https://wiith-archive.ucsc.edu/files/original/30ec905ab10339114d835f854e99ce03.pdf e242f080cd140c3e05236a0897a61baa Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Tana and Tabios Family Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Estelita Tabios Elizabeth "Liz" Tana Description An account of the resource Clemente Vargas Tana was born on November 27, 1902, in the barangay of Calimbajan, in the municipality of Makato, in the province of Aklan, in the Philippines. Eventually, Clemente immigrated to the United States where he engaged in seasonal migrant labor working in the Alaskan fisheries and agricultural fields throughout the West Coast. The exact date and other details of Clemente’s initial migration to the United States are unknown. Before World War II, Clemente enlisted in the U.S. Navy and worked as a cook. He was discharged from the Navy before the start of the war, however, the exact dates of his service are unknown. Due to his service, Clemente was able to gain U.S. citizenship. After leaving the Navy, Clemente returned to migrant agricultural work in California. During this time, he began living and working in Watsonville, California. In 1952, Clemente visited his family in the Philippines. During his trip, he met Estelita “Lita” Taytayon (now Tabios). Lita was born on December 30, 1931 in Makato, Aklan, Philippines. The two met through their relatives. After their initial meeting, Clemente returned to the United States and continued to correspond with Lita via mail. In 1956, Clemente traveled back to the Philippines along with his townmate and friend, Florencio Cawaling. In January 1956, Clemente and Lita got married. In April 1956, they embarked on a month-long steamship journey to the United States. They arrived in May 1956 and settled in Watsonville. In Watsonville, Clemente and Lita sharecropped strawberries with Florencio and Aladina Cawaling and Eliseo and Rosalinda Taytayon. They had four children Elizabeth Taytayon Tana (b.1957), Clemente Taytayon Tana (b. 1958), Alberto Tana (b. 1959, d.1964), and Alvin Jon Tabios (b.1967). The family moved to several different homes throughout Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley area. Clemente continued to work in agriculture until retiring due to health concerns during the 1960s. Lita also worked in the agricultural fields alongside Clemente and other family members. Additionally, she worked in the Green Giant cannery from 1962 to 1966. In 1969, Lita remarried Dioscoro Tabios. Dioscoro was born in 1908 and belonged to the extended kinship network made up of Filipinos from Makato, Aklan, Philippines that included the Tana, Cawaling, and Taytayon families. The details of Dioscoro’s immigration to the United States is unidentified, however, he began working in Watsonville in 1929. Although Lita remarried, she, Clemente, Dioscoro, and the Tana children remained a close-knit family. Eventually, Dioscoro officially adopted Alvin Jon. The Tana and Tabios family, most notably Lita, were active members of several Filipino community organizations including the Filipino Women’s Club of Watsonville, Caballeros de Dimas-Alang, and the Filipino Catholic Association. Lita eventually pursued a career in healthcare. She worked in the laundry department at Dominican Hospital in Santa Cruz, California, and then as an in-home caregiver for elderly patients. Lita still lives in Santa Cruz. Clemente passed away in 1982 and Dioscoro passed away in 1989. The Tana and Tabios Family Collection was contributed to Watsonville is in the Heart in 2021 and 2022 by Estelita Tabios and Liz Tana. It contains ten items in total. This includes one oral history interview with Estelita in which she shares her experience migrating to Watsonville during the 1950s and discusses her careers in Green Giant Cannery and the healthcare industry. The collection also includes six photographs that document women's participation in community organizations; a scrapbook created by Liz Tana; and two material culture objects. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Meleia Simon-Reynolds Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Elizabeth "Liz" Taytayon Tana Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data .wav Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:49:40 URL Link to audio recording on escholarship: <a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/9j52c8j4#supplemental" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Elizabeth "Liz" Tana interviewed by Meleia Simon-Reynolds</a> Dublin Core The Dublin Core metadata element set is common to all Omeka records, including items, files, and collections. For more information see, http://dublincore.org/documents/dces/. Title A name given to the resource Elizabeth "Liz" Tana interviewed by Meleia Simon-Reynolds Description An account of the resource In this interview, originally recorded in person, Elizabeth “Liz” Taytayon Tana speaks with Meleia Simon-Reynolds, a member of the Watsonville is in the Heart team. Liz shares memories of visiting the Philippines with her family, the various homes and neighborhoods in the Pajaro Valley that she and her family lived in, gatherings with her family’s extended kinship network which included the Tejada, Taytayon, and Cawaling families, and Filipino dances organized by the Filipino Women’s Club of Watsonville and the Caballeros de Dimas-Alang. She talks about the relationship between her father, Clemente Vargas Tana, her mother, Estelita “Lita” Taytayon Tabios, and her stepfather, Dioscoro Tabios. She also explains their work as strawberry farmers in Watsonville and Lita’s job in the canneries. Throughout the interview, she discusses how her family, most notably her mother, cared for the manong and integrated them into their family as “uncles.” Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Elizabeth "Liz" Tana Meleia Simon-Reynolds Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource April 30, 2022 Rights Information about rights held in and over the resource Watsonville is in the Heart (WIITH) is a community-driven public history initiative to preserve and uplift stories of Filipino migration and labor in the city of Watsonville and greater Pajaro Valley. All oral history interviews are donated to WIITH by the narrators. Copyright is held by WIITH. Oral history interview recordings and transcripts are available for unrestricted use and reproduction by educators and researchers. Please note that the recordings on this website are provided via escholarship. For access to oral history audio files, please contact the project director at wiith@ucsc.edu. If you are an oral history narrator and would like to remove your interview from the archive website, please contact the project director. Language A language of the resource English Type The nature or genre of the resource Oral History Agriculture Caballeros de Dimas-Alang Canneries Dances Daylite Market Driscoll Fashion Filipino Women's Club of Watsonville Gambling Military Navy Philippine Gardens Cafe Philippines Watsonville Watsonville High School