https://wiith-archive.ucsc.edu/files/original/d20993f31780eee5f5e2b2289b26163f.pdf d36c71c31cce6c7ae2b66580c88fe196 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 Tumbaga Family Collection Contributor An entity responsible for making contributions to the resource Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay Description An account of the resource Benny Tumbaga was born on October 17, 1910 in the municipality of San Fernando in the La Union province of the Philippines. In 1926, Benny migrated to the United States and arrived in Portland, Oregon. In Portland and Seattle, Washington, Benny worked in restaurants. He also migrated to Alaska to engage in seasonal fisheries labor. In 1930, Benny’s brother, Adriano “Andy” Tumbaga arrived in the United States. The Tumbaga brothers were musicians. Benny played the piano and trumpet. Andy played the guitar and drums. Together, they formed a band that performed in hotels and dance halls throughout the American West. In addition to being traveling musicians, Benny and Andy continued to work in agricultural fields and restaurants. In 1938, Benny met Elva Valdez, a Mexican American woman from Phoenix, Arizona. Elva’s birthdate and birthplace are unknown. Eventually, Benny and Elva married (the exact date and location of their wedding is unknown). Soon after their initial meeting in 1938, Benny, Elva, and Elva’s daughter (also named Elva) from a previous relationship, moved to San Francisco. There, Benny worked as the head waiter at the Claremont Hotel and Elva began studying to become a nurse. While living in San Francisco, Benny and Elva had a son, Ben Tumbaga Jr. (b. 1942). In 1942, the Tumbaga family moved to Watsonville where Benny and Andy bought land to farm strawberries. Benny and Elva had three more children, Francisco (b. unknown, d. unknown), Charles (b. unknown), and Lydia (b. 1951). Throughout their lives, Benny and Andy continued to supplement their incomes by performing as musicians at community dances and events in Watsonville and the Pajaro Valley area. Benny passed away in 1991. The Tumbaga Family Collection was contributed to Watsonville in the Heart in 2021 by Benny and Elva Tumbaga's daughter, Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay. The collection contains one item, an oral history interview with Lydia. In the interview, she speaks about her father's migrant labor and career as a musician. She also shares her perceptions of shifting racial dynamics in Watsonville. Oral History A resource containing historical information obtained in interviews with persons having firsthand knowledge. Interviewer The person(s) performing the interview Toby Baylon Interviewee The person(s) being interviewed Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay Location The location of the interview Zoom Original Format The type of object, such as painting, sculpture, paper, photo, and additional data .mp4 Duration Length of time involved (seconds, minutes, hours, days, class periods, etc.) 1:30:24 Time Summary A summary of an interview given for different time stamps throughout the interview [0:00] Biographical information for Lydia and her father, Benny Tumaga [0:46] Benny’s migration from the Philippines to Oregon then throughout the Pacific Northwest [3:22] Benny’s seasonal work in Alaska and experiences as a musician [5:16] Biographical information about the Tumbaga children [6:08] Lydia discusses her father’ silences about Anti-Filipino racism he may have experienced during his early life in the United States [8:37] Tumbaga family settling in Watsonville and beginning farming berries [12:15] Discussion of racial dynamics in Watsonville during the 1960s and 1970s and Lydia’s understanding of Watsonville as a multicultural and “colorblind” community [13:23] Benny’s leisure activities [14:42] Lydia’s perspective on how her father’s decision not to discuss Anti-Filipino racism instilled a “colorblind” ideology in her [16:11] Discussion of the Tumbaga band [17:51] Multicultural and interracial dynamics in Watsonville and Hawai’i [18:49] Lydia’s opinion that race and racism does not affect access to opportunities available in America [19:44] Lydia’s decision to move to Hawai’i [21:32] Discussion of the Tumbaga band [22:10] “Social Box” events in the Watsonville Filipino community [27:25] Lydia’s perspective of on racial and demographic change in Watsonville as well as contemporary migrant communities in the region [35:26] Lydia’s experiences at Watsonville High School [37:00] Lydia’s brothers’ military service [43:13] Lydia’s opinion that race and racism does not affect access to opportunities available in America [45:25] Lydia’s reflects on her upbringing and her father’s immigrant experience through the lens of the racial reckoning in the United States that began during the summer of 2020 and contemporary culture war issues [53:22] Lydia’s move to Hawai’i and her work in the airline industry [1:07:06] Lydia’s fondest memories of her father [1:15:14] Food and family gatherings [1:22:13] Benny’s passing in 1991 and his last months living with Lydia in Hawai’i URL <div class="c-clientmarkup"><a href="https://escholarship.org/uc/item/2gf9c0mc#supplemental" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay interviewed by Toby Baylon</a></div> <h2 class="c-tabcontent__main-heading" tabindex="-1"></h2> <div class="c-authorlist"></div> 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 Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay interviewed by Toby Baylon Description An account of the resource In this interview, originally recorded via Zoom, Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay speaks with Watsonville is in the Heart team member Toby Baylon. Lydia speaks about her father, Benny Tumbaga’s experience migrating to the United States from San Fernando, La Union, Philippines in 1926. She describes Benny’s and his relatives’ work in restaurants in Portland, Seattle, and San Francisco as well as Benny’s experiences as a musician. Lydia also discusses her own experiences growing up and going to school in Watsonville followed by her decision to move to Hawai‘i later in life. Throughout the interview, Lydia shares her perspective on the shifting racial dynamics and demographics in Watsonville during the early twentieth century, the 1960s and 1970s, and the 1990s and early 2000s. She also discusses her “colorblind” approach to race which she states was instilled in her through her father and her multicultural upbringing in Watsonville. Lydia’s analysis of contemporary migrant communities in Watsonville is informed by her perspective of the racial reckoning during the summer 2020. Creator An entity primarily responsible for making the resource Lydia Tumbaga Brumblay and Toby Baylon Date A point or period of time associated with an event in the lifecycle of the resource May 20, 2021 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 Fishing Musicians Portland Race San Francisco Seattle Vietnam War Watsonville High School