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a source of identityThe Basque archives,

a source of identity

Issue 68 Year 2005

The Basque archives,

GAURKO GAIAK / CURRENT EVENTS: The Basque archives, a source of identity

3 • Josu Legarreta, Basque Director ofRelations with Basque Communities.

4 • An interview with Arantxa Arzamendi,Director of the Basque Cultural HeritageDepartment

5 • The Basque archives can beconsulted from any part of the planet8 • Classification and digitalization ofparish archives

9 • Gloria Totoricagüena: «Knowledge of acommon historical past is essential to maintaininga people’s signs of identity»

12 • Urazandi, a project shining light on Basque emigration 14 • Basque periodicals published in Venezuela and Mexico

ARTICLES

16 • The Basque "Y", a train on the move

18 • Nestor Basterretxea, sculptor. A return traveller

20 • Euskaditik: The Bishop of Bilbao, electedPresident of the Spanish Episcopal Conference

21 • Euskaditik: Election results22 • Euskal gazteak munduan / Basque youtharound the world

EUSKAL ETXEAK / ETXEZ ETXE

24 • Proliferation of programs in the USA26 • Argentina. An exhibition for the memory27 • Impressions of Argentina and Uruguay28 • "Basque Presence", 15 years on the air29 • Two deeply felt deaths

S@REAN / E-MAIL TXOKO30 • Letters to the editor

CUISINE 31 • Hilario Arbelaitz [Restaurante Zuberoa]Slow-cooked suckling pig in cummin

TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOREusko Jaurlaritza-KanpoHarremanetarako IdazkaritzaNagusiaBasque Government-GeneralSecretariat for Foreign Action

C/ Navarra, 201007 VITORIA-GASTEIZTelephone: 945 01 [email protected]

DIRECTORJosu Legarreta Bilbao

COORDINATION AND EDITORIALOFFICEA. Zugasti (Kazeta5 Komunikazioa)

PHOTOGRAPHSPhotographs from the Office of thePresident and DEIA archives

EDITOREusko Jaurlaritzaren ArgitalpenZerbitzu NagusiaBasque Government CentralPublication Service

LAYOUT AND DESIGN Oihana Pagola (Didart)

PRINTINGXxxxxxxxxxx

ISSN: 1579-4210

Issue 68. Year 2005

Nestor Basterretxea

a source of identityThe Basque

a source of identity

Issue 68 Year

The Basque archives,

Today’s globalizingtrends lead, almost byinertia, to consideringthe assumption of

concepts like change,evolution, transformation oradaptation as necessary, if notinborn, to humanreality. As if fate itselfhad predestined peopleto a futuristic approachto life with respect topolitics and economics,to philosophy, cultureand even religion.

This said, not allaspects of human life arecharacterized by this futuristicsense. When pondering over ourindividual or collective identity, wecannot completely rid ourselves ofour pasts. This past of successesand happy memories or ofdisappointments and failures, whichhave in some way contributed toshaping the personality of a personand even of a people.

And it is this contrast, on occasionscontradictory, between past andfuture that kindles in human beingsthe need to find a satisfactoryanswer to the questionscontinuously raised by theirintimate desire to know who theyare as individual persons and ascollective beings.

This problem of identity willescalate in the future. It’s nolonger a question of observing therepercussions of technologicalprogress on personal and socialissues. Together with these, or as a

result of them, migratorymovements, increasingly moreimportant in any part of the world,cause social changes of tremendousimportance in several areas ofsocial life. And as a spontaneousreaction, almost like an instinct ofpreservation, each new day sees anrise in the number of people takingan interest in their origins, in theirgenealogical trees, in the meaningof their surname or in the boostingof the collectivity to which theybelong.

M o d e r n c o m m u n i c a t i o ntechnologies therefore make itpossible to reduce the distance andtime taken to obtain the desiredinformation and even facilitateinterrelation between peoples.

And we Basques are no exception.Several thousands of people feelthemselves to Basque, despitelacking an in-depth knowledge oftoday’s reality in Euskadi, and, as aresult of their sentiments, request

specific information or sources towhich they can take recourse.

The reader will find in this issue ofEuskal Etxeak ample informationon the most important archives inEuskadi, with an extremely

important documentdatabase on Basque history,its corresponding webpages, e-mails, services,manners of functioning, etc.We believe that thisinformation can be of greathelp to their potentialqueries, and even research.

However, on the other hand, giventhe responsibility of this futureproving itself unattainable by theday, we would be grateful toreaders for any help they may beable to offer these archives or toothers for the donation or loan ofmaterials. At the end of the dayhistory is something that we allmake together.

The Directorate for Relations withBasque Communities makes themost of this opportunity tointroduce the reader to the twoimportant document recoveryprograms currently underway:publication of the Urazandicollection and digitalization of theBasque magazines published inAmerica between 1876 and 1976.

Convinced that any questions askedabout the past are true exponentsof the need and desire to deal withthe challenges raised by ourconcern for identity, we thank youin advance for your collaboration.

On the need toseek origins

JOSU LEGARRETA Director of Relations withBasque Communities

Opening letterAurkezpena

Issue 68. Year 2005 3GAURKO GAIAK

THE BASQUE ARCHIVES, A SOURCE OF IDENTITY

4 Issue 68. Year 2005

EUSKADIKO ARTXIBOAK, NORTASUN ITURRIAK

HHow would you assess the situation of Basquehistorical archives?The Basque historical archives, those constituted bydocuments of solely historical interest, were born asearly as the 15th Century. Skimming over the history ofEuskadi until today, the main reference appeared in theshape of the Basque Cultural Heritage Act, approved in1990, and which readjusted the archivistic panorama.The result of this Act was the creation of Irargi, theBasque Government Documentary Archive andHeritage Center, responsible for designing anddeveloping an archive policy in Euskadi. On the otherhand, the three Regional Governments and theGovernment of Spain maintain ownership and authorityin their respective areas, while the localadministrations are gradually setting up their ownarchive services. The panorama is rounded off byprivately-owned archives, such as those belonging to theCatholic Church, archives belonging to entities ofhistorical tradition such as the Royal Basque Society ofFriends of the Country, archives belonging to familiesand company archives.

What Basque Government projects exist in thisrespect?Culture-related Basque Government actions andundertakings are defined in the recently approvedBasque Plan on Culture participated in by both publicand private agents involved in the sector. The mostimportant projects for the archive system are:definition and materialization of the Basque HistoricalArchive, consolidation of the Euskadi Archive Networkand System, fostering content digitalization and itsincorporation to the web. Finally, as a proposal forfuture development in the area of heritage in general,

plans are currently underway to create a "Basquedigital memory" program, resulting from coordinationand integration of the action taken by the differentagents involved (archives, libraries, document centers,museums) dedicated to the preservation of culturalheritage and its digital diffusion.

