All posts by buber

Basque Fact of the Week: Pioneering Surfer Hugues Oyarzabal

While surfing originated in Polynesia and Hawaii, many Basques have distinguished themselves in the sport. Indeed, the Basque Country has some prime surfing spots, including the Bizkaian coastal town of Mundaka. Hugues Oyarzabal became one of the pioneers of the sport, surfing some of the biggest waves in the world while filming himself riding down […]

Basque Fact of the Week: Basque Musical Instruments

Music and singing is such an important part of Basque culture. No Basque festival or party is complete without an accordion or a txistu. And, like all cultures, the Basques have created some of their own unique musical instruments while incorporating others like the accordion that has since become a staple of Basque folk music. […]

More Than Sheepherders by Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe and Jess Lopategui

I recently interviewed Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe about his research studying the Basques of the American West, particularly the arboglyphs herders left on the aspens in the mountains. He is out with a new book focusing on the Basques of Nevada, specifically Elko. With assistance from Jess Lopategui, this book explores the role Basque immigrants had in […]

Basque Fact of the Week: Agustín de Iturbide, First Emperor of Mexico

Growing up in Idaho, I of course learned about the Basque presence in the western United States and their role as sheepherders. But I didn’t realize the impact that Basques had had across other parts of the Americas. This is particularly true in Mexico, where as I’ve written Basques founded important cities. Basques continued to […]

Basque Fact of the Week: The Basque Word for God

It seems like a simple question: what is the Basque word for God? But, like almost everything Basque, there is a lot of nuance in this simple question. The modern words for god and God in Basque are not typical Basque words. Does that mean they were borrowed? Or created by a priest only semi-literate […]