All posts by buber

Today in Basque History: King of Nafarroa, Aberri Eguna, Bombing of Iparralde, Basque Music, Basque Guerrilla in Philipines

1225: William, viscount of Bearn, Gabarret, and Brulhois and lord of Moncada and Castelvieil, signs an agreement with the future Theobald I of Nafarroa, Count of Champagne, to ensure him the throne of Nafarroa on the death of his uncle, Sancho the Strong. 1932: The first Aberri Eguna, or Basque National Day, is celebrated in […]

Today in Basque History: Bank of Vizcaya, Bolivar vs Nature

1901: The Bank of Vizcaya is founded, with a capital of 15,000,000 pesetas. 1812: A devastating earthquake hits Caracas. Simon Bolivar, the Liberator, gives relief to victims and organizes a hospital. The indomitable genius of Bolivar is revealed against fatalism. An ecclesiastical harangues the people: the earthquake is a punishment from God, we must submit […]

Today in Basque History: Treaty between Nafarroa and France

1371: The Treaty of Vernon, between Charles II of Nafarroa and Charles V of France, confirms the Treaty of Normandy of 1370, whereby the King of Nafarroa should pay homage to the King of France in exchange for the barony of Montpellier. Seven years later, in 1378, hostilities renewed when two Navarrese agents were captured […]

Today in Basque History: Basque Poet Jailed, Boise Basque Icon

1943: Pierre d’ Arcangues, Basque poet of Arrangoitze, is jailed by the German Gestapo. 1932: Mari Carmen Totoricaguena Egurrola Albizu, founder of Anaiak Danok and Biotzetik in Idaho, is born in Gernika. She also directed a chorus of Basque children for 20 years and organized the Aberri Eguna celebrations in Boise, Idaho. She immigrated to […]

Today in Basque History: Prince of Peru, Fashion

1561: Lope de Aguirre, born in Onate, Gipuzkoa, and his men proclaim “Don Fernando, by the grace of God, prince of Peru, Tierra Firma and Chile,” intending to crown him king once they arrive in Peru. Fernando de Guzman is made general of the expedition — searching for Omagua and El Dorado — after Aguirre […]

Today in Basque History: Relations with Japan, First Lehendakari dies

1611: Sebastian Vizcaino leaves for Japan to establish diplomatic relations. 1960: Jose Antonio de Aguirre Lecube, first Lehendakari of the Basque government, dies in Paris.

Today in Basque History: Exploring California, Relations with England

1603: The second voyage of Sebastian Vizcaino, charged with exploring California and Baja California, ends. 1661: The first English Consul in Donostia, Valentine Morgan, is appointed to the position.

Books: Estimated Time of Arrest by Delphine Pontvieux and The Lone Man by Bernardo Atxaga

Two men, both with connections to militants in their past.  Both trying to start new lives.  Both pulled back into their past, altering their futures forever. That is about where the similarities between Delphine Pontvieux’s ETA — Estimated Time of Arrest and Bernardo Atxaga’s The Lone Man end.  While The Lone Man is a psychologically […]

Census-Let them know you are Basque!

From Joe Guerricabeitia of Seattle Euskal Etxea — I thought it worth sharing: Kaixo danori (Hello everyone), This email is being sent to you to serve as reminder to remember your heritage as you sit down to fill out your 2010 US Census. As in censuses past, this year’s census asks both about 1) Ethnicity […]

Interview with Mikel Morris, part II: Overcoming millennia of fudging along

Mikel Morris, an American with dual US/Spanish nationality living in Zarautz, Spain, has written the definitive Basque-English dictionary and is currently working on the Morris Magnum which promises to be the largest bilingual Basque dictionary in existence. In the first part of this interview, Mikel shared his thoughts and hard-hitting observations on the status of […]