What is the meaning of the role played by archivesas far as identity is concerned?Today’s archives go beyond the traditional concept ofserving as places in which to deposit documentaryheritage and are turning into spaces dedicated to thepromotion of cultural and scientific participation bylinking the documents deposited in them to thehistorical values of the different social groups.

What role do or can these archives play withrespect to Basque communities around the world?The development of information and communicationtechnologies will facilitate rapid access to archivedocuments forming part of this Digital Memory thusoffering a first-class identity reference to Basquecommunities throughout the world.

Arantxa Arzamendi, Eusko JaurlaritzakoKultura Ondarearen zuzendari da eta beraridagokio Erkidegoko artxibategien antolaketaeta koordinazioa bultzatuko dituen politikaklantzea. Bide horretan Irargi erakundeaaipatzen du ezinbesteko erreferentzi bezalaeta hurrengo urteetako lanaren ardatzak iazonartu zen Kulturaren Euskal Planeanfinkatuta daudela gogorarazi nahi du.

ARANTXA ARZAMENDI, Basque Director of Cultural Heritage

«Technology will permit Basque communities to access the Basque Digital Memory»

CURRENT EVENTS

5


The Basque Documentary Heritage Center, located inBergara, Gipuzkoa, and dependent on the BasqueGovernment’s Department of Culture, is responsible forall Basque archives, except for those corresponding tothe three regional governments, which each have theirown systems. Borja Aginagalde is the Director of thisArchive Service responsible for public, private andchurch archives.

Ever since its creation in 1986, the DocumentaryHeritage Center has been channeling efforts into threemain areas: the creation of a National Archive, anarchive digitalization project making informationaccessible online, and the creation of a stable archivenetwork. "Although in recent years the differentadministrations have created their own archives andconsolidated their services, there is no common publicservice as yet", explains Borja Aginagalde. "Our effortsare also aimed –he adds– at achieving the French miseen valeur, i.e., at convincing people that what they haveis worthwhile and may be of interest to others giventhat the material consists of details, photographs anddocuments forming part of today’s history".

In order to organize this documentation, the decisionhas been taken to subsidize municipal and so-called

The Basque archives, open to globalization

Borja Aginagalde is Director of the Basque Documentary Heritage Center.

Issue 68. Year 2005 GAURKO GAIAK

6 Issue 68. Year 2005CURRENT EVENTS


non-public archives. "The fact that it is so difficultsimply to convince people that all of this work is goodmeans that we have to boost the process withsubsidies; once people have realized that it’s not onlygood but colossal, they’ll start creating permanent jobsfor the ongoing development of these archives".

For example, in 2004 subsidies were granted to threefamilies of archives: the Aranzadi Science Society, theELA trade union, and the Jesuits in Loyola which, onceinventoried, will be added to what are known as "savedarchives".

"We currently have a strong ally in the shape of theInternet. Not only that, but our inventories are enteredon our web page with all of the other Basque archivesby the Badator service. The idea is that practically allof them will have been entered in 15-20 years time.There are now around fifty diverse municipal, private orcompany archives. The point is that our responsibilityas Government Archive Service is to provideinformation about all of the archives in the country".

The advantage of having our website on the Internetavailable for consultation from anywhere is enormouslyimportant, particularly for the American market."Every day we receive e-mails from scores ofAmericans in the diaspora who have entered our siteand want to know their background and we do what wecan to help them with the steps they have to take. Notonly that, but each archive consulted has an e-mailaddress, hence people making queries will always findsomeone who can reply to them".

This Documentary Heritage Center is the basis ofwhat will become the National Archive within thenext five or six years. "We do –in the words of BorjaAginagalde– what a governmental regional archiveservice does. Even information relating to the CivilWar found in Salamanca has been microfilmed andtaken to Bergara. We do just about everything asfar as archives are concerned, even if we areperhaps lacking somewhat in perfection. Ourobligation is to cover all fronts, or at least to tryand cover as many subjects as possible, meaningthat we often have to work with the owners ofarchives who have kept documents over severalgenerations and convince them of their publicinterest. All of this creates the basis of a goodarchive. We have been working for almost twentyyears and I think it wil l take another ten toes tablish the headquar ters of the NationalHistorical Archive. By that time we will also have amore appropriate place and service, similarlyavailable on the Internet in a rich, varied andpleasant website with all sorts of visual resources".

As pointed out by the person in charge of this center,the Archive Service mustn’t be a place to which peoplego, but a place that goes to people. "We mustn’t designa stale, 19th-Century style mausoleum only serving tostore documents. I would like to see a service offeringattractive functions interesting the general public andnot only historians or researchers studying specificsubjects. Because I also believe that it is a way ofcreating a kind of cultural conscience, of makingpeople a little more civilized".



Inaugurated in 1998, although the website has a captivemarket in the shape of historians, there is another 80%of the population that we at the Documentary HeritageCenter would like to see using the system, meaning that,having entered the website, theywill have to find good and simpletools, based on an easy-to-useaccess structure that won’t putthem off. "It hasn’t yet dawnedon most citizens that they canuse it and we have to encouragethem to do so, because it fostersa kind of cultural awareness".

While Aginagalde admits thatthis subject involves "a certainamount of militancy", he adds:"We mustn’t forget that thereare people out there to whomBergara, Antzuola or Salinasmay mean nothing, which is whywe have to create mechanisms insome way introducing them tothese places and giving them an idea of what they arelike from America, just as it is useful to someone fromIrún who has traveled to exotic countries and doesn’tknow the neighborhood of Garin".

"Those belonging to the diaspora form a not particularlylarge, dispersed, yet very special group placing a greatdeal of meaning on things and I believe they deservespecial treatment. There are those who fled from a warin which they fought and lost. These are some of ourmost faithful and enthusiastic clients, and that makes usfeel highly satisfied".

Sacramental institutions

Since last February, the website has been offeringindexes for all of the sacramental archives corresponding

to Basque parishes from 1500to 1900. Today’s 500,000entries are expected to hit the13.5 million mark by 2008 withthe addition of christening,marriage and deathsacraments, meaning thatpeople will be able to trace theirgenealogical trees from home.

