Basque-t Cases

The Basque-t Cases: Fall 2011

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The Basque-t Cases are a group of Basques — born in Euskadi, living there now, or first generation American-Basques — who are coming together virtually to discuss current events in the Basque Country. Think of it as a Basque round table. The intention is to provide some perspective on events occurring in Euskadi. The Basque-t Cases are:


Henar Chico Jiménez: Born in Bilbao, Henar moved to Boise, Idaho when she was 21.  She has rediscovered her Basque roots in the Basque diaspora.


Guillermo Zubiaga: Another Bilbaotarra, Guillermo relocated to New York City to pursue his passion in graphic arts.


Joe Guerricabeitia: Joe is a first-generation Basque who has embraced his Basque heritage through his involvement with the Seattle Euskal Etxea.


Pedro J. Oiarzabal: After several years as a guest professor at the University of Nevada, Reno, Pedro returned to his native Euskalherria to continue his work on Basque anthropology and Basque identity.


Last week, ETA, after about 40 years, called a definitive end to all violence. What does this mean for the Basque Country?


It’s harder to make an objective assessment when you’ve spent the last 15 years living abroad and have been removed from day-to-day life in the Basque Country. However, I am very excited about the news; this time I feel that the ceasefire is going to stick. I also know it won’t be an easy process. Just this weekend I watched the news online from EiTB and La Sexta, and there are certain politicians that will never say anything positive if it’s related to ETA, not even about a definitive ceasefire.

On the other hand, ETA has yet to turn their weapons in and they have yet to apologize to their victims. I don’t think the latter will happen any time soon, or ever. Obviously, it’s easy for me to say let’s move forward and start building a new Basque Country because my whole family is alive and well. On the other hand, I want to make sure nobody else has to suffer, and I want my kids to only know about ETA from news articles and Wikipedia.

Personally I think is quite encouraging to think of the possibility of a brighter future for my beloved Euskalherria. However I must say two things for those who see it otherwise. First I truly hope that those who still brandish the argument of “the Boy who cried wolf” are proven wrong. Secondly it makes me sad but doesn’t surprise me either that those who like in Julio Medem’s film refused to participate happen to be the same exact “bunch” who not only constrain from accepting this “olive Branch” but also insult it as a “mascarade” and further vilify its motive.

The fact is that in the history of Humanity NOTHING absolutely NOTHING has been solved by those whose only argument has been the discourse of NEGATION. Moreover nobody shall forget that E.T.A, is not the conflict itself nor the origins of the conflict but RATHER the expression or the reaction against a much rather older, and longer dragging conflict and its unresolved issues. I am only glad that for the Hordes of Spanish Nationalist the end of E.T.A. liquidates not only its alibi but one of its biggest (if not its only one) political crusading propaganda.

Gorantziak danori!

Orain Bai

I am cautiously, cautious. As an American-born Basque my perspective has always been from the outside-in, tethered by familial stories of la Guerra and Franquismo and reinforced by my own sporadic reading of various sources going further back to the Carlist wars, los fueros, through la Guerra, ETA’s evolution from EKIN and their landmark killing of Carrero Blanco, and retaliatory Spanish atrocities by GAL.

ETA did not form in a vacuum and certainly history cannot be ignored, however, neither can the present. 2011 is giving way to 2012. For better or worse the last 20 years has seen Europe reiterate it’s commitment to a union that has all but disappeared internal borders and checkpoints and gone as far as adoption of a single currency.

Euskadi is no longer a quaint region in Spain that Hemingway foundly writes about; it’s a formidable player in business and industry. The world has taken notice of innovative COOPs like Mondragon, cutting-edge green technologies like solar and wind and the even the ability to re-invent itself, no better exemplified than in Bilbao’s recent history. Still, ETA has remained the elephant in the room and Euskadi’s most unfortunate export.

I hope for the days where I’ll be able proudly state I am Basque and not immediately be questioned about my position on “terrorism,” or whether it’s safe to walk the caminos my father, and his father before him, walked. Certainly those who have been there know, but even in this day and age of increased interconnectivity a lot of the message is obscured by what ETA has or has not done.

