Wing Luke's 'Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle' Shows the Beauty and Power of Sunset Years

by Agueda Pacheco Flores

A key element of being young is lack of experience — lack of wisdom, some may say. It makes sense, then, that most people either unintentionally dismiss or ignore thinking about aging, despite experiencing it in real time. It often isn't until people reach their older years that they've gained the wisdom to embrace aging and see the value of the time they've lived.

At the Chinatown-International District's Wing Luke Museum, a new exhibit asks its audience, no matter their age, to reflect on the beauty, growth, and potential that can come with aging. Just past the front desk, the walls are lined with photos, placards, oral histories, videos, artifacts, and art. It all comes together to create "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle: Conversations With Our Elders."

While not housed in one of the main exhibition rooms in the museum, "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle" is densely packed with pertinent questions and thought-provoking information about Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander elders. A placard features the main theme of the exhibit and asks: What is the role of an elder? It's a question that evokes more questions and requires some figurative time-traveling.

Instead of directly answering the questions it prompts, "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle" introduces viewers to the elders currently contributing to their communities and what that looks like. Through hearing their stories, a viewer can come to their own conclusion about the value elders bring to their lives and the lives of others.

Take, for example, the story of Kitty Tsui, one of the many featured elders in the exhibition. Tsui is seen both on one of the main large placards on the walls as well as in a video interview within the exhibit. Tsui is seen as she is today, graying and happy, remembering both her heyday as a competitive bodybuilder and honoring the wisdom she gained from her own queer grandmother.

"I remember it was one of those ah-ha moments because I remember when I came out to her," she says in the video. "The only thing she said to me was, 'What's gonna happen when you get old?' I told my grandma, 'You're old, you're alone, you're fine.'"

It's noted that Tsui's grandmother, a famous Chinese American opera singer, was a big role model for Tsui as she not only supported her grandfather's families for two decades, but also left to pursue a love affair with a woman, pointing to a woman who took responsibility of family but also didn't put her happiness aside.

Tsui's oral history video is available on TheOutwordsArchive.org, an online archive that records the queer history of elders. Also available on Outword and featured in "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle" are interviews with Arvind Kumar, founder of the first gay support group for South Asians, and Mia Yamamoto, a transgender activist who was born in a Japanese concentration camp.

The activist roles of Tsui, Kumar, and Yamamoto point to the far-reaching impressions the lives of elders can have on society as a whole, but what about other kinds of roles elders take on? Not every elder needs to be an activist to make an impact.

For 86-year-old Masood Rubb, that means taking care of his terminally ill wife, no easy feat even for someone not in their sunset years. Still, Rubb takes on his role with grace.

"Life is a winding road with many ups and downs," he is quoted saying. "Handle it with patience, tolerance, and forgiveness — a piece of advice from a veteran."

Whether it's the life stories of elders, the wisdom they've gained with time, or a flower tree that represents a grandmother's lullaby, there is something endearing everyone can take away from "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle."

The exhibit opened in April and will run until February of next year.

You can catch "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle" during the Wing Luke's recently reopened limited hours, Thursday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

This article is published under a Seattle Human Services Department grant, "Resilience Amidst Hate," in response to anti-Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander violence.

📸 Featured Image: A centerpiece placard of "Hello Auntie, Hello Uncle" explores what role elders hold and features six elders including Dorothy Quock, Masood Rubb, Amy Nikaitani, Dorothy Cordova, Noe Noe Wong Wilson, and Allan Louie. (Photo: Agueda Pacheco Flores)