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. […]
I just got this notice of a new book on Basque culture and was asked to spread the word. Reluctant Modernization: Plebeian Culture and Moral Economy in the Basque Country by Andreas Hess Publisher: Peter Lang, Oxford ISBN number: 978-3-03911-908-0 Three institutions that are of particular importance to Basque history and culture form the main […]
Having read Laurence Bergreen’s description of Magellan’s circumnavigation of the globe, Over the Edge of the World (see this post), I was very interested in Christine Echeverria Bender’s take of the same voyage, Sails of Fortune, partially because I found Bergreen’s account so fascinating, but also because I knew Bender’s would cast a more favorable […]
I originally wrote these thoughts in August of 2005 and thought I’d posted them here, but just realized I hadn’t. In looking back, there are clearly some errors in what I wrote, which I’ve corrected. Over the Edge of the World, by Laurence Bergreen, tells the story of the first voyage around the world, the […]
Jeremiah Saiz, whose ancestors are from the Basque Country, is a native New Mexican who has spent many years in Hawaii and is now living in San Francisco. In a blend of his interests and his heritage, Jeremiah had his new canoe painted in Basque colors. He also christened his canoe Aidegatxo, which in Lapurdi […]
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 […]
This is a nice video promoting Donostia/San Sebastian as the Cultural Capital of Europe in 2016.
Molly Mendiguren sent this photo of her lauburu tattoo. She writes “Taken right after I got it. Chose the basque red & green colors over the plain black.” The full size photo can be found in the Tattoo Gallery. Eskerrik asko Molly!
One of the pioneers of modern Basque music, Mikel Laboa, recently died (Dec 1, 2008). Beginning in the 1960s, Laboa was a cornerstone of much that followed, from the rediscovery of traditional Basque instruments such as the alboka and the txalaparta to influencing even some of the hard rock and heavy metal bands that the […]
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, […]