Certainly our Irish brothers to the North have seemed to have had some success in reintegrating their military arms and continuing the push for change politically. It is with that in mind and knowing that ETA and the IRA have and continue to have ties that I am hopeful that Euskadi as a whole will re-invent itself politically. It won’t be easy and it won’t happen over night but I hope with this latest affirmation for peaceful progress that it will happen.

Ondo izan munduko euskaldunak.

My first recollection of ETA was the paintings on the walls. I thought “Is ETA good or bad?” Only a child could ask such a question. Over thirty-five years later ETA finally announced the cessation of its “armed activity.” However, there have not been any major public celebrations or spontaneous outburst of joy on the streets. I believe that we are all thrilled about the good news, but for most of us we basically have lived without even considering that ETA was there. It was already condemned to ostracism in our minds. Now, this ostracism has publicly crystallized. ETA did not have any other choice than declaring its end. Only god knows what the future will bring, but there is no turning back at this point.

With the end of ETA and the rise of parties such as Bildu, how do you see the political future of Euskadi evolving, especially in the context of the “borderless” Europe that Joe mentioned?


I think it is too early to know what is going to happen on the political arena, particularly with the upcoming Spanish General Elections on November the 20th. On one side we have Bildu-Aralar, plus Sortu if legalized, and the PNV, and on the other side we have PP and PSOE. Anything is possible from here to the next Basque Autonomous Community elections in 2013. Will the PP still support the PSOE in the Basque Country if they gain the majority of the votes on November the 20th? Will the PSOE hold on to the Basque government or will they call for early elections? Will Sortu be legalized and become the new left-nationalist party taking over the Bildu-Aralar coalition? Will Aralar and EA disappear as independent parties?

Well… pretty much the only argument used to make Herri Batasuna (with its subsequent name changes) illegal was that the party acted as ETA´s political arm. What are they going to use now if ETA is no longer part of the picture?


How do you see the future of Basque nationalism in all of this? I’ve heard people say that small independent nations, such as what Euskadi would be in that scenario, are not so necessary in the context of the EU. Will Basque nationalism be even stronger, given the wider set of parties to represent those views or will Basques become more accepting of the status quo?


I don’t think Basques will ever stop having a nationalistic sentiment, however, I think it won’t be as extreme. In my opinion, one’s sense of protection – in this case of a country and its language and culture – is heightened when feeling threatened or oppressed. As the situation in the Basque Country turns more and more peaceful I believe the nationalistic sentiment will become more subdued.


I am not a political analyst yet I think of two potentialities: First of all in view of the last 2009 elections, or better yet the “maneuvers” to obtain those rather “demographically flawed” results, neither the Spanish left (PSOE) nor the right (PP) fully realized the impetus they gave to the abertzale sentiment…. Case in point the later results during the “autonomics”.

Furthermore If we add to this premise ETA’s most contemporary statement surely a con-natural to Bildu being a legal party I think the overall disposition is going to be towards full independentism (which may or may not necessarily have to do with ” nationalism”).

Only time’ll tell

So far, there has been a reorganization of the Basque political parties into Spanish left (PSOE, EB) and right nationalist (PP, UPN) and Basque left (Bildu-Amaiur) and right nationalist (PNV), which clear the political panorama. Even more, none of the them seem to me that their nationalist aspirations are watering down, much the opposite. ETA has clear the path for everyone to set their agendas on the table. If, as the Spanish establishment has repeated many times, everything is possible without violence, then I cannot see why Basque nationalism´s future is going to be somehow badly affected by changing the scenario.

I agree with Henar that Basques will continue to have a nationalistic sentiment and that the intensity of the this desire has much to do with being oppressed. Politically this has played out in the last 30 years with the “Spanish” political entity which is “Euskadi” (Bizkaia, Gipuzkoa, Araba) vs what has become the “French” Pays Basque — a much looser affiliation without it’s own budget. Certainly ETA and the stronger nationalistic sentiment has been voiced in Spain where the oppression was clear, direct and Franquista.

