Hokkaido, Japan 

Imprisoned Spirits: The Indomitable Will of the Saskinax̂ 

Struggles, Loss, and Perseverance in the Face of War Crimes

In a dilapidated two-story structure with a single bathroom, forty Saskinax̂ (english: Attuans) were imprisoned. The place had an eerie emptiness, as though abandoned for fifteen long years. It was filthy, cramped, and devoid of warmth (no working heat), save for a few electric lights flickering dimly. This was no home; it was a prison that held them captive for 1,185 relentless days. Cooking inside was forbidden; they were forced to prepare their meager meals outdoors. War crimes had stolen their loved ones, leaving fathers to witness the breath fading from their daughters, and mothers to mourn the loss of their children. Every member of the community bore witness to the deaths of their loved ones, spanning generations and familial relationships. Fathers mourned the loss of their daughters and sons, while mothers grieved for their fathers, children, and eldest offspring. The elderly were not spared from the grasp of death. Their days were engulfed by the constant presence of mortality. Death surrounded and loomed over them.

For twenty-three agonizing days, Mike Lokanin watched helplessly as his daughter slipped away, only to lose his son the very next day.

Ravaged by starvation and diseases born from squalor and frigid winters, they resorted to desperate measures. One mother scrounged for discarded orange peels to soothe her hungry children, if only momentarily. The cruel overseers enforced Japanese language on the Saskinax̂, punishing any lapse with brutal beatings. The horrors they endured were numerous, too grim to recount in full.

All able-bodied individuals, even children except the very young, were thrust into forced labor as slaves, toiling tirelessly in a clay mine for twelve grueling hours a day or longer. Their sustenance was only a meager three spoons of rice. However, on September 17th, 1945, their confinement came to an end as their prison doors finally creaked open. The label of "prison" paled in comparison to the harrowing ordeal they endured.  Before this momentous day, fifteen Saskinax̂ had already passed away, apart from the babies who were born and died in Japan.  Hope sparked in their weary hearts as they stepped out, some clad in the same worn clothes they had upon arrival. Dreaming of Attu, of their true home, they clung to the memories of rolling green hills, majestic mountains, and the beckoning ocean.

The Saskinax̂ yearned for the snow-capped peaks, lush landscapes, vibrant marine life, and the melodic birds of their island. Resilient and resourceful, they sought solace in Otaru by their unwavering faith in a reunion with Attu and their church, which buoyed their spirits in the darkest of times.

Reference: Kohloff, D. (1995).