expensive, but then in 1908 the Ford Model T showed up and it was the first time a car was mass-produced. Finally, ordinary people could afford those cars. That car was rugged and could be repaired by its owner. The Model T was $200 and it was the car that put America on the road. People could journey across the country. The problem was that there were no good roads. The Lincoln Highway Association was formed in 1913 and it was the first time someone would create, map, and sign a road in America. The highway got its name from President Lincoln because Lincoln linked the country together. The highway was dedicated in October 1913. However there was a problem, the Lincoln Highway was just a variety of roads linked together. How difficult would the journey be? One hundred years later, Lincoln Highway enthusiasts came together to recreate that first journey. A road guide was created in 1916 for the Lincoln Highway. The guide suggested the best way to see the country was by camping and the guide recommended what equipment to bring. The road trip was born. Cheyenne, Wyoming was one of five capitals linked by the Lincoln Highway. There was a grand hotel in the city and if a person could not afford a hotel then the city provided free camping at the lake. Tourists were surprised at the landscape they say but they enjoyed the experience. The Ames Monument was built to celebrate the men who created the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln Highway was moved over the years to provide a better experience for the driver. To continue to learn more about the Lincoln Highway watch this documentary. This is an enjoyable documentary about America’s history and how the highway system developed. I would share with an American history class light and fun documentary. This would be a good documentary for a substitute teacher to share with the class. This documentary would be a good addition to a teacher’s documentary collection and one that you can show for years after because it was so enjoyable to watch. Who was Lewis Carroll? This documentary explores the life of the creator of Alice in Wonderland. This documentary brings together a variety of readers of Alice in Wonderland to talk about the author. What leads to Alice in Wonderland? Who creator of this book? Why is the author such a controversial man? Who was the inspiration behind Alice in Wonderland? This documentary explores the world of Lewis Carroll.
On July 4th, Oxford celebrates Alice in Wonderland. It was on this day Alice told the story of Alice in Wonderland. The story begins with a girl, relaxing along the river bank. She follows a white rabbit and goes on an adventure. Alice meets a variety of characters along the way. It was a book treasured by the English people and has been published in a variety of languages. Lewis Carroll’s story begins in Christ Church in Oxford. It was where he wrote down the story of Alice in Wonderland. A door away lived a girl named Alice Liddell. She was the daughter of the Dean of Oxford. She did not realize how big of an impact that the story would have on her life. How did those adventures come to be created? Lewis meet Alice when she was four years old. Lewis was a mathematician who lecture at twenty-four. He was a man who loved rules and order. His relationship with Alice has led to many questions. Lewis was known as Charles Dodgson. He had a speech impediment was a bachelor all his life. He kept his identity secret and was a keen photographer. Lewis did not want to be recognized in the street and did instruct the mailmen to return any letters addressed to Lewis Carroll. He meets Alice and her sisters in the library at Oxford. Her father was appointed as Dean and moved around in high social circles. Lewis had purchased his first camera at this time and took photos of the girls. A friendship between him and the girls began. The girls were not patient sitters for their first photo. Eventually, Alice would become signaled out as someone special. She was often bossy and would shake her bangs out of her face. She had a strong personality and had an assurance that her sisters did not have. Lewis would entertain the Liddell children. He read them stories and taught them magic tricks. When they grew older, he brought them out on a boat trip. This boat trip would lead to the creation of Alice in Wonderland. On this boat trip, Alice pleaded with him to tell a story. Alice begged him to write it down as well. Lewis started telling the story to the girls and made it up as they went along. The story was not completely made up and referred to real places along the countryside. It took a year for Lewis to write the story and he gave the book to Alice’s Adventures Underground to Alice for Christmas. Eventually, he decided that the book needed to be published and took his time in finding a title for the book. Eventually, he called the book Alice in Wonderland. A children’s book finally arrived in Victorian England. Alice was the first child’s lead and the first child’s female lead in English literature. She was feisty and funny. She had common sense. It was a revolutionary book. It was supervised by the children’s literature at the time. Who would create such a book for children? Opinions on Lewis Carroll vary. Everyone has an opinion on the life of Lewis Carroll. To continue to learn more about these opinions continue to watch this documentary. This documentary would be appropriate for an English class in high school and college. We will continue our exploration of the Vikings by looking at how they shaped European history. They made their way to Constantinople. They captured the world’s largest city and founded the Russian Empire. The Vikings came to Constantinople to plunder and establish trade deals with the Byzantine Empire. The Vikings were on the hunt for silver. They were on the constant move to gain wealth and were very mobile people. The Viking mobility was a challenge for the kingdoms in Europe.