Still I agree with Guillermo: “Only time will tell.” There is a lot going on in Europe financially and politically and common problems may overshadow cultural differences.

Joe, exactly “…..Basques will continue to have a nationalistic sentiment,” like before Aita Larramendi or Sabino Arana, may be more or less accentuated. However in regards of E.T.A. we must understand that it is/they are not the problem or the conflict itself nor the origins of the conflict but rather (and as I have been saying) the expression or the reaction against an older, and longer, dragging conflict and its unresolved issues.


Guillermo, I completely agree. That’s why I mentioned previously reading about the Carlist wars, los Fueros, etc… History has a way of repeating itself which is why it’s important as mirror. You have to look into it and realize you are making the same mistakes. Euskaldunak have some choices to make in the next month and I am interestingly awaiting to see what they do, but certainly the issues in Euskadi are much older than one generation.


I hope history does not repeat itself! Of course, we shouldn’t forget what happened, but we should learn from it and move on to building a better Euskadi. I am curious as well to see what’s going to happen in the next few months.

Also, I wish Basques would finally be given the choice to decide on their future. Personally, I have yet to make up my mind about independence, but if the process was peaceful and fair, I’d be open to whatever the outcome may be.

Everyone, this has been a great discussion. Eskerrik asko! Any parting words?


I’ve enjoyed having a voice, thanks for the idea, Blas. And nice to talk to you guys, Joe, Guillermo and Pedro.


Eskerrik asko danori!


Thank you all. Eskerrik asko Blas.

History, Websites

Basque Arboglyphs

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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 documented.  The website, basquehistory.net, is still a work in progress, and based on what Joxe has collected, will be greatly expanded from its current version, but this is an interesting and unique perspective on Basque history from the point of view of those men and women who endured the hardships of emigration and life in the hills of the American West.

Euskadi

Mondragon

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Many might already know, but in case not, the Basque town of Mondragon has gained some fame for the co-operative there.  It has been used as a model because of its great success.  If you haven’t heard about it, you can find some information at this Wikipedia article.  A reader pointed me to this blog, which gives a diary of a visit to Mondragon to learn about the co-op.  Some interesting reading for anyone interested in alternative business models.

Euskadi, Politics

ETA ends violence

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Yesterday, ETA officially announced the end of its campaign of violence. While viewed with skepticism by the main political parties of Spain, this is a historic day for the Basque Country. And one that was inevitable.  While the PP and PSOE make typical remarks about how we’ve seen this before and how can we trust this one is real, the fact is that ETA had very little support amongst the Basque populace.  Even ETA prisoners in Spanish jails had called on them to end the violence.

This, of course, doesn’t mean that everyone is suddenly happy with the status of the Basque Country within Spain.  There are still groups that want independence.  Now, however, all of those groups are working through the political process rather than using violence as a means towards this end. The end of ETA’s violence, combined with the recently declared legality of parties such as Bildu, offers independence-minded Basques other legitimate avenues to express themselves and make their voices heard.

There is still a lot of uncertainty about the political future of the Basque Country, but this announcement certainly makes that future seem brighter.

Photo shamelessly stolen from Luistxo Fernandez, who found it here.

Euskadi, Ondo Ibili, Travel

Ondo Ibili! Travels in the Basque Country: Lael Uberuaga-Rodgers

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Ondo Ibili! is a semi-regular feature of Buber’s Basque Page to highlight travels and experiences in the Basque Country.  The goal is to help those who haven’t had the chance to go to the Basque Country to connect to it and to highlight some off-the-beaten-path experiences that others might want to try during their next visit.

Lael Uberuaga-Rodgers, a distant cousin of mine, is a long-time member of the Oinkari dance group in Boise, Idaho. 

In July of 2011, the Oinkari Basque Dancers (including little ol’ me) and the Basque band Amuma Says No traveled to the Basque Country, the birthplace of our dances and culture.  Trips to the Basque country are really important to us; visiting every few years allows us to maintain authenticity in our repetoire and form and strengthen connections with native Basque dance groups.   This trip, a “European Tour” with Amuma Says No, would also be a chance to showcase what we have to offer in our unique place as American-Basques in the Diaspora.