Cultural institutions

The Center has granted anumber of subsidies for makinginventories and organizingarchives belonging to culturalinstitutions similarly accessiblevia the website. This is the case

of the Basque Film Archive and the Sabino AranaFoundation’s "Eresbil" music archive. A number ofagreements have been established to foster institutionsalso giving an insight to the country: the music archive,the image archive, the war and post-war collection. Otherentities like the Aranzadi Science Society are alsoreceiving subsidies, as is the Benedictine Archive inLazkao, an extremely important collection covering theFranco era and years of the transition, principally in theshape of books, a variety of publications and magazines,and a large poster collection.

www.irargi.com

«Artxibategiak etadokumentu-ondarea ditu

beregain Irargi erakundeak.Bere web orria asko

erabiltzen den tresna da;gehienak historiagileakizaten dira baina jende

arruntaren bisitak bultzatunahi dira»

8 Issue 68. Year 2005CURRENT EVENTS


Classification and digitalization of parish archives

The program serving to digitalize and enter on theInternet the sacramental registers corresponding toparish and diocesan archives in the three provinces,an action considered as strategic under the Basque Planon Culture, is entering its final leg on offering its firstrecords to the general public in the databases of theBasque Government Archive Center (IRARGI) and theBilbao, Donostia-San Sebastián and Vitoria-GasteizDioceses

The Department of Culture, in collaboration with expertsfrom the three Dioceses, started the classificationprocess (indexation) towards the end of 2000, expectingto have completed the task and made the materialcompletely accessible by 2008. The Basque Governmentwill allot 3 million euro to funding the work programduring this period. ãt

This project, born under the Basque Country in theInformation Society Plan, has the mission of digitalizingthe historical archives of Basque parishes as a first steptowards their protection while making them accessible toresearchers and other interested parties.

Ever since 2001, work has been underway to classify anddigitalize the christening –birth–, death and marriagecertificates belonging to parish archives from the 16thCentury until 1900. To give an idea of the magnitude ofthe information to be entered, according to existing data,the parishes corresponding to the three dioceses have13,691,640 records, of which 6,321,100 belong to theBiscayan Ecclesiastical Historical Archive, 4,070,000 tothe Donostia-San Sebastián Diocesan Historical Archive,and 3,300,540 to the Vitoria-Gasteiz DiocesanHistorical Archive. In other words, we have informationrelated to a universe of some 3.5 million people wholived in our country.

All entries in the sacramental registers are being madeaccording to international cataloguing standards

(ISAD), thus permitting their computer administration. Adigital photograph is also made of the original entry,following which the digital image will be stored in CDformat and made available on the Internet.

The database thus created is available to researchers andcitizens, similarly improving the material infrastructures ofthe diocesan archives. The archive can be found at theBadator database (www.irargi.org) of IRARGI, the BasqueDocumentary Heritage and Archive Center, and on thewebsites of the different Diocesan Archives (Alava:www.ahdv-geah.org; Bizkaia: www.aheb-beha.org andGipuzkoa: www.elizagipuzkoa.org/artxiboa).

Today, 590,000 records are available for consultationand the total amount will be ready by 2008. From thisyear on, around three million new documents will beadded each year. It is currently possible to accesscatalogues, guides and records; images of the originaldocument and a copy of it are only available on request.

This program, so important from the historical research,demographic, economic, sociological and even micro-historical aspects, is a groundbreaking initiative inEurope offering important added value to researchersand citizens in general.

Eusko Jaurlaritzaren Kultura Sailaketa Bilbo, Donostia eta Vitoria-Gasteizko Gotzaindegiek, hirulurraldeetako eliza artxiboak

indexatu, digitalizatu eta erabilgarrijartzeko lantzen ari diren egitasmoa

azken txanpan sartu da,jendearentzako lehen emaitzak

erabilgarri direlarik. Historia,demografia, ekonomia, soziologia etafamilia-historiarako horrenbestekogarrantzia duen egitasmo hauaitzindaria da Europan, artxibofondo hauek babesteaz gain,ikertzaile eta herritarren esku balorehandiko tresna jarriko baitu.

S

Issue 68. Year 2005 9

She is, without a doubt, one of the people with mostauthority to talk about the Basque diaspora. GloriaTotoricagüena is a lecturer on International PoliticalScience and Basque Studies, specializing in BasqueBasque migration and diaspora identity studies at theUniversity of Nevada Center for Basque Studies in Reno.She is also President of the Committee of Experts forthe Eusko Ikaskuntza/Society of Basque Studies’EuskoSare/Basque network project. This researcher,author, lecturer and editor, similarly participates in aCultural Education and Cultural Sustainability Projectas part of an international network created in Israelconsisting of experts in multicultural education.

How would you describe the current developmentsand situation of Basque diaspora studies?

Scholars and students of Basque migration and diasporaidentity studies are like migrants themselves preparing toembark on fantastic research trajectories. In the lastdecade, we have witnessed a significant proliferation inthe number and scientific quality of quantitative andqualitative investigations, thanks to improved archivalavailability, facilitation of information sharing via theInternet, and the challenge offered during the II WorldCongress of Basque Collectivities (1999) to each Basquecommunity to establish, safeguard, and disseminate thebiography of their communities. The 15 volumepublication series Urazandi: Basques Across the Seas isan extraordinary example of historical, sociological,anthropological and political science research regardingour own Basque experiences in various countries. It isexemplary in the world of diaspora studies and I have

GAURKO GAIAK

Atzerriko euskaldunenhistoria gertutik ezagutzenduen emakumea da GloriaTotoricagüena. Ospe handikoikerlaria eta erakundeaskotako kide, Totoricagüenabaikor azaltzen da azken urtehauetan diasporaren inguruanegin diren ikerketek lortuduten maila zientifikoaikusita eta EuskoJarlaritzaren parte-hartzeagarrantzizkotzat jotzen duproiektu berriei bultzadaemateko orduan.

GLORIA TOTORICAGÜENA, International Political Science and Basque Studies Lecturer

«Knowledge of a common historical past is essential to maintaining a people’s signs of identity»


Issue 68. Year 2005CURRENT EVENTS10


often used it as an example in my international dealingswith foreign government officials. I recently returnedfrom Jerusalem and Tel Aviv and conferences andmeetings with Israeli government officials. Of course,their research accomplishments on Jewish identity andtransnational communities around the world encompassessignificantly more than does ours on Basques, however, inthe same way that we can learn from their successes (aswell as the successes of Armenian, Irish, Mexican, Polish,Galician, Greek, etc. communities abroad), they havelearned from ours. I have initiated an internationalnetwork of academics and intellectuals who togethercollaborate in diaspora theory development. Specificallyin Basque diaspora studies, EuskoSare (Basque Network)of Eusko Ikaskuntza (Basque Studies Society) inDonostia has created an Internet platform for researchersto share information and request information from eachother. Readers should check it. www.euskosare.orgHowever, we are only beginning, and the basics of buildingdata bases and access to that information is an enormoustask.

What are the principle difficulties in whichindividuals find themselves when they enter thisdiscipline for their investigations? The number one impediment to Basque diasporaresearch is the lack of centralization and access tomaterials. Unbelievably, there is no Basque diasporaarchive where already gathered materials are physicallyor virtually together in one space. My own researchrequires that I travel the globe from Belgium toArgentina to Australia, which is not feasible for most,nor is it desirable. The Center for Basque Studies hereat the University of Nevada, Reno is the closest thingwe have to an archive. Our library has book volumes,documents, photographs, audio recordings, posters,journal serials and other materials that number wellover 100,000. However, there are millions (not anexaggeration) of documents, oral history recordings,personal diaries, records and effects that are scatteredthroughout from Canada to the tip of Chile, fromTasmania to Scandinavia. Basque diaspora specialistsare working to digitize and centralize information, aswell as improve accessibility for all those interested.Compatibility among search engines and databaseexploration is also essential, instead of the situationnow where a researcher has to learn numerous methods,gain various permissions, speak several languages andtravel extensively. A central repository could integrateand systematize materials for distribution and easieraccess.

