Posted on 26 July 2010 by rjl
In anticipation of the large Jaialdi festival, expected to attract 30,000 Basque people to Boise, Idaho this week, reporter Anna Webb wrote an article for the Idaho Statesman published today highlighting key aspects of Basque culture.
The article discusses who the Basques are, their cultural symbols like the Ikurriña (Basque flag), the history of Dictator Franco and the Basques and why the Basques came to the United States.
Idaho Statesman article on the Basques, July 25, 2010.
Related Euskal Kazeta Jaialdi articles:
Pelota Takes Center Stage at Jaialdi
Countdown to Jaialdi
Jaialdi Tickets on Sale
Jaialdi Events for the week.
Euskadi President Patxi Lopez to Visit Jaialdi
Posted on 28 June 2010 by rjl
For 100 years, the Star Hotel has been an anchor of Elko’s rich and colorful Basque history. Continue Reading
Posted on 24 June 2010 by rjl
Basque history and culture in the Eastern Sierra Nevada will be featured during the 2010 Basque High Country Heritage Celebration that will held this weekend near Gardnerville, Nevada.
Joxe Mallea. Photo: UNR.
The two-day event, on June 26 and 27, will include two guided hikes, a lecture by University of Nevada Reno Professor Joxe Mallea and traditional Basque food prepared by JT Basque Bar & Dining Room in Gardnerville. The cost is $75.
Related Euskal Kazeta article:
Basque Sheepherder Carvings Threatened
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Posted on 25 May 2010 by rjl
The origins of Basques in Kern County and the history of Basque whalers in North America will be discussed during the 2010 Basque Studies Symposium on Friday May 28 at Cal-State Bakersfield.
The event is scheduled to feature researchers Steve Bass and George Ansolabehere, as well as novelist Christine Echeverria Bender.
Christine Echeverria Bender.
Bass and Ansolabehere will be discussing their project on early Basque settlement in the Bakersfield area. Their research was sponsored by a grant from the Kern County Basque Club, which will kick off its annual weekend festival on Saturday with a mus tournament and pelota.
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Posted on 15 April 2010 by rjl
For years, Father Martxel Tillous was he Catholic priest assigned to cover the Basque communities across the American West. He was known simply as “aita,” or father, in the Basque language of Euskera. He died last year of cancer.
In honor of the beloved priest, the Seattle Basque Club will be viewing a video of a memorial Mass held last year for Aita Tillous on Saturday April 24 at 3 p.m. For more information, check out the club’s website.
Beginning in 1994, Aita Tillous drove thousands of miles in his van to celebrate Basque weddings, funerals and festival masses. His license plate said “Pottoka,” or a wild Basque pony.
With the onset of cancer, Aita Tillous returned to Europe, where he passed away in 2009.
Posted on 08 April 2010 by rjl
In San Mateo County, like elsewhere in the Bay Area, Basque immigrants grabbed a piece of the American Dream by starting their own businesses. Many of these entrepreneurs became gardeners.
A section of the new Basque exhibit. Photo: Courtesy of San Mateo County History Museum.
Now, the history of Basques in San Mateo County is being highlighted in a new exhibit at the San Mateo County History Museum. The exhibit is titled “Gardeners of Identity: Basques in San Mateo County.” It will be on display at the museum until February 2011.
A ribbon-cutting ceremony for the exhibit will be held this Saturday April 10. For more information or to RSVP, you can call Elizabeth at the museum at (650) 299-0104.
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Posted on 15 March 2010 by rjl
A long-awaited series of projects to create an interpretive walking tour of Basque historical and cultural landmarks in downtown Boise Continue Reading
Posted on 14 March 2010 by rjl
Posted on 13 March 2010 by rjl
Lured by opportunities in a new land, Basques arrived in the American West during the 1800s and 1900s. The vast majority worked as sheepherders, living a lonely lifestyle with their flocks in the mountain meadows and harsh desert plains of the Great Basin.
A 1902 Basque sheepherder's wagon at the Nevada State Museum. Photo: Cheryl Mathwig, courtesy of AroundCarson.com
Forty years ago, 90 percent of the sheepherders in the Great Basin were of Basque heritage. But within a period of six years, the number of Basque sheepherders in the region had dropped to 14 percent, according to Kent McAdoo, a natural resource specialist in Nevada.
McAdoo will be telling the story of Basques in the Great Basin on Thursday March 18 at 7 p.m. at the California Trail Interpretive Center.
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Posted on 07 February 2010 by rjl
The Oinkari Dancers entertained the crowd. Photo: Koitz
In a momentous occasion for the Basque community, the much-anticipated “Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit was unveiled before a crowd of about 300 dignitaries and well-wishers Saturday Feb. 6 Continue Reading
Posted on 02 February 2010 by rjl
The opening of the Boise Basque Museum’s Ellis Island exhibit will be celebrated with a reception in New York City featuring speakers, dinner and live music on Saturday Feb. 6.
The New York Basque Club and a Delegation from the Basque Country in the U.S. will be hosting the event at the Puck Building in Manhattan.
The Boise-based band “Amuma Says No” will play during the reception. Those interested in tickets for the event are asked to contact the Basque Delegation in New York.
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Posted on 01 February 2010 by rjl
Posted on 31 January 2010 by rjl
A Chronology by Steve Bass
This is one in a series of chronologies on historic contributions of Basques featured in Euskal Kazeta. The previous chronologies include Basques in the Americas 1592-1692, Basques in the Americas 1692-1792 and Basques in the Americas 1792-1893.
Sculpture of Basque navigator Juan Elcano, first to circumnavigate the globe. Photo: www.CellarTours.com
Christopher Columbus
Not much is known of Christopher Columbus’ early life except that he was probably born in Genoa. However, his parents’ heritage is unknown, which has given rise to an interesting question: Was Columbus Basque? Supporting this theory, Spanish historian Fernando del Valle Lersundi argues that Columbus was from Nafarroa and, at one time, fought as a Basque pirate for his uncle, Admiral Guillermo de Casenove.
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Posted on 21 January 2010 by rjl
Chalet Basque's monthly barbecue features lamb and chicken.
The waitress piled grilled lamb chops and roasted garlic chicken onto plates at the monthly barbecue at Le Chalet Basque, a tradition that has endured for nearly 50 years at the La Puente restaurant.
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Posted on 18 January 2010 by rjl
The Basque Museum and Cultural Center has unveiled a new website promoting its upcoming exhibit at New York’s Ellis Island.
The Ellis Island exhibit will put Basque culture on an international pedestal. Photo: Basque Museum and Cultural Center.
The exhibit, “Hidden in Plain Sight,” will showcase Basque culture and history at one of the most popular tourist destinations in New York City. The website features an overview of Basque history in the United States and immigration from Europe. The site also has links for contributors to donate to the project.
Hidden in Plain Sight, which will run from February through April, will highlight the unique origins of the Basque people and their language, Euskera.
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