Since the Oinkari founders visited as a group for the first time in 1960 and came home to start the Oinkari dance group, we had visited an additional 3 times.   Previous trips had been on the invitation of a local Bizkaian or Gipuzkoan dance group, but this time we wanted to bring ourselves over. Most members couldn’t pay for our tour out-of-pocket, so in January of 2011 we embarked on a 6 month intensive fundraising campaign. We acquired sponsors, canvassed local and regional businesses for tax-deductible auction items and prizes, and held severalvery successful fundraising events.  I’m always a little surprised, but very grateful, at how generous our Diasporan Basque community is in Boise, in Idaho, and in the West in general.  Without the support of family, friends and other Basque organizations, we wouldn’t have been able to make this trip for several more years. But with their help, we booked our tickets, hostels and bus transport, scheduled extra rehearsals, and cleared our schedules for July 2011.

I don’t get to travel to Euskal Herria very often, so I wanted to stretch my trip out.  10 days before the official Oinkari group arrived, I left Boise with my mother and her cousin to see a little bit of Spain before our dance tour.

We landed in Bilbao, and hightailed it to Onati, Gipuzkoa for their Korpus Festival.  Onati is one of my favorite Basque towns, and the first I ever visited.  Their festival is very unique, and a tradition that has lasted for hundreds of years.

After Onati, we set our GPS southbound.  We passed through Madrid to visit a friend of mine (scary to navigate a car in an unfamilar European city!) and took the highway south to Tarifa.  

My mom would be damned if she was this close to Africa without visiting, so we hopped on a catamarand ferry to visit the Morrocan city of Tangiers for an afternoon.  We hired a native Moroccan guide to take us around the city, but were still hassled constantly by men, women and mostly children to buy every single thing they had for sale.  Tourist culture I guess?

After leaving Tangiers and Tarifa, we headed north back to the Basque Country.  I thought I was really biased before, but after driving through 16 hours of desert and grassland, I don’t feel as biased as I once was in saying that the Basque Country is the most beautiful part of Spain.  Driving back into the lush, green mountains and beautiful beaches was like coming home– even though that’s not really what Boise looks like 🙂

 

Joining back up with Oinkari’s was an adrenaline rush.  Where before I was traveling with my mom and her cousin at an adult’s pace, we were now hustling and bustling, barhopping, and being about as noisy and conspicuous as an group of American young people in an European city could be.

We visited 8 towns during our trip, dancing in most of them and cheering Amuma Says No on during our concerts. We even made Oinkari t-shirts so we could keep track of our whirlwind journey.


We visited our friends from the Andra Mari and Arkaitz dance groups, met new friends in the Ortzadar group in Pamplona, and even traveled across the border to France to visit and perform for Mutxiko, our Ipparaldean friends in Hendaia who performed at Jaialdi 2010.

I think we accomplished what we set out to do: we showed the Basque Country what we do and improved our authenticity.  But most importantly, we connected with old and new friends, and ignited the spark of Basque culture in our teenagers.  Us older members may know the Basque Country and love it, but we need to share that love with our younger members, so the excitement and interest in our heritage will continue for future generations.


Euskadi

Itsasargiak: Lighthouses by Maite Lacruz and Patxi Itulain

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Maite Lacruz sent me this link to a time-lapse video she and Patxi Itulain made of the lighthouses in the Basque Country (Itsasargiak, or sea-lights, in Euskara).  This is a wonderful tour of the Basque Country from a different perspective.  I’d never even noticed the lighthouses there; another thing to check out on some future visit!

Art, People

Zoe Bray, painter

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Zoe Bray wrote me to announce both her painting project in the US during her time at UNR and an upcoming lecture in San Francisco!

