Caroline Tang Wei interviewed by Diana Giese in the Chinese Australian Oral History Partnership collection [sound recording]
- Bib ID:
- 1509036
- Format:
- Audio
- Author:
- Tang Wei, Carol, 1966-, interviewee
- Access Conditions:
- Access open for research and personal copies; written permission for public use.
- Description:
-
- 2001 Dec. 12
- 3 digital audio tapes (ca. 180 min.)
- Series:
- Chinese Australian Oral History Partnership.
- Summary:
-
Tang Wei recalls her Chinese father's background, settling in Broome to work in the pearling industry after leaving Hong Kong in 1928 on a steamer working as a crewman; her mother, a Bardi Aboriginal woman born at Hunter Creek on Dampier Peninsula and the discrimination and government restrictions she faced. She recalls the family history in Broome from the 1920s onwards; the difficulties and immigration restrictions her father had to deal with as an Asian man aiming to establish himself in business & applying for citizenship in the time of the White Australia Policy; obstacles & restrictions both parents encountered from the Immigration Dept., Aboriginal Affairs Dept. and the Church when they decided to marry. Tang Wei speaks of the pearling industry; the wartime restrictions imposed on the community in general & ethnic minorities in particular in Broome.
Tang Wei recalls the Chinese traditions and customs her father carried on and his restaurant which became a meeting place for various ethnic groups right up until the 1980s. She speaks about her role as Secretary of the Chinese Community Association in Broome. Tang Wei noted that the Chinese community had remained dormant throughout the 1960s & 1970s, the older generation thought it more important that children acquire the skills necessary for them to progress through Australian society. She speaks about how her family's life experiences and that of the community in general forms the basis for her thesis titled "A dialogue into history: intersection of immigration & Aboriginal protection legislation & how it impinged on daily lives."
- Biography/History:
-
Caroline Tang Wei was born in Broome, 1966 to Chinese/Aboriginal parents. Her father left a small village near Hong Kong in 1928 to work in the Broome pearling industry as a hard-hat diver. In 1946 Tang Wei married Lexie D'Antoine, a Bardi Aboriginal woman of mixed European descent. In the 1950s her father opened a Chinese restaurant. Caroline, the youngest of 4 children grew up in Broome's chinatown. In 1988 she left Australia to travel in Africa & South America. She returned to Broome to work in Aboriginal publishing, in production and design and then left in the early 1990s for more overseas travel. When she returned to Broome in 1993 she worked for an Aboriginal Health Unit.
Caroline moved to Perth in 1996 to do a Social Science degree at the Curtin University, majoring in Anthropology and Sociology. She is currently working on an Honours thesis on Aboriginal/Asian ethnicity and continuing her work in Aboriginal health and welfare.
- Notes:
-
- Recorded on Dec. 12, 2001 at Broome, W.A.
- Digital master available National Library of Australia;
- Index/Finding Aid Note:
- Timed summary (8 p.) and corrected transcript (typescript, 93 leaves) available.
- Subject:
-
- Tang Wei, Carol, 1966- -- Interviews
- Chinese Community Association (Broome, W.A.)
- Chinese Australians -- Interviews
- Chinese Australians -- Western Australia -- Broome -- Cultural assimilation
- Race discrimination -- Western Australia -- Broome
- Chinese Australians -- Western Australia -- Broome -- Social life and customs
- Chinese Australians -- Western Australia -- Broome -- Economic conditions
- Broome (W. A.) -- Ethnic relations
- Other authors/contributors:
- Giese, Diana, 1947-, interviewer
- Related Records:
-
This belongs to the Chinese Australian Oral History Partnership.
This collection contains 17 records. - Copyright:
-
In Copyright
Contact us for information about copying. For access conditions return to the record display above.
- Reason for copyright status:
- Until 2071 [Created/Published Date + 70 Years]
Copyright status was determined using the following information:
- Material type:
- Sound Recording
- Published status:
- Unpublished
- Creation date:
- 2001
Copyright status may not be correct if data in the record is incomplete or inaccurate. Other access conditions may also apply. For more information please see: Copyright in library collections.
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