For the manong who were unable to return or who never married, lodges like the Daguhoy Lodge became a sanctuary, and this treasure trove of steamer trunks may have been one way the men at the lodge honored their friends, especially if no one showed up to collect those beautiful suits and glamorous photographs.

So s- some died not knowing where their families were, or they couldn't get in contact with families back in the Philippines, and so their fraternal brothers packed their belongings into the steamer trunk as a way to memorialize them, but also with the hopes that their family members would claim some of their belongings.

[traffic whooshing]

It says, "How can you forget me?"

I'm really taken by that pillowcase.

There's so much ambiguity around it, right? In some ways, how can you forget me is kind of a, it could be read as an admonishment, [laughs] right? Don't you dare forget me as you're living in the US [laughs] far, far away from me.

The other thing is it could be an inquiry, like, how can you forget us? We created this vibrant community that became a foundation for future Filipino Americans.