Koldo San Sebastian is a journalist and writer who has spent his career working in various media on themes of Basque history, including a television documentary on the Spanish Civil War in Euskadi, a book on the history of the Basque Nationalist Party, and another on the Basque exile in America.

Koldo is currently writing two blogs on Basques in America.  The first, Amerikanuak, is exactly about that, the Basque experience in America.  Recent postings have been about the first Basque dance group in Idaho, the Basques of Newfoundland, and the emigration from Aldudes, Baja Nafarroa.  These are in depth articles, written by a master historian, that do more than touch the surface, they delve into the heart of the subject.

The second blog is a bit more focused.  Basques of Nevada is an alphabetical list of all those Basques who left Euskal Herria for the state of Nevada.  This project has just started, still going through the surnames beginning with A, but gives a brief blurb, when possible, on each and every emigrant from Euskal Herria.  This seems like a Herculean task, but one that I am sure is invaluable to all of those of Basque descent living in Nevada.

Eskerrik asko, Koldo, for sharing your efforts with all of us!

Last month, my family and I were up in Idaho to visit grandparents.  While visiting amuma and aitxitxa (now affectionately known as “txitxi”), a couple of dad’s buddies got together at the Txoko Ona, their Basque center in Homedale, to eat and play cards.  They’d planned it a bit, but it wasn’t an overly involved production, just 4 or 5 guys, one making lamb stew and bbq’ing lamb ribs, another making bread, getting together and living life just like they might have in the old country.  They let me tag along, and while they were playing Mus, chatting away in Euskara, I couldn’t help thinking to myself that this is what being Basque really is about.  These guys don’t have to do anything to show their Basqueness, they just are Basque.

Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy the big events, especially the ones that pull people from all over as I then get a chance to see old acquaintances and the like, people I wouldn’t get to see otherwise.  And it’s great to see the dancing, the sports, and the rest as such a profound expression of culture.  Later that month Homedale had it’s own Basque picnic, which drew in a respectable crowd, and I got to have my chorizo and kalimotxo, and see some old friends.

But, there is also something very special just seeing these guys do their thing.  Not trying to be Basque, but just being Basque by being themselves.  As the sheepherder generations leave us, we will be missing something crucial in the fabric of the Basque community.  One can only hope that the outward expressions of Basque culture that the collective “we” work so hard in keeping alive can draw new blood from the Basque Country to keep the foundation solid.

You can tell the story of who people are by what they eat — stated Colleen Asumendi Fillmore, PhD, RD, LD

All who know the Basques know that food is an immensely important aspect of their culture.  Colleen Asumendi Fillmore knows this better than most, having studied the dietary culture of the Basques of Boise.  Her work has culminated in a book, Basques of Boise: Adult Dietary Culture and Tradition, and a website, nutribasque.

From the website:

This website explores the nutrient standards and dietary culture of the Boise Basque. Who are the Boise Basque? Ninety percent or more of the Boise Basque community is from the Basque province of Bizkaia. The majority comes from a 20-mile stretch of coastline between Bermeo and Ondarroa in the northern part of Spain. This area encompasses the fishing village of Lekeitio, a Basque metropolis of Bilbao, and the historic Basque capital of Gernika, all in Bizkaia (Zubiri, 1998).

The United States is a country with a myriad of diverse ethnic groups with many adaptations in food habits, thus constantly changing our health and wellness. Most RDs (registered dietitian) agree that food habits relating to tradition, customs, behavior, culture and environment must continue to be studied to achieve advances in public health.

Sheep were a big business in southwest Idaho/eastern Oregon/northern Nevada.  As a result, a lot of Basques settled in the high desert of the area.  Sheep brought my dad and my mom’s grandparents to America.  My mom’s aitxitxa, Blas Telleria, and amuma, Ines Eiguren, both settled in Jordan Valley, OR, a small town just on the other side of the Idaho border.  Jordan Valley is full of reminders of the Basque history of the place, most notably the fronton in the center of the town, but also in the names of the streets.  Most recently, the Elorriaga-Goicoechea house has become the home of the Idaho Oregon Nevada Heritage Museum.  Andy Franco was recently there, and took some photos of the Basque momentos which testify to the Basque presence and history of the American West.  The photos can be viewed in this gallery.

