The txapela, or beret, is a defining feature of the traditional Basque costume. Wherever and whenever Basques gather, there are sure to be a few txapelak. The walls of my uncle’s home are lined with txapelak from all of the mus tournaments he’s been part of and, when my Tio Joe turned 100, they celebrated […]
Why are the Basques called the Basques? Baskijski, Baskický, Baskisk, Vasco, Baskilainen, Baskisch, βασκικός, Vasco, Baskijski, Bass, баскский. All of the names for the Basques are similar and seemingly have nothing to do with what the Basques actually call themselves, Euskaldunak. Where does the word Basque even come from? A full list of all of […]
Despite their small country and the relatively small number of people, Basques have left their mark all across the globe. This is reflected in place names and one prime example is Durango. Durango is a relatively small village in the heart of Bizkaia, a larger city in Mexico, and a quaint town in Colorado. A […]
For much of its history, the Basque Country has been split by borders that aren’t theirs, putting it into a kind of no-man’s land. Families were separated by this imaginary line, but the laws on either side were real. This led to a whole underground of trade perpetuated by men and women known as mugalariak. […]
The Basque Country has seen more than its fair share of conflict. At the cross roads between the Iberian peninsula and the mainland of Europe, powers were always vying for control even as the Basques themselves tried to maintain some semblance of independence or made alliances with one side or another. The Kingdom of Nafarroa […]
If there is a defining trait of the Basques, it might be their work ethic, their willingness to do the hard jobs. That’s one reason they were such great sheepherders – they would go into the hills for months at a time, often with little experience, and just get the job done. Their propensity for […]
What is it about getting a little older where we suddenly notice the birds around us? Where we more than notice them, we become fascinated with them and we watch them? If you are an avid bird watcher, or even if you aren’t but you just like to see the multicolored plumage once in a […]
All Basques are nobles, or so it’s said. This is one reason that Basques were so prevalent in the military – they had opportunities only afforded to nobles. The reality is a bit more complicated. Only some Basques, or better said only some provinces, enjoyed this so-called universal nobility. And for most, it didn’t really […]
This is a drawing of the baserri Goikoetxebarri, which means the new house up above, where my dad was born. It sits on the edge of the village of Gerrikaitz, which today is incorporated with the town of Arbatzegi to form Munitibar, in the province of Bizkaia. It was the ancestral home of many of […]
Only a few generations ago, everyone in the Basque Country had, officially, Spanish or French names, an imposition of the Church and State. I’ve done some genealogy and this is the case going back centuries. I’ve heard that people often had unofficial Basque names or nicknames, but on their birth certificate or in the priest’s […]