They traveled throughout Eastern Europe using the rivers. Before they turned their attention to Eastern Europe they attacked the coasts of the Baltic Sea. Their exploits in Eastern Europe were written about in a variety of sagas. Eastern Europe was rich in furs and slaves. Capturing and selling slaves was the biggest moneymaker for the Vikings. The rivers of Eastern Europe were a highway for the Vikings. They traded with the south over these rivers. Lake Ladoga was the heart of the trade and the river that fed it led to the Russian Steppe and the Eastern Mediterranean. The birthplace of Russia can be traced to this area and they dominated the area before they turned their attention to Western Europe. The most important artifacts found in Russia are found at the site of Starya Ladoga. The Vikings traded furs and slaves for silver. Silver coins ended back up in the Viking homeland. In Russia, they founded an empire. They conquered trading places along the rivers. Outside of Novgorod, Russian archeology students are excavating Viking sites. The finds are being carefully preserved in a museum. Prince Rurik founded the city of Novgorod. His followers went downriver and founded Kyiv. Finally, the Vikings continued down to Constantinople. The residents were shocked to find the Vikings at the door. The walls of Constantinople prevented further invasion. Instead, the Vikings attacked the coast. The Byzantine Empire was the richest empire at the time and would have been an attractive prize for the Vikings. The Regent of Novgorod was angry at the attack. He went after the followers of the former king and killed them. Eventually, he made his way to Constantinople and worked out a trade deal with the Byzantine Emperor. These actions would be documented by Nestor. Nestor wrote about the development of the first Russian State. The Vikings went into Poland. There they found no resistance to the rule. Poland was a place of passage for the Vikings. Archeological sites in Poland have changed the understanding of Polish history. Many graves were discovered and they were part of an elite group. Traders and warriors were found in the graves. Control of the routes through Poland enabled the Vikings to grow rich. The Vikings built the Polish nation. They brought their know-how and wealth into Poland. The Vikings and Poles Royal Families started intermarrying with each other. These marriages brought together the different cultures and this is evidenced in the graves. The myth that the Vikings were a war-like people is being smashed through the grave evidence. To continue to learn more about the Vikings and how they shaped Eastern Europe watch this documentary. This episode had a long introduction before getting to how the Vikings shaped Eastern Europe. It was slow going at the start. I would start the documentary at about five minutes and skip that introduction. Another fascinating aspect of this series was the focus on Viking Poland. When studying Viking history, there was discussion on Viking Russia and Western Europe, never Poland. This was a fascinating look at Polish History. As I said at the start of this series, these documentaries are definitely for the classroom setting. In this episode, the Viking Weapons will be explored. They traded and raided across the hemisphere and their weapons were the most advanced of the time. They traveled across the sea on the most advanced ships and invested carefully in their weapons. The Vikings went into battle equipped to Kill. Shields, swords, and armor were their tools of warfare. The weapons were the same across burials.