Because of the fact that many materials aredispersed in different countries and also are in thehands of private and family collections, the discoveryof and access to these documents must be difficult.How are you able to gain knowledge of thesescattered materials and collections?

In each Basque diaspora community there are generallyamateur historians who have worked to maintaincollections at the euskal etxea, and who know others whohave private collections, those who have maintainedfamily genealogies, and family records, etc. Most of theorganizations have kept minutes of meetings, records,and photographs. I maintain regular contact with theseindividuals and their institutions and I keep a dialoguegoing regarding the importance of having historycommittees and preserving records. However, thesematerials are often in boxes in a garage or in a closetstored away, or, are "lost". Someone dies and others -notrealizing the value of the papers- throw everything away.Even university libraries in South America are throwingaway documents to make room for new publications. Weare truly in an urgent phase of data collection. Inaddition, many from the Spanish Civil War emigrantgeneration are now dying, and we are also losing theirtestimonies of experiences. If we create a central pointto which families can donate their collections, we couldamass a voluminous archive and save our own history.

The government of the Basque AutonomousCommunity, and especially the Directorate ofRelations with Basque Collectivities, is carrying outvarious projects with these goals. How would youassess this initiative?I and other diaspora specialists welcome itwholeheartedly. The digitization of journals andnewspapers published by Basques in all the Americasbetween 1876 y 1976 will be completed for the IV WorldCongress in 2007. This is a tremendous undertaking. Weare also exploring several possibilities for trainingcollaborative research teams for further fieldwork,always focusing on the highest academic standards andstrict scientific methodology. The Basque Government’sinitiative and support are fundamental and have createdan environment conducive to innovative projects.

In addition to the available documentary materials,are the oral testimonies of emigrants. How wouldyou rate their importance and what would yousuggest for gathering the testimonies?Again, access to information is critical. It is a waste tohave an oral history collection that is not available to thepublic or to researchers. The definitions and strategies ofresearchers and of "library" changed with digitization andthe Internet. The New York Public Library, one of themost important in the world, is putting their entirecollection on the Internet. We have to think in this sameway. Taping oral histories is but the first step, then wehave to make them available on the Internet for familiesand academics to listen or read and then researchers canapply theories to analyze the information looking forpatterns, causal relationships, and so on. One mistake wemake is in thinking of oral histories as those experienceswe have to record from those who departed EuskalHerria. This is only one aspect of how migration has



affected Basque society. We also have to record the livesof those who stayed, and how their loved ones whoemigrated affected their experiences in the BasqueCountry. Today we also have the phenomenon of the"returnees", Venezuelan-, Mexican-, Uruguayan-,Argentine-, Chilean-, Australian-, Russian-, and Belgian-Basques who have returned to their homeland, and oftensuffered another migration experience. While in Australiathey are dreaming of Euskal Herria, when in EuskalHerria they are dreaming of Australia. This is atransnational existence of "belonging" in many and nospaces simultaneously. One significant aspect to aBasque diaspora archive would include these oraltestimonies, recorded and archived in a standardizedmanner.

Realizing that a community has a commonhistorical past can serve as a very important factorin maintaining the characteristics of identity. Arepeople conscious of this? Yes, a few are. Because the idea of a commonhistorical past is essential to ethnic identity, preservingthat information and encouraging its disseminationbecomes fundamental to constructing a collectivememory. Today, each Basque diaspora community hasits own institutional and collective memory, and thereare a few people in each who always know the names,dates and details of past events. However, thisknowledge for many of the youth is completely lacking.There are no history clubs, classes, or seminars insidethe euskal etxeak to teach and learn about themselves.In Euskal Herria itself, there is almost a completedisconnect to what is happening in the approximately175 Basque organizations around the world.Educational curriculum in primary or secondary school

does not include Basque migration in any subjects, noris there a single university course available regardingBasque diaspora and migration studies. Individualuniversity professors attempt to interest students inthese areas for semester research projects and theses,but there is no coherent program. Basque society andBasques living abroad could all benefit by learning moreabout each other.

You currently live in the United States, a countryforged by the presence of numerous ethnic groupsand nationalities. Is there any one researchexperience in any of those groups that sticks out toyou for their work towards compiling their history?Yes. Heritage projects of emigrants in Irish, Armenian,Korean, Haitian, and Indian communities in the USA arefar more advanced, using methodology of theInternational Oral History Association and trainedinterviewers.The Polish in the Midwest have also workeddiligently to create family heritage collections. A valuableoral testimony requires that the interviewer conductbackground investigation about the subject and continuethe interview in a way as to ascertain facts, emotion,memories, anecdotes and personal perceptions regardingevents. It is not a process of one hour asking a personquestions. The preparation prior to meeting is essential -similarly to any research project- in order to know whatand how to ask for this person’s testimony of theirBasque experience in another host society. Catalan andGalician projects are just now beginning in California andin New York.

How could the Basque communities abroad have amore significant presence and leading role in dailylife in Euskadi?I suppose this is a typical economics question of supplyand demand. If homeland Basques are supplied withabundant information about the diaspora –in the media,in schooling, in the news- will their interest and demandfor more information and understanding follow? Perhaps.Perhaps if they knew that tens of thousands of diasporaBasques vote in homeland elections; that tourism fromdiaspora Basques brings in significant revenues; thateasily more than half of the population in the seventerritories has a Basque relative or friend living abroad;and that Basques in twenty-two countries have formedorganizations to preserve and promote their ethnicity ...there might be a higher demand for more information. Ithink it is incumbent upon both the homeland anddiaspora institutions to facilitate the encounters amongdiaspora and homeland groups. The creation of a Basquediaspora archive would serve as a web of networksamong all of the communities; rather than bilateralrelations between one diaspora community and theBasque Country, there would be exponential multilateralcommunications among individuals and institutions. Thatis our goal; to promote knowledge and researchregarding Basques around the world.

Issue 68. Year 2005CURRENT EVENTS

The Uranzadi (across the seas) project was bornwith the idea of publishing 15 volumes on thehistory of Basque Centers around the world.Promoted by the Basque Government’s Secretariat forForeign Action, this initiative, which emerged as aresult of the conference held in Vitoria-Gasteiz in2003, has already met its goal and is now endeavoringto beat it by digitalizing in a period of four years all ofthe Basque publications printed in America from 1876to 1976.

Ever since the start of the project, those involvedrealized the importance of the enormous amount ofperiodical information published abroad, mainly inAmerica, on the subject of Basque emigration.