Eskerrik asko, Andy!

I’ve been meaning to share this set of links for a while and just thought I’d “dump” them on you before I either forget or they get outdated.

Last.fm, an online music station of sorts, has a channel dedicated to Kortatu and similar artists. I haven’t spent a lot of time with it yet, but if you are looking for some classic Basque rock, tune in here.

OK, this one I’m not sure what to make of… the concept looks intriguing, but I don’t think I understand it well enough.  Baskinbox seems to be a Basque gift box, with information about food, hotels, recreation, etc.  But, I’m not quite sure what is actually included in the box.  Can anyone help me out?

Aimee Eiguren, a very distant cousin of mine on my mom’s side, has a blog of her own, Bowl of Soul.  In her most recent post, she describes her first trip to Euskadi to visit the homes of her ancestors and shares a great recipe for Basque Omelette.

NABO, the North American Basque Organization, tries to help the various Basque clubs in efforts that are too big for any individual club.  This includes organizing summer camps for kids, hosting the national Mus championship, and much more.  On this page, they describe the ongoing effort to create a Basque Studies Consortium, the goal of which is to create a clearing house, of sorts, for Basque Studies, a place people can go and see what the most recent research in areas related to the Basques has uncovered.

The Nevada State Museum recently installed a 1902 Sheepherders Wagon, built for the Campbell Ranch.  According to the site, the first-ever sheepherders wagon was built by James Candlish of Wyoming in 1884, and it soon was adopted by sheepherders all over the American West.

Continuing the historical theme, this article in the Idaho Statesman describes the early history of the Basques in Boise, Idaho.  It focuses on their involvement in the restaurant and hotel businesses.  In particular, they quote an 1893 Stateman article that reported that “Yturraspe & Uberuaga will on Monday, January 1st, take charge of the City Restaurant and lodging house, which they have purchased from Russ Luark.”

This site, which gives a number of images on bordering of different styles, also has a page dedicated to Basque bordering.  I’m not sure how useful these images or these pages would be for one doing this kind of work, but maybe in the least these patterns will inspire.

An interesting little diversion, using a pattern you can download for free from this site, you can create a simple three-dimensional dodecahedron calendar in a number of languages, including Euskara.

The Taller de Artesania Lorratz has a great gallery of images, including paintings, drawings and mosaics.  The drawings, in particular, are of Basque buildings, with baserriak, churches, castles, and even a windmill.  The images are accompanied by the name and location of the building.  There are also some children’s arts and crafts images.

And, finally, for this update at least, NABO recently welcomed a new member to its fold.  Euskaldunak: Association des Basques du Quebec is the latest club to both become part of NABO and put a presence on the web.  The page, in both French and Euskara, seems to be still a work in progress, but there are photos and announcements regarding the group’s recent events.  Zorionak!

A while ago (I’m still way behind on answering emails), Jose Antonio Alcayaga III wrote me.  He had just gone to Donostia, Euskal Herria as part of the University Studies Abroad Consortium (USAC) via the University of Nevada to learn euskara.  Born and raised in Stamford, Connecticut, his father, from whom he gets his Basque heritage, is from Guatemala.

Jose created a group on Facebook, Alcayagas of the World, which has brought together over 200 members of the greater Alcayaga family.  He was interviewed about his efforts to bring the Alcayagas together by EuskalKultura.  The interview, in Spanish, can be found here.

Zorionak Jose!

Benoit Etcheverry, the EuskoSare coordinator for France, is also heavily involved in creating the International Center for the Basque Diaspora.  I previously posted  an announcement in which they were looking for volunteers to help renovate Azkarate Castle to serve as this Center.   Benoit, pictured at left, sent me a couple of photos  of the Center, showing the current state of things.  It looks great!  I can’t wait to visit!  Click on the photos of the Center to get a bigger version.