Their ships were their secret weapons. They could bend with the sea and be light enough to be carried overland. The Vikings used surprise as their tactics. Where there was a waterway, the Vikings could go. They went to Russia and Ukraine. One of the best-preserved ships is found in Oslo. It was the best-preserved ship of the Viking age. It survived because of the clay that was found in the mount. The clay sealed the tomb and it preserved the wood, metal, leather, and textiles. Not only did the clay preserve this ship, but it also preserved the methods behind Viking shipbuilding. It was built on the west coast of Norway. The ship could be both rowed and sailed. The Viking ships were built to be very light and very strong. The planks were cut in a way that preserved the dimensions of the wood. The wood used to build the Viking ships was fresh. A replica ship of the funeral ship was created. It took several tries and several sinkings. However, when the archeologists relied on ancient ship-building methods the ship came together and was launched successfully in 2012. It was surprising to discover that the ships Viking built such lightships. There seemed to be a sense of how to build a ship. They had the image in their head of the ship and knew what trees to select to build the ship. In Roskilde, there is a ship museum that holds the largest number of Viking ships in the world. There were five ships discovered in Roskilde. The five ships were trading ships, longboats, and even a warship. The boats were made from Oak. Special care was used to create the planks for the ships. The Vikings used nature to build their boats. The planks were cut along the grain. The ribbing was created with the natural curve of the tree. The planks were put together using overlapping methods. They were waterproofed with wool and tar. Women wove the sails and were more expensive than the ships. The Viking warriors were carefully trained. They used shields to battle. They were equipped with swords, shields, and spears. However, they preferred to attack the enemy from behind. Once the shield formations were broken, then the swords came out creating terror in the enemy. The fact they were heathens scared the enemy. The English believed the Vikings to be a punishment from God. Modern Day Viking warriors come together and recreate Viking battles. This group may be better equipped than their Ancient Viking ancestors. Wolin was the home to an elite Viking mercenary unit and was considered the best soldier. The evidence shows a huge city where this elite group lived in. Wolin was a huge trading center. Was this the place where an ancient Viking mercenary unit lived in? The archeological evidence has yet to emerge. To continue to learn more about Viking warfare and Viking ships continue to watch this documentary. This documentary gives the feeling that it is targeted at students in the classroom. The narration is slower passed. The participants in the documentary share their knowledge about the Vikings. This would be an excellent documentary for the middle school classroom as well as a high school classroom. This documentary is found on the Absolute History channel and mobile devices was divided into chapters for easy viewing. Norway was the early cradle of the Vikings, the last barbarians. How did they dominate the seas and waterways of Europe? These warriors traveled around the globe. They created trade networks and built kingdoms. However, their origins are mysterious. Modern archeologists are determined to find the origins. So what made them feared warriors? What made them skilled storytellers? What made the Vikings kingdom builders? Who were the Vikings?
The Swedes, Danes, and Norwegians spoke the same language and worshiped the same gods. What made these groups of Vikings different from each other? The early Vikings buried their dead in rock formations created to look like ships. In Salme, Estonia there were dozens of Viking warriors excavated. They were buried in the ship formations. What was stunning about the burials was that this group of warriors predated the Vikings. The grave indicated they were in a fierce battle. The skeletons indicated some vicious wounds. They were buried with full military honors after the battle and were carefully buried. Modern historians believe that the warriors were buried with a high degree of respect. The teeth indicated that the warriors came from Sweden. They came from the Lake Malaren region in Sweden. It was the heart of a rich Viking community and was the gateway to the Baltic Sea. The graves contained glass from France, swords, jewelry, and other expensive items. The finest grave that was found from the Viking age belonged to a woman. It was found south of Oslo. The ship contained two women. Men and women alike would take the ships to the grave. The woman had a sled buried with her. The other woman came from the Caspian Sea region. The ship sailed for decades before it was used as a grave. The Vikings told about their exploits through the sagas and ruin stones. There was a story of a local chieftain traveling to the Mongolian Kingdom. To secure the whale trade he married a Mongolian princess and brought her back to Norway. The sagas give tantalizing hints to the widespread trade networks of the Vikings. Such trade networks even expanded deep into Asia when a bronze Buddha was discovered among grave goods. The Vikings' chieftains created wealth. They courted followers