The Nevada Historical Society in Reno is hosting an exhibit on Basque aspen art rubbings.

One of the Basque aspen rubbings at the exhibit. Photo: Nevada Historical Society.

The rubbings are made from the carvings left by Basque immigrants who worked as sheepherders. In the summer, Basque herders trailed with their sheep across the mountain ranges, taking advantage of abundant streams and lush pastures.

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Two new Basque restaurants in California are scheduled to be opened in San Francisco and Shell Beach.

In San Francisco, Bask is expected to start operating within several weeks in an area near North Beach and the Financial District. It will be the latest Basque-themed restaurant in a city with a storied Basque culture and history.

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An anonymous donor has provided $150,000 to save Los Encinos State Historic Park, which features a landmark Basque ranch and was threatened with closure because of budget cuts.

The 5-acre park, in the the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles, was one of dozens of California parks slated to be closed because of a state budget crisis. It features an adobe rancho and limestone house that were part of one of California’s early Basque ranches.

The donor is a San Fernando Valley resident who decided to give $150,000 — the amount needed to keep the park open for a year, the Los Angeles Times reported.

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Cal State Bakersfield and the Kern County Basque Club are collaborating to bring a Basque language and culture course to the university.

Unai Nafarrate, who comes from Gipuzkoa, will be a visiting instructor in the CSU Bakersfield Department of Modern Languages during the winter and spring 2012 quarters.

Unai Nafarrate. Photo: Cal State Bakersfield

The 3-unit course will represent the first time that the department will offer an official for-credit course on Basque Language and Culture. The course will focus on developing beginning speaking and comprehension skills. The course will also introduce students to some of the main elements of Basque cultural identity, including history, literature, art, music, and other aspects of contemporary Basque society.

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The creation of a standardized Basque language, Euskera Batua, by the Euskaltzaindia — the Academy of the Basque Language — in the 1960s raised perhaps as many issues as it resolved. Which were true Basque words, and which were derivations of surrounding languages? Basque experts have debated these issues for decades.

Luckily, the development of a unified Basque has led to the successful promotion of the language in the Basque Country. It is the official language of Euskadi, in Iparralde. It is taught in dozens, perhaps hundreds of ikastolas — Basque schools. It is even being taught in classes throughout the Basque diaspora, in particular in Argentina and the United States. The survival of the ancient language is no longer in question.

Michael James Lancaster discusses some of the debate that led to the development of a standardized Basque language in his latest post in his “Languages of the World” blog.

See also the North American Basque Organization’s page on the Basque language.

Listen to what some Americans have to say about learning Basque:

Above: This video will show you how to whip up a tasty, healthy and popular Basque dish.

Anyone who has visited the Basque Country, eaten at a Basque restaurant or attended a Basque festival can attest to the importance that Basques place on fine-cooked cuisine.

To help you enjoy Basque food, we’ve prepared the most exhaustive recipe list you’ll find on the web. We’ll also be regularly adding a video recipe to our popular collection of the best in Basque recipes. The first video is posted above.

As you’ll see, our list of recipes below is comprehensive. But with your help, we’d like to add more.

Have a favorite recipe from your ama or amatxi? If so, let us know by posting it as a comment and we’ll include it with the rest of the recipes below: (New recipes are at the bottom of each category and are marked by the date they were added. We also have some great recipes submitted by our readers in the comments box at the bottom.)

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The Basque Educational Organization is sponsoring the Day of Navarra – Nafarroaren Eguna — with lectures and activities all related to the region where many of California’s Basque immigrants originated. The event, to be held Saturday Nov. 5 at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco, will feature numerous speakers from the Center of Basque Studies in Reno.

An alternative rock trikitixa band Gose, from the Basque Country, will perform in the evening. The trio is formed by Ines Osinaga (singer and trikitixa), Iñaki Bengoa (percussion and programming) and Osoron (guitarist and bassist) of Gipuzkoa. Gose’s music merges accordion and electronic funk.
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Roger Etchevers of Team USA won a bronze medal with a commanding performance Wednesday afternoon in the Basque Pelota competition at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Etchevers, 38, overwhelmed Luis Maidana of Argentina in singles trinkete handball. The score was 15-1 in both matches.