Information essential to researchers wishing tocomplete the history of the Basque Country.

The Uranzadi team found publications –odd issuesand even complete collections– scattered over theBasque Centers, public libraries, archives and privatehomes. It soon became obvious that the historicalvalue of this material would multiply if centralizedand catalogued, hence a database had to be createdand the 134 publications printed in America between1876 and 1976 digitalized to permit free access inthe future.

In order to be able to meet these objec t ives,Uranzadi split the project into four stages. In 2004 it

Urazandi bildumak munduan zehardauden euskal etxe nagusienen historiajasotzea du helburu, atzerriratutakoeuskaldunen bizipenetan oinarrituta.Bizipenen bilketa lanetan eta bestelakozereginetan herrialde bakoitzekounibertsitate mailako irakasle taldeakaritu dira, Euskal GizataldeekikoHarremanetarako Zuzendaritzarenkoordinaziopean. Ikerketa bide honijarraituz, euskal gaiekin zerikusiaduten argitalpenen digitalizazioari ekindio Eusko Jaurlaritzak, Ameriketanekoiztutako argitalpenena hain zuzenere. Egun lantzen ari den egitasmohonek URAZANDIGITAL du izena.

12


URAZANDIGITAL

Urazandi,a project shining light on

Basque emigration


concentrated on Basque publications in Argentina,Uruguay and Chile. This year it is working on thosepublished in Venezuela and Mexico. Publicationsrelated to the USA and other American countries willbe digitalized in 2006 and in 2007 the idea is to goabout the work as a documentary package forpresentation at the next World Congress of BasqueCommunities to take place in Vitoria-Gasteiz thesame year.

It hasn’t been an easy job. The first stage involveddeveloping a plan to search for and find publications,starting with a bibliographic search until being ableto draw up a list of publications. With this list, towhich the general details of each publication wereadded, the appropriate queries were made at themain libraries, archives and document centers. Helpwas also requested from people potentially owningsome kind of material in their private collections.

During their stay of almost a month in the BasqueCountry, the digitaliz ing team consis t ing ofUruguayan researchers Alberto Irigoyen and AdrianaPatrón, photographed almost 18,700 pages of 49Basque periodical publications printed in Argentina,Uruguay and Chile, which will be compiled intoaround a hundred CDs. To prevent damaging thecopies during transport, this work was carried out inthe archives and libraries housing them: the BasqueNationalism Archive at Artea, Euskaltzaindia’sAzkue Archive, the Regional Library of Bizkaia, theBenedictine Library in Lazkao, the Koldo MitxelenaLibrary belonging to the Regional Government ofGipuzkoa and the Basque Museum Archive inBaiona.

While the digitalizing team was working in theBasque Country, contacts were being made to findcopies in Argentina. Communication was establishedwith the Basque Delegation in that country–currently the Basque-Argentine Institute for

Cooperation in Development– located in BuenosAires, from where steps were taken to find newcopies. The queries made were positive and BasqueCenters throughout the country contributed theirvaluable collections, in some cases completing seriesof periodical publications. The technicians went toBuenos Aires and, to overcome the problem of theenormous dis tances between cities, decided toconcentrate the material from all of the BasqueCenters in La Plata. The digitalization team was ableto continue its work in October. Today 35% of theBasque periodical publications printed in Argentina,Chile and Uruguay have been digitalized. Eightpublications have been completely digitalized andanother 10 have been largely entered, although a fewcopies are still missing. This is the case of thehistorical publications of which hundreds of issueswere printed, such as "Tierra Vasca", "Euzko Deya"(Argentina), "Tximistak", "Nación Vasca" or "LaurakBat" (Buenos Aires)..

Mexico and Venezuela for the second stage

Uranzadi is this year digitalizing the 73 cultural andpolitical Basque publications printed in Venezuela andMexico, another two countries of vital importance tothe study of Basque exiles given the numerous refugeeswho moved there after the Civil War in 1936. Theprocess is similar to that of the first stage, and on thisoccasion collaboration has once again been requestedfrom Basque Centers and individuals with copies of anyof these publications. The oldest is the one printed bythe Basque Center in Mexico, dating from 1907.

Having concluded this stage, next year will bededicated to revising production by the USA and theother American countries. The Basque Studies Libraryat the University of Nevada in Reno, from whichcollaboration has already been requested, will lend itscollection to complete the Urazandi project shininglight on an important part of Basque history.


URAZANDIGITAL

Issue 68. Year 2005CURRENT EVENTS14

Basque periodicals published in Venezuela

TITLE PLACE OF PUBLICATION DATE TYPEABERRI Caracas 1958/1962 CulturalACCIÓN NACIONALISTA VASCA Caracas 1965/1975 PoliticalAMARREKO Caracas 1960 PoliticalARGIA Caracas/New York 1946/1948 PoliticalAZKATUTA Caracas 1969/1970 PoliticalBAI Venezuela 1969/? PoliticalBERRIAK Caracas 1970/1973 PoliticalBOLETÍN (CENTRO VASCO) Caracas 1973?CUADERNOS ZUTIK Caracas 1963 PoliticalEGI INFORMA Caracas 1967 PoliticalEL SIGLO DE LAS MISIONES N.S.EMAN Caracas 1967 PoliticalERRI Caracas 1949 PoliticalETXEKO JAUN’EN ALKARTASUNA Caracas 1969?EUZKADI Caracas 1968/1981 PoliticalEUZKADI: BOLETÍN DE INFORMACIÓN Caracas 1948-1949EUZKADI. CENTRO VASCO Caracas 1942/1950 PoliticalEUZKADI AZKATUTA Caracas 1957-1965 PoliticalEUZKADI´KO ERRIAK Caracas 1951 PoliticalEUZKO ALDERDI JELTZALEA Caracas 1968 PoliticalEUZKO GAZTEDI Caracas 1948/1956 regular Political

irregular until 1976EUZKO GAZTEDI INFORMA Caracas 1971 PoliticalFRENTE NACIONAL VASCOEUZKO ABERRI ALKARTASUNA Venezuela 1960/1968 N.S.GOAZEN Caracas 1965 PoliticalGRUPO PELOTA-ZALE Caracas 1972? CulturalG.V.-O.P.E. Caracas 1972/1978 PoliticalGASTEAK Valencia (Venezuela) 1977?/1979? N.S.GUDARI Caracas 1961/1974? PoliticalIRITZI Venezuela 1978/1984 PoliticalIRRINTZI Caracas 1957/1961 PoliticalITZINGA´KO ARGIA Maracaibo 1961/? N.S.JEL Caracas 1940 PoliticalLA PULGA Caracas 1969/1973 PoliticalLAN DEYA Venezuela 1971/1973 PoliticalLOS VASCOS EN VENEZUELA Venezuela 1957/? N.S.NOTICENTRO Caracas 1955/?, 1987- N.S.NOTIMES Caracas 1975/1977 N.S.PILOTA- ZALE Venezuela /1983 SportsSABINDARRA Venezuela 1970/1971 PoliticalTHE BOISE CAPITAL NEWS Boise 1938/1939 N.S.ZUTIK Venezuela 1960/1971 Political

(different times at which publishing of the periodical was suspended)

URAZANDIGITAL



Basque periodicals published in Mexico

TITLE PLACE OF PUBBLICATION DATE TYPE

ABERRI Mexico 1946/1948 Political

ABERRI Mexico 1946-1947

ABERRI ALDEZ Mexico 1937 Political

ALKARTU (EUZKADI ROJA as from 1947) Mexico 1942/? Political

ARGIA- LUZ Mexico 1929/1934 N.S.