Zoe Bray is a realist painter in the traditional oil technique. She focuses on portraits, and recently completed a commission to draw from life bertsolaris from Iparralde/French Basque Country. Her latest exhibition, entitled ‘People and Places’ took place in the Museum of Biarritz, in July and August 2011. In this exhibition, Zoe Bray showed some of her recent landscapes and portraits of individuals in the Basque Country. Amongst some of these were portraits of famous figures of contemporary Basque culture, including the sculptor Nestor Basterretxea, the painter José Antonio Sistiaga and the choreographer and writer Filipe Oyhamburu.

She is currently based at the University of Nevada Reno, and looks forward to painting the portraits of local people and Basque Americans. She will be giving a talk on painting at the San Francisco Basque Cultural Center in November (http://www.basqueed.org/BEO-Basque-Culture-Day-2011.htm)

See her work and how to contact her on: www.zoebray.net

Books, Euskadi, History

Guernica by Dave Boling

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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 art hangs on walls centuries old.

Even so, while some of us may have grandparents that lived during the bombing, or ancestors who fought in the war, most of us have a more abstract, more cerebral connection to the bombing of Gernika.  This is one reason I so highly recommend Guernica by Dave Boling.  Boling’s first novel, Guernica recounts the events of the bombing of Gernika through the story of two families and three generations. Boling knows we are all aware of the basic historical facts, and so he begins by showing us that these two families have been devastated and the rest of the novel is spent introducing these characters to us, leading us up to the bombing.  This is one of the few books where I was actually anxious for what happened next.  I knew the bombing was coming, but I didn’t know how it would affect these particular characters, who would survive, who would die, and who would be damaged.  Boling does a great job of developing characters that I cared about, especially as vehicles for me to better understand the tragedy that was Gernika.

An interesting and very effective device Boling uses is to interweave the drama of his fictional characters with the historical events unfolding around them, events that they have no inkling of, but which will dramatically affect their lives.  We visit Jose Antonio Aguirre, the first lehendakari of Euskadi; Picasso as he reacts to the Spanish Civil War; and even Wolfram Freiherr von Richthofen, the man who orchestrated the bombing itself.  We thus get some context for the storm that soon assails the protagonists, almost without warning.

There were a few little quibbles I had, as a few things sounded odd to my ear.  For example, some of the women are given the surname of their husbands, something that doesn’t happen in Spain.  And the characters, from the heart of Bizkaia, refer to the Basque Country as “Pays Basque” which also seemed very out of place.  But, Boling had respected Basque scholars go through the manuscript and I wonder if this is more my own lacking.

I’m not going to reveal any more of the plot, as I don’t want to give away the ultimate fate of these characters that we grow to care about as they themselves grow, before, during, and after the bombing.  Let me just say that as a characterization of events that were both horrific and defining for the Basques, Boling does an admirable job of bringing a human face to events that are otherwise incomprehensible.

If you’ve read Guernica, please share your thoughts!

Nor Naiz Gu Gara

Nor Naiz, Gu Gara: Henar Chico

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Nor Naiz, Gu Gara (Who I Am, We Are) is a series aiming to explore the meaning of Basque Identity around the world, both within Euskal Herria as well as in the diaspora. For an introduction to the series, look here, and for a list of the previous entries, look here.

About three years ago I wrote an entry on Basque identity for my blog on the eitb.com website, “A Basque in Boise”, where I shared my feelings about being Basque, right after being accepted into Euzkaldunak, Inc. (Boise’s Basque Center). Some of my thoughts remain the same, although luckily, a lot has changed since then.

I was born and raised in the Basque Country, but my parents weren’t, and I’ve always struggled with that. I’ve always felt a bit ashamed. I did attend ikastola (Basque school) and studied Basque there, but that was the extent of my involvement with the language and the culture. I grew up during a time when ETA was very active and we’d have terrorist attacks virtually every week. I was – still am – disgusted by them and I removed myself from things like AEK (Basque acronym for “Coordination for Alphabetization and Teaching of the Basque language”) and Basque dancing because many people I knew that supported those ideas belonged to those groups. I realize know how stupid I was. I can’t believe I once associated ETA supporters with Basque culture just like the rest of the people in Spain.

