Saturday Special: Basques in America ?????
In the Great Basin of the American West, a tight community of Basques immigrated from the Pyrenees, a mountain range between Spain and France. Every summer, they celebrate culture with festivals.
This morning, I received a reply in a conversation between myself and Alvaro Garcia, who writes Mental Garden. We were discussing his recent post about the importance of taking vacations … total vacations where little is planned and the electronics are held beyond arms’ length. When I told him we were attending the Basque Festival in Boise Idaho this weekend, he was quite surprised. Basques in America? How could that be? Alvaro lives in Spain, not far from the Basque Country. Dear Alvaro, may you find the time someday to visit the Basque Country and explore a culture and a people that Franco failed to assimilate into Spain. Though friendly to outsiders, they’re not about to give up a culture that is ten thousand years old.
That suggestion to visit the Basque Country wasn’t my reply to him, though. What I did was describe how Basques made it to the American West. In the spirit of the festival we are attending and the Basque Block itself, I share with you here my replay to Alvaro. And I hope you can find the time to visit the Basque Country. Someday, Jeff and I might every make it there.
To Alvaro Garcia
Ah mi amigo, Boise is the center of Basque community and culture in America. Last century, young Basque men would come to the Great Basin in western America to herd sheep. They would spend their summers in the countryside, then bring the sheep into the rail heads in Boise, Elko, Winnemucca, and Reno, NV for market. Once that was done, they'd winter over in the Basque hotels near the rail depots. Bringing their families over after a few years, they would establish homes and communities here. Today, Basques travel back and forth between the Basque Country in the Pyrenees and these communities in America. During the summer now, there are Basque festivals to share their culture and catch up with friends throughout the West. We've been to one in Elko and there will be one in our town of Minden next month. In Boise, there are athletes from the Pyrenees to play handball and pala (?). Also, Boise has a special "Basque Block" open to everyone with a museum, a market of Basque foods, restaurants, bars, and a community center for special events like this festival. Last night, the place was packed with everyone having a good time. Today, there will be dance performances and games. So far, I've not seen anyone playing Mus, a Basque card game. The Carson Valley Basques, though, hold Muss tournaments twice of year and that brings a lot of old friends together. Someday, Jeff and I need to learn how to play Mus.
Eskerrik asko (thank you) for reading this post. And here are links to other articles I’ve written about the Basques in Carson Valley, NV
Basques Gather to Celebrate … Being Basque!
Saturday Special: Basque Musicians Gandeia Taldea Concert
If you enjoyed this post, feel free to explore more poems, essays, and stories in the Ring Around the Basin Archives. I love reading your comments, too, so please share your thoughts.
Thanks for this post, Sue! Very interesting. I imagine you know this, but there are about 20,000 Basques living in California - many of them in the Central Valley ( Los Banos, Bakersfield, Inland Empire, etc) but also in San Francisco and Los Angeles. I have always been fascinated by their culture - the history, the resilience, the music and dancing, the food..
A fascinating post, Sue - I've learned so much! And wow, that paella..... yummy! 😋