with whom they could share their wealth. There were trading towns that grew and faded away. Trade was a peaceful activity of the Vikings. Traders needed protection and so a warrior group emerged. The Vikings started plundering on these trading voyages. The Danish Vikings may have inspired the English poem, Beowulf, tying the two lands together. Romans left England and so the Germanic people started immigrating and settling in England. The Kings of Denmark claimed to be sons of Odin. They could claim that they were the son of the gods. The relations with the gods were the way the chieftains could claim to be the rightful king. Discoveries are hinting at early Viking culture. The sagas recorded the exploits of the Vikings and were written at the end of the Viking age. The Vikings had a strong oral tradition and these stories were passed from generation to generation before they were written down. The Runic language that was left behind was contemporary to the Viking age. The Runic Stone commemorated the dead and was oftentimes short. To continue to learn more about the Vikings watch the rest of this documentary. This documentary gives the feeling that it is targeted at students in the classroom. The narration is slower passed. The participants in the documentary share their knowledge about the Vikings. This would be an excellent documentary for the middle school classroom as well as a high school classroom. This documentary is found on the Absolute History channel and mobile devices was divided into chapters for easy viewing. Pamela Travers was the inspiration behind Mary Poppins. However, Pamela spent decades hiding her true origins. However, it was her childhood that holds the key to the secret of Mary Poppins. She clashed frequently with Walt Disney while working on Mary Poppins. Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson talk about Pamela in this documentary. This documentary tells the story of Pamela Travers and the story of Mary Poppins.
Pamela Travers was born in Australia as Helen Goff. Her friends never learned her real name until the end of her life. She adopted Pamela as a stage name. Eventually, she called herself P.L. Travers and called herself Mrs. Travers even though she never married. She died in 1996 and the legends started swirling around her. The truth was that she was the daughter of a drifter, who made his way to Australia. Her father loved Ireland and Irish things. She never spoke of her past life before and her close friends never had any idea of her past. Pamela grew up in Queensland, Australia. Her parents were hot and cold and Pamela never knew where she stood with her parents. It was only in her later years she would tell stories of her Australian childhood. The reality she endured in Australia was far from the Banks family. Her father struggled with heavy drinking and died at home from pneumonia when Pamela was seven years old. It shook Pamela. Her father’s death set her off on a search for a father figure. What could a man be? Who could measure up to her father’s memories? The one thing her father did pass onto Pamela was a love of Irish writers. She loved exploring the myths and folklore of Ireland. Australia never felt like home. She had a romantic view of the Irish culture and when she was twenty-four she went to Dublin. She paid for her voyage with money she made from magazine articles and help from her aunt. She would whitewash her homeland out of her life. When she arrived in Ireland, she began a friendship with George A.E. Russell. He inspired her to write and may have had a hand in creating Mary Poppins. Pamela would send her writing to him and he helped nurture her writing talent. They became good friends and was father figure for her. Pamela became part of the writing social set. She traveled as well. She wrote and published and sent money home to her mother in Australia. Pamela eventually moved to the countryside and started writing fiction. Her imagination could be let loose. It was in the countryside where Mary Poppins was born. The book was a success and she started writing the next book in the series. For the rest of her life, she would say that she was not the creator of Mary Poppins, but that she was a vessel. She denied that she created Mary Poppins. The characters were inspired by her childhood in Australia and her search for security. However, her life was far from secure. Pamela traveled around and dealt with many demons. She longed for someone to share her life with. She wanted to have children. Pamela was a charming lady and could flirt. A potential love was an Irish Poet, however, he was a serial adulterer. He was an attractive man and loved the whiskey. He was unsuitable for Travers. Instead of marriage, she looked to adopt a child. To continue to learn more about Pamela Travers and Mary Poppins continue to watch this documentary. This would be a good documentary to show in an English Class for middle and high school. If students are researching P.L. Travers they could use this documentary for research. Qin Shi Huangdi was the first Emperor of China. He unified the Chinese people. He built an empire that lasted thousands of years. He left behind a legendary tomb. This documentary explores the man and the legend. It will be a challenge to separate fact from fiction but Professor Jeffrey Reigel takes on that challenge. How did Qin create an empire? How could such a person exist? Why is he such a legendary man?