I felt even more embarrassed after moving to Boise, home to a huge Basque community. At that time I was barely able to carry on a conversation in Basque and many times over the years I had to explain to people why I didn’t speak Basque despite being from the Basque Country. Part of it, like I said before, was my fault for not making more of an effort to learn the language while I had the chance, but living in an area of the Basque Country where people predominantly speak Spanish didn’t help either. But it wasn’t just lack of language that made me feel that way.  It was the lack of a Basque bloodline. I used to feel that people who were born here in the US, people who have never even been to the Basque Country, have the right to feel “more” Basque than me because their great-grandfather happened to be from Gernika, Azkoitia, or Lekeitio.

I was 21 when I left Bilbao and I thought that being from the Basque Country would automatically open the doors to everything Basque. My first contact with the groups in Boise was Oinkari Basque dancers. I thought it’d be great to finally learn how to dance and make friends at the same time. I didn’t realize how tight those people were, though. Then, feeling like I wasn’t Basque enough didn’t help either. I couldn’t find my place, so about a month after I started the classes, I gave up.

Living abroad for the last 15 years has changed my views on the Basque Country and has helped me find my roots, especially since my kids started going to “Boiseko Ikastola,” the Basque language immersion pre-school. I realized how important it was to make sure that they were integrated from an early age into the Basque community, that they develop a pride in being Basque, and that they forge long-lasting connections with other Boise Basques. Throughout the years I’ve come in contact with most of the Oinkari dancers, and I get them. Many are even my friends now. I want my kids to have the same in their lives, a group of people with the same interests and backgrounds, so we go to Basque dancing practice every Tuesday, Euzkaldunak’s monthly dinners, and Basque festivals. I play in the women’s pala league and I’m part of the new advanced Basque language class offered by the Basque museum.

Being accepted into Euzkaldunak, Inc. was a turning point on the road to finding my identity. It wasn’t just the fact that I was now officially part of Boise’s largest Basque organization, but how it happened. I had received an email from the secretary saying that she needed to verify my ethnicity before she could go forward with the application. When I asked what exactly she needed from me she told me not to worry, that the verification only applied to Basque-American members to-be. Knowing that I was born in the Basque Country was all she needed. It was that simple. All of a sudden I realized I was the only one stopping myself from enjoying what I am. Reading my friend Jabier’s response to “Basque Identity” only reinforced that newfound clarity: I was not alone in my identity struggle. So I got over feeling embarrassed and took an active role in learning Basque and getting involved with the Basque community.

Some days I find myself still fighting with identity issues, but I don’t let that bother me as much as before. There are many ways of feeling Basque, and mine is just one more.

My name is Henar Chico, I was born in Bilbao, Bizkaia a while ago. I moved to Boise at 21, and I love it! Good city, good people, good weather, and one of the largest Basque communities out there. I have two kids, Andoni (7) and Maitane (6). I work for Hewlett-Packard full-time as a Technical Software Consultant and do translations as a side business.

Euskadi

And not to be outdone… Vitoria-Gasteiz is European Green Capital

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First, Bilbao wins the “Nobel prize” of cities.  Then Donostia is chosen as European Cultural Capital. Not to be outdone or left behind, Vitoria-Gasteiz, capital of the province of Araba and of the Basque Autonomous Community, has been chosen as the European Green Capital 2012.  Vitoria-Gasteiz was chosen because of its environmental policies, including its public transportation infrastructure and parks.  As a Green Capital (previous winners were Stockholm and Hamburg), Vitoria-Gasteiz also has some new challenges to live up to as it continues down the green path.  These include a further increase in the use of public transportation as well as a decrease in water usage.

The prize is meant to highlight efforts of cities to develop a more sustainable and “green” approach to their functioning.  It is meant to thus inspire other cities to follow similar practices, to learn “best practices” from one another, and to therefore increase the overall quality of life of all cities in Europe.

The Basque Country is certainly on a role with all three provincial capitals being recognized for significant efforts.  Zorionak!