When we last saw Joanes and his crew, they had made their first successful whale hunt. Part 2 of Joanes or the Basque Whaler, Whale Island, picks up with the rewards of that hunt. And, along with the rewards, come the price of success as Joanes begins to overstep his abilities as he sees greater […]
Late last year, I posted about To Say Goodbye, a film by Izaskun Arandia detailing the evacuation of Basque children during the Spanish Civil War. Izaskun has interviewed a number of these children, now adults, as part of the documentary. The film is about half way finished and she hopes to premier it at the San Sebastian […]
I’ve decided on a new resolution, not for New Year’s, but regarding my visits to Euskal Herria. The thing is, I visit, I spend a lot of time with my dad’s family which I of course greatly enjoy, I see some friends (though not nearly all of them), and I come home. I don’t end […]
Anyone who has been to the Basque Country and visited any of the villages that dot the coast and the valleys between those peaks shrouded in mythology certainly knows the importance of the fronton to the Basque people. The plaza of most any town is often surrounded by the three corner-stones of Basque life: the […]
I’m trying to get caught up on my email and am finally getting to some news that I should have shared months ago… My apologies to those who alerted me to these. First, a little-known but interesting side story to the history of the United States. During the time that the fledgling country was developing […]
Izaskun Arandia is an award-winning Scriptwriter, Script-consultant and Producer. With an MA in Screenwriting from the prestigious Bournemouth Screen Academy she has extensive experience and her scripts have been made into short films produced by the BBC amongst others. She wrote and produced “If I Wish Really Hard” which has recently won Best European Film […]
Long-time Basque historian, and frequent contributor to Buber’s Basque Pages, Joxe Mallea, has done a lot of work documenting Basque history recorded on the trees of the American West. Joxe has decided to start a website (since, as his daughter says, no one reads books anymore) that will showcase many of the arboglyphs he has […]
The bombing of Gernika has become an integral part of the greater Basque experience, quite possibly of Basque identity itself. Every Basque, whether born in Bilbao or Boise, knows what happened in Gernika. Reproductions of Picasso’s Guernica can be found in even the simplest of basseriak in the rural Basque Country, in places where modern […]
I received this query way back in June (ugh! I’m so far behind). It describes the efforts of a group of historians and archeologists that are trying to document and save the historic castles of the Basque Country. If you have interest in their project, please leave a comment and I’ll make sure they see […]
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 […]