Roger Etchevers

With his victory, Etchevers earned the distinction of becoming the first-ever U.S. athlete to win a pelota medal at the Pan American Games. This was the first time that the U.S. had fielded a pelota squad for the international games, which attract thousands of athletes and are held every four years.

On Thursday, five other Team USA pelota players will be battling for gold or bronze medals at the Complejo Revolucion, where all the handball action has unfolded.

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Mexico's Fernando 'Momo' Medina will play Roberto Huarte of the U.S. in the singles handball Gold Medal match Thursday at the Pan Am Games. Photo: Mexsport.

The Team USA Basque Pelota squad put on impressive performances Tuesday morning as four different athletes advanced to the gold and bronze medal rounds at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Roberto Huarte will play for the gold medal in 36-meter handball, while brothers Tony and Josetxu Huarte will also play for the gold in 36-meter doubles handball. They won an epic battle Tuesday morning that went on for 96 minutes and ended with the brothers winning a tie-breaking third set. Team USA’s Roger Etchevers will vie for a bronze medal in trinkete handball.

“We achieved some great goals today,” said Xabier Berrueta, president of the United States Federation of Pelota. “I’m proud of all the players, and I’m proud of all their performances.”

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Roger Etchevers and Roberto Huarte lost tough contests against two of the top handball athletes in the world Monday morning at the 2011 Pan American Games, but both Team USA players still remain in the medal hunt at the international competition in Guadalajara Mexico.

Basque Pelota, as seen above in last year's world championships, is one of the many sports featured at the 2011 Pan Am Games.

Etchevers, a native of Pomona, California, who now lives in Basque town of Irissari, lost to reigning world champion Heriberto “Loquillo” Lopez of Mexico in two hard-fought battles in singles trinkete handball. The scores were 15-2 and 15-3.

On the 36-meter court, Huarte faced off in a singles handball showdown against the lanky and powerful Fernando “Momo” Medina, the silver medalist at last year’s world championships in Pau, France. The scores were 10-0 and 10-0.

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After opening with a series of wins and some tough losses, the Team USA Basque Pelota players will be battling to advance to the medal rounds at the 2011 Pan American Games being held in Mexico.

Roger Etchevers and Roberto Huarte, who scored strong opening victories in trinkete and 36-meter handball, respectively, will face formidable foes from Mexico on Monday at the Complejo Revolucion in Guadalajara.

Etchevers, who placed fourth in last World Championships in Pau, France, will square off against Heriberto “Loquillo” Lopez, the reigning world champ in trinkete handball. Huarte will go up against Fernando “Momo” Medina, who won the silver medal in 36-meter handball at Pau.

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Brothers Tony and Josetxo Huarte of Team USA won their opening matches Friday afternoon during the Basque Pelota competition at the 2011 Pan American Games.

Tony Huarte, in a separarate match above, scored a win Friday with his brother Josetxo at the Pan Am games. Photo: Courtesy of U.S. Federation of Pelota.

The Huarte brothers trounced the Argentinian duo of Raul Axel Mikkan and Esteban Lucas Varron in two preliminary matches at the Complejo Revolucion court in Guadalajara, Mexico. The score in both games was 10-1.

Both brothers were members of the U.S. team last year at the World Pelota Championships in Pau, France.

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The Team USA pelota squad got off to a good start Friday morning when Roger Etchevers and Roberto Huarte won their opening matches at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

With their wins, both U.S. players will face formidable foes from Mexico in the their next matches in the Basque Pelota competition at the international games.

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The United States pelota team, which includes several Basque players who honed their skills in last year’s World Championships, will begin competing Friday at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico.

Tony Huarte and Imanol Landiribar of Spain at last year's World Championships. Photo: International Federation of Basque Pelota.

The Basque Americans on Team USA are Roger Etchevers, brothers Tony and Josetxo Huarte and Roberto Huarte. The other members of the squad are Rolando Tejada and Daniel Delgado.

Esther Ciganda, a veteran pelota player from Boise, is the team leader who is involved with logistics and planning during the huge Olympic-style event, which features thousands of athletes competing in a number of sports every four years.

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