AROIA Mexico 1935/? N.S.

AULA VALLEJO Mexico 1961/? Cultural

BOLETÍN DE EUZKADI ROJA Mexico 1947-1952? Political

BOLETÍN DEL CONSEJO DE CONTRIBUCIÓN

A LA RESISTENCIA VASCA Mexico 1964/1968 Political

CANCHA Mexico 1945 Sports

CENTRO VASCO DE Mexico Mexico 1907 -

CUADERNOS AMERICANOS Mexico 1942/? Cultural

CULTURA VASCA Mexico 1929/? N.S.

EKIN Mexico 1950 Cultural

ESPAÑA PEREGRINA Mexico 1940 Cultural

ESTAMPAS DEL PAÍS VASCO Mexico 1946 Graphic

EUSKAL ELKARGOA St. Jean de Luz, Mexico 1971/1975 N.S.

EUZKADI Mexico 1966/? N.S.

EUZKADI AZKATUTA Mexico 1956/1965 Political

EUZKADI SOCIALISTA Mexico 1947/? Political

EUZKADI’KO EGIAK Mexico 1970-1971

EUZKO DEYA Mexico 1943/1971 Political

EUZKO IZKETA Mexico 1956 N.S.

EUZKO LANGILLIEN ALKARTASUNA Mexico 1948 Union

EUZKOTARRA Mexico, New Orleans 1907/1909 Political

EXCELSIOR Mexico Cultural?

GUDARI Mexico 1964/1965 Political

JAI-ALAI Mexico 1936-1937?

LA PATRIA, EL MUNDO Y NOSOTROS Mexico 1966 Political

PATRIA VASCA Mexico, Bilbao 1928/1932 Political

REVISTA DE REVISTAS Mexico Cultural?

REVISTA DEL CENTRO VASCO Mexico N.S.

ROMANCE Mexico 1940/1941 Cultural

URAZANDIGITAL


The New Railway Line, known as the Basque "Y"will link Bilbao, Vitoria-Gasteiz and Donostia-San Sebastián to the main Paris-Madrid networkby means of a "Y"-shaped system covering 157 km

of double track and 37 km of single track (on theexchanger and other branch lines). Although this routedoesn’t cover the entrances to the ports of Bilbao andPasaia, it does include the new Gasteiz by-pass, differentprojects at the technical development stage.This NewNetwork, the introduction of which has generated strongpublic debate in the Basque Country,offers an alternativeto passenger and goods transport by providing a railwaylink between the three capitals.The Network also has anessential mission: to place Euskadi on the Transeuropean

Railway Network map.

An essential infrastructure

The Basque "Y" high speed train is amodern, groundbreaking transportsystem which, according to theinstitution responsible for itspromotion, the BasqueGovernment, respects theenvironment while simplifyingand increasing the freemovement of passengers andfreight inside Euskadi andtowards other places. It makeslocal distances shorter, and willget us to Madrid and the rest ofEurope much more quickly.Running at moderate speed, thesystem covers long distances in afar shorter time than conventionaltrains, while respecting theenvironment and offering a greatdeal more safety, reliability andcomfort than other existing means oftransport.At the end of the day, this isa system representing the 21stCentury railroad.

This extremely important transportinfrastructure will mean an

investment of 3.3 billion euro (some500 billion former pesetas), the

AURRERA DOAN HERRIA

The Basque "Y", a train on the moveEuskal “Y” izenez ezagutzen den Trenbide SareBerriak Bilbo, Gasteiz eta Donostia Paris etaMadril elkartzen dituen sare nagusiarekinlotuko ditu, 157 km, bide bikoitzean eta 37km bide bakarrean (trukagunean eta besteadar batzuetan) dituen “Y” itxurakotrazatuaren bitartez. Trazatu horretan ez dirasartzen Bilboko eta Pasaiako portuetarajoateko sarbideak, baina bai GasteizkoSaihesbide berria, hirurak ere garapen teknikomailan dauden proiektuak.Sare Berri hori alternatiba erakargarria etafidagarria da bidaiarien eta merkantziengarraiorako, bai hiriburuenarteko loturatan, bai etasarearen bokazionagusia bete ahalizateko ere: EuskadiEuropako TrenbideSareen barruansartzeko.

194 Km of track link the Basque capitals to Europe

16 Issue 68. Year 2005A COUNTRY ON THE MOVEA COUNTRY ON THE MOVE

A COUNTRY ON THE MOVE

most important ever to have been made in Euskadiand which will be financed by:• the U.E.• the Central Government

Not only that, but it will mean for all Basquecitizens daily savings of 413,500 euro/day onexternal environmental and safety costs. It willmoreover contribute to easing traffic congestion.

Although the Informative Study carried out by theSpanish Government’s Ministry of Developmentenvisaged four stations on its route (Bilbao-Abando, Gasteiz-Dato, Irún and Donostia-Norte,the latter of which is to operate by shuttle fromAstigarraga), another two are now beingconsidered: Ezkio Itxaso in the Goierri region ofGipuzkoa and Euba in the Duranguesado area.According to those responsible for the subject atthe Basque Government, "Our challenge is toanalyze the area around these two stations with aview to converting them into centers for logisticplatforms based on intermodal transportprincipally dealing with freight".

The maximum and minimum circulation speedswill be 230 km/h and 90 km/h.This said, the mostimportant factor is to adapt the speed to eachroute,i.e.,to establish a speed making it possible tocover the distance between two points in anamount of time considered as ideal according todemand.

Issue 68. Year 2005 AURRERA DOAN HERRIA

10 strong points of the Basque "Y"

1 The Basque "Y" will transport freight and passengersalike.

2 It will clear our roads of over 22,500 vehicles per day,thus relieving congestion and contamination.

3 It will considerably increase energy savings with respectto other currently existing means of transport, permittingdaily savings of approximately 133,700 litres fuel/day.