The historians only had official documents about Qin Shi Huangdi. However, in 1974 his tomb was discovered and it was guarded by thousands of terracotta warriors. Terracotta figures were known from other cities. Qin Shi Huangdi’s tomb had thousands of figures. This discovery provided some insight into China’s first emperor. Only 180 separate pits were found so far. The emperor’s tomb itself has not been discovered. The only thing visible to the people was the large mound the emperor was built under. It is larger than the Egyptian pyramids. What will finding the rest of the tomb tell us about the Emperor? The legend begins when Qin Shi Huangdi at thirteen. The king is dead and he is now the new king. His mother and the king’s former advisor already want to take advantage of the situation. The pair have been lovers for years. Unknown to the pair a revolution is coming. The revolution is in the form of Lee Su, a scholar. He joins Qin Shi Huangdi’s court. He joins the staff of the prime minister. Lee Su already has an idea of what goes on in court and starts making plans. Qin Shi Huangdi has an audience with the scholar. They talk about uniting the individual Chinese kingdoms. He flatters the young king and believes that the time to unify China is now. Over the next decade, Qin Shi Huangdi strengthens his position and desire to create a new nation. He becomes the youngest king to lead a nation into war. Qin Shi Huangdi celebrates his coming of age. His mother has a new lover and had two sons by the new lover. There are plots to put one of these boys on the throne. Qin Shi Huangdi has his suspicions about his mother and takes matters into his own hands to protect his throne. The coup is on, however, Qin anticipates this and crushes the rebellion. The boys are killed. The prime minister is sent into exile for failure to protect his king. The king will rule with his empire with an iron fist. Lee Su will be the power behind the throne and will impose a totalitarian state on the unified empire. More of the minor kingdoms fall to Qin. Yen is next to fall, but they send a mission to Qin Shi Huangdi. However, the men who bring the Qin gifts are trained assassins. The plot fails and Qin defends himself ably. Since the attempted coup, Qin’s biggest fear is assassination. Now he has assassins in his court. Paranoia grows in Qin’s mind. Death haunts his dreams, and he is nervous about facing the souls he sacrificed. Since he became king, Qin started planning his tomb. He is starting to plan for a massive tomb. Each figure measures six feet tall and were armed with real weapons. Over 7,000 Terracota warriors have been found. This army demonstrated Qin Shi Huangdi’s power and was laid out in the tomb with great precision. If you need to have a documentary on Ancient China this would be an excellent documentary to show to a high school history class. If you have an independent study student then this documentary would be good for a student to listen to. Good morning, today we are going to look at the Secrets of the Chinchorro Mummies with Joann Fletcher. These mummies are the oldest in the world and they are found in Chile. They came from a people who believed they could conquer death. The first settlers lived on fishing. In 1993, there was a sensational find in Chile: the bodies of the earliest people. These bodies were well preserved and were the oldest mummies in the world.
These people perfected mummification before the Egyptians. Who were these people who perfectly preserved their bodies? Why did they bury their people with such loving care? It had been known that the Chinchorro people lived on the Chilean coast. They fished and were buried with their fishing bags. They had no metal tools. They did not leave the permanent buildings behind. However, the one thing they did was mummify everyone. No matter, what rank, the Chinchorro mummified the people. Men, women, and children were mummified. It was only recently that people realized how unique the Chinchorro mummies are. Professor Bernardo Arriaza has spent years studying the Chinchorro people. He works with a group to learn more about Chinchorro's secrets. Since its discovery in 1993, the knowledge of the Chinchorro has grown. Specialists in other fields are helping further knowledge about the Chinchorro. A dig is being undertaken and it will be the last for a long time. The initial excavations brought up more bodies than the archeologists could handle. How could the remains be preserved as well? It was a rescue operation that had to be done and done quickly. The 96 bodies were brought to a small museum and the exhibitions where artifacts were moved. The collection has 100’s of skulls and other fragments of the mummies. The first mummy ever found in 1915 is also in this museum as well. In this digging season, Arriaza has brought together a team of experts. Joann Fletcher joins this dig. She is a leading expert on Egyptian mummies and wants to compare how the Egyptians mummified their dead to the Chinchorro methods. She talks with the archeologists on the field and watches the dig. She observes the similarities between the Eqyptians and the Chinchorro. Egyptian’s took their inspiration for mummification from the desert. The Chinchorros seemed to have realized that the desert could preserve their dead. They simply wrapped their dead in reed mats and let the desert to the west. Eventually, some rituals became tied to death. The Chinchorro’s mummification techniques were unique. They removed the flesh from the body and removed soft tissue. They reinforced the skeleton with sticks. The bodies were packed with grass and animal air. They were wrapped with reed mats and were covered with clay. A clay mask with human hair was also put on the head. These were mummies that were meant to be moved. Children also were mummified, which was highly unusual. The Chinchorro’s started as a hunter/gatherer people. They eventually settled on the Chilean coast and settled into life. It would have been a comfortable existence. They hunted seals. They had cactus needles for fish hooks. Reeds for mats were plentiful along the coast. Nets, clothing, and burial were shrouds were created from reeds. A picture of primitive but creative people started emerging through the excavations. Technology is also providing a breakthrough in learning about the Chinchorro people. To continue to learn more about the Chinchorro people and their mummies continue to watch this documentary. This would be a good documentary for a history class, specifically a South American history class, as well as an anthropology class. When I saw this documentary posted, I knew I had to do it for this blog. 499 coffins were sunk in a shipwreck and I wondered how that happened. So I thought that my readers would be interested in this story.
A ship was bound for China. It had a ghostly cargo of 499 Chinese gold miners. The ship sunk and its cargo disappeared. This ship lies off the coast of New Zealand. All the names were lost, except for one: Choie Sew Hoy. He was considered one of the pioneers of New Zealand. In 1861, gold was discovered in a valley in New Zealand. Miners from all over the world. However, this gold rush was over as soon as it was started. This documentary tells the story of the gold rush and the Chinese miners. Chinese gold miners were invited to New Zealand to see if more gold could be discovered. These Chinese miners took part in a rebellion in China and decided to take their chances in New Zealand. Choie Sew Hoy was one of these men that came in. He established a store and provided provisions for the Chinese miners. His story was the first stop for the miners. He was a businessman and a merchant. He also helped his fellow countrymen adjust to their life. Descendants of Choie Sew Hoy trace his footsteps to learn more about their ancestors. They go to the mines where the Chinese men worked. A historian talks about the history of the mine and the miners. It would take two weeks to get to the valley by horse, for others who did not have horses it would take a month walking. The work was backbreaking and the climate was harsh. In summer they would be hot and they faced extreme cold in winter. Death was a constant companion. The men who supplied the miners became rich men. Choie Sew Hoy married a European woman and had two children. He heavily invested in gold mining as well. His local community became rich and he provided charitable funds for the Chinese. If a Chinese man would die in New Zealand, their families could petition for their remains to be exhumed and shipped back to China. Choie made sure the families had the funds to do this. In 1883, over two hundred coffins were exhumed and shipped back to China. In 1901 another hundred bodies were exhumed to be shipped back to China. This horrified the local New Zealanders, however, permits were issued and could not be stopped. Choi Sew Hoy died suddenly before the second shipment was ready. His death was a major setback for the body repatriation plan. His son took over and a ship was packed with 499 bodies. This ship would never make it back. The ship struck rocks and sunk, taking with it the coffins. Fifteen men died in the shipwreck. An official board of inquiry was convened. Navigational error and incompetence were the causes of the wreck. The Chinese community in New Zealand is devastated. It was a second death for them. For the Chinese, it was important to be buried where they were born. Choie Sew Hoy’s coffin went down with the ship. His son went to look for the ship and the coffins. However, he was unable to find it and the coffins. The ship had never been found and is one of the deepest wrecks in New Zealand history. Remains and coffins washed up onshore and were buried where they washed up. This is a documentary done for fun and the subject was interesting. I would not be showing this to a history classroom. |
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