4 It will permit a reduction of 630 Tn per day in theemission of greenhouse gases.

5 It will reduce average road and air transport noise levels.

6 Its tracks will occupy almost three times less physicalspace than today’s motorways.

7 It will mean daily savings in external accidentability,noise and contamination costs, etc. of 0.41 million euro/day.

8 It will provide a fast, safe link between Euskadi, Europeand the rest of Spain. It will take us to Madrid and Bordeauxin just over 2 hours and to Paris in less than six.

9 It will link the three Basque capitals in an averagetravelling time of 30 minutes, greatly reducing the length oftoday’s local journeys.

10 Over the next 20 years it is expected to create 13,000direct and indirect jobs, of which 9,000 will be temporaryand 4,100 permanent.

18

SSculptor Néstor Basterretxearecently donated one of his works tothe Museum of Contemporary Art inthe Argentinean city of Rosario,probable setting of a futureanthological exhibition of his work.Together with his family, NéstorBasterretxea spent 11 years as anexile in Buenos Aires. Currentlyputting the final touches to his

Memoirs, this reencounter with thecountry permitted him to organizememories of those other two returnship journeys made when he still hadhis entire artistic career before him.

Basterretxea wanted this gift to bearthe historical symbolism of theBasque people, hence his choice fromamong his entire production of

"zazpiak bat" (seven-in-one), abronze reproduction of the symbol ofthe Basque Parliament. During hiswhirlwind visit to present thesculpture he went to Buenos Aires, acity like a second home to him. "Iused to and still do love Argentina,ever since 1942, the year I arrived inthe city at the age of 18, but despiteeverything, I always knew that Ididn’t come from there and that oneday I would return to Euskadi. Proofof this is that, despite being a greatdancer, I didn’t want to learn thetango, so that it wouldn’t becomeanother factor tying me to thecountry".

The sculptor remembers those yearsas "a highly educational period",although he was unable to studyArchitecture as he would liked tohave done. He was prevented fromdoing so by two wars: first of all theCivil War, from which his father, adeputy with the Basque NationalistParty, had to flee to France with hiswhole family and, a short time later,WWII, which also obliged them toflee from the Germans.

The then youngster from Bermeo,who always had his artist’s padunder his arm, was caught up in afabulous adventure shortly to come

NESTOR BASTERRETXEA Sculptor

A return traveller

Bidaiari eta abenturero batenbizitzaren parekoa izan daNestor Basterretxea artistarenibilbidea. Gazte zela Ameriketarairitisi zen bere familiarekinFrancoren diktaduratik iheska.Eskultura alorrean ezaguna,beste atal batzuetan eregoraipatutako lanak egin izanditu: zinea, margolaritza...Berememoriak bukatzen ari da egunhauetan baina duela aste batzuktarte bat egin zuen Argentinarajoateko, bere bigarren etxea denherria bisitatzeko.

Zazpiak bat" (Seven-in-one) sculpture, symbol ofthe Basque Government.

ElkarrizketaInterview

19

ElkarrizketaInterview

out in book form. "My parents, mythree brothers and myself boarded inMarseille for Buenos Aires on avoyage that went on to last for 525days. In that 15-ton ship, the Alsina,we were a penniless bunch searchingfor the freedom then known asAmerica: Jews from all over Europe,Spanish Republicans, Basques,Belgians and even a Russian balletfleeing from Communism that spentthe whole time rehearsing to thesound of its gramophone. The wholething was like a photomontage. Thecrew were really rowdy Corsicansailors who were only quiet whenthey were listening to music".

The Alsina made a port of call inDakar, where its passengers weredetained for three months, "in themiddle of a horrible naval battle,with real shells flying to-and-fro,between the British and part of theFrench fleet belonging to the Vichygovernment that had taken refuge inSenegal". From Dakar they werediverted to Casablanca, the point atwhich rumors started flying to theeffect that they were going to be sentback to Spain, but no. They wereconfined to abandoned Legionbarracks for a week. AnotherPortuguese ship, the Cuança,permitted them to continue theirvoyage.

The next stop was Mexico,destination of a large number of theSpanish refugees. At the next port ofcall, Havana, they were put intoquarantine, "delousing included,because the Cubans had decreed thatall lice were foreigners. We werethere for another four months andmet people who had made their

fortune with tobacco plus a fewfamous pelotaris from the BasqueCenter". In Havana they boarded theArgentine ship Río de Plata, whichtook them to Buenos Aires withstopovers at Santos (Brazil),disembarkation point for all of theJews, and Montevideo.

Starting from zero

In Buenos Aires, Doctor José Vago, aRepublican from San Sebastián whodished out help to everyone whoarrived, found a job for the youngNéstor with the multinationalcompany Nestlé as a designer ofadvertisements. "The company wasintroducing powdered milk to Braziland other parts of the worldsuffering from the rampage of war.Argentina was a neutral country andbusiness was booming. I stayed therefor four years, until they gave me mybooks for bad timekeeping.They saidthat I was the employee with theworst time-keeping record ever. Atleast they did it in style; they sent meoff with a banquet attended by thedirector general of the company inArgentina, and with a speechstressing my human qualities andtalent for drawing. My brain doesn’twork at eight in the morning; I was alibertarian and didn’t even want tohear of having to clock in. Buthaving kicked me out, they sent thework for me to do at home and Iearned double the amount".

I spent my newly found free timelearning how to paint. "In BuenosAires there was an extremelyinteresting intellectual group whocreated a private and extremelyexpensive art school called Altamira.They only gave one scholarship. Atthe age of 22 I applied and wasawarded it. I was told to choose ateacher from between two excellentArgentine artists differing greatlyfrom one another: Berni andPetorutti. I chose the latter of thetwo for being more constructivist,more abstract. But two or threemonths later the school fell apartdue to arguments and rivalitybetween its members."

He met Castelao, leader of theGalician nationalists, "an excellentsketcher" and people from the worldof theatre like Margarita Sirgú orAlberto Closas, poets and writers,striking up a friendship with LeónFelipe. "I was fairly young, I still hadno training and, although I knewthem in tangentially, I couldn’t fullyform a part of the intellectualatmosphere existing among theexiles". I also met the Basquecommunity. "They were numerous,hard-working, honest and well-liked,people who helped to raise acountry".

In 1952 he obtained a certificate assomething similar to surveyor, "forme, endearing", entitled Third ClassConstructor of the City of BuenosAires. "I was never able to make anyprojects in Argentina, because a fewdays later I got married and boardeda ship with my wife Isabel forEuskadi”.

Here he started yet again fromscratch. Everything still had to bedone –including his artistic career–and those early years weren’t easy.He had to go through with theconflictive project for the crypt ofthe Basílica of Aranzazu, which hewon as the result of a tender but wasparalyzed by the Franciscan monksthemselves, which he describes as"the most serious assault onintellectual property in this country".He participated in the creation ofEquipo 57 and in the group Gaur,together with Oteiza, Chillida,Mendiburu, Ruiz Balerdi, AmableArias, José Antonio Sistiaga andJosé Luis Zumeta. He tried his handat pottery, carpet-making,photography, etching, industrialdesign and cinema. He passionatelyexperienced the discovery of hisBasque cosmogonic series "when Irealized that there was not even atrace of iconography in our popularinheritance". Hence he set off intothe world of mythology, taking himon another voyage, "the imaginaryvoyage from our modernity untilreaching the behavior of ourforebears".

“Buenos Airesen dagonere bigarren etxeabaina beti izan dutgarbi ni ez nintzela

hangoa”

“

20 Issue 68. Year 2004

EUSKADITIK

NEWS

The Bishop of Bilbao, RicardoBlázquez, ousted by one single votehis predecessor Antonio RoucoVarela as President of the SpanishEpiscopal Conference, a position hewill hold for three years incombination with the BilbaoDiocese. The voting took place on8th March last, and the result cameas a surprise to Blázquez, whom inhis first, short public appearance,spoke words of solidarity with thevictims of ETA and "with those ofother kinds of terrorism who havefallen as a result of fanaticism andterror". This reference hasawakened excellent perspectives inEuskadi, on his repeating his

undertaking to continue working infavor of peace from the Presidencyof the Episcopal Conference.

In these declarations, the newleader of the Spanish bishops –whowill have turned 63 on 13 April–undertook to persevere along theroad to dialogue with thegovernment of Rodríguez Zapatero.

As far as teaching is concerned,no great changes are expected.Blázquez was an assistant to RoucoVarela in Santiago de Compostelaand the two have had a strongfriendship ever since they coincided aslecturers at the Pontificia Universityin Salamanca, hence he is expected tocontinue along similar lines.

The coldest winter forhalf a century

Euskal Herria has suffered one ofthe harshest winters in the lastfifty years. Five cold spells oneafter the other recorded fromDecember to March left theirnegative effects on various crops,on road and air communicationsand on electricity consumption,which saw figures soar.

Four days before the end of theyear, the first storm brought snowdown to sea level for several days,while inland temperatures droppedto as low as -15ºC. Two of thesesnow and hail storms took place inJanuary. The first one hit the areaon the 25th, followed four days laterby another front blanketing theBasque Country with snow like theothers. February was another coldmonth, with ten days of snow on thecoast –it normally snows aroundonce or twice at sea level– and eightconsecutive days of freezingvirtually throughout Euskal Herria.Finally, one of the worst snowstorms of the winter fell in earlyMarch. The Basque Countryrecorded historic demand forelectric energy, when consumptionrose to 3,084 MWh between 10 and11 o’clock on the 1st.

Basque filmmakers"Basques and the Seventh Art" is thetitle of Carlos Roldán Larreta’sexcellent study of Basquefilmmakers brought out inencyclopedic dictionary format. Hehad already approached the subjectin "Cinema in the Basque Country:from Amalur (1968) to Airbag(1997)", a detailed study of thefilms made during this period. In hislatest work, the author also analyzesmovies by filmmakers including anumber who tried their luck inHollywood and others who played anoutstanding part in the monographicissue dedicated to Basque cinema byEuskal Etxeak.

The Bishop of Bilbao, electedPresident of the Spanish

Episcopal Conference


The Guggenheim Museum Bilbaohas inaugurated one of its mostambitious exhibitions ever: TheAztec Empire, open until 18thSeptember this year. Thisexhibition is organized incollaboration with the MexicanNational Council for Art andCulture (CONACULTA) and theNational Institute ofAnthropology and History(INAH).

While profound intellectualchanges were occurring in 15th-Century European sciences andarts with the Renaissance, twopowerful Indian states wereflourishing in ancient Mexico: theAztecs and their neighboringenemies, the Tarascans.The AztecEmpire recreates this period,bringing together the largestnumber of artistic objects to formpart of an international exhibition,produced by the differentMesoamerican peoples from the13th-16th Centuries of our era.

NEWS

EUSKADITIK

The Aztec Empire in Bilbao

The Fundación CentroOrdóñez-Falcón de Fotografía(COFF) has just completed itssecond DFOTO InternationalContemporary Photographyand Video Fair in Donostia-SanSebastián from 14-17 April.

This Fair, a huge success inits second year with over 12,000visitors and specialized critics,offered work from 40 galleries.

The interest and results oflast year’s event led almost all ofthe participating galleries torequest their inclusion onceagain this year.Together with theselection of new galleries invitedby the organization such asMagnum (Paris), Scout

(London), ADN andPROJECTSD (Barcelona), SilkRoad (Iran),Marzana (Bilbao),Springer & Winckler (Cologne),Flatland Gallery (Utrecht), AdHoc (Corunna), Amés y Röpke(Madrid-Cologne), GillesPeyroulet & Cie (Paris) orMarvelli (New York) roundedoff yet another DFOTOattracting hordes of visitors.Among them were directors ofmuseums, cultural institutions,collectors, exhibition curatorsand lovers of the two artisticexpressions, photography andvideo, representatives of 21stCentury art. More informationat www.coff.es/dfoto05

The BasqueA u t o n o m o u sCommunity isbeginning its 8thperiod of officeafter the BasqueP a r l i a m e n telections of 17April last, as aresult of whichthe PNV-EAcoalition was onceagain the mostvoted politicalforce, while forthe first time twonew political formations won seats:EHAK (Euskal Herrietako AlderdiKomunista/Partido Comunista de lasTierras Vascas), the party which hadcommitted itself to backing Batasunafollowing its illegalization, and Aralar.The result of the elections once againplaced the PNV-EA formation at theforefront with 463,873 votes (around38.6%) and 29 members of

parliament, a reductionof four seats withrespect to the 2001elections. The secondposition went to thePSE-EE with 272,429votes (22.6% of votersand 18 seats,compared to 13 in thelast elections). ThePopular Party was thethird in importancewith 208,795 votes(17.3%), meaning thatit lost four members ofparliament from the

Basque chamber. EHAK breaks ontothe Parliament scene with 9representatives (150,188 votes,12.5%) and Aralar with one, thanksto its 28,001 votes or 2.33% of theelectorate.Thanks to the Equality Billrecently passed by the BasqueParliament, the new chamber almostachieved parity with a femalepresence of 42%.

The 8th period of office is underway

21st Century art at the 2nd DFOTO Fair

EUSKAL GAZTEAK MUNDUAN

22

A

etorri da Montrealera. Irailean iritisi zenItzulpengintza eta Interpretaritzako 3.maila burutzera. “Euskal HerrikoUnibertsitateak, UPVk hemengounibertsitatearekin duen hitzarmen batiesker iritsi naiz hona. Dirulaguntzeidagokienez,ez dugu Erasmus Beka jasotzenEuropatik kanpo gaudelako. Kutxakemaniko diru apurra bakarra izan dugu,hegazkineko tiketak erosteko adina besterikez.Bestalde,ez dugu dirulaguntzarik eta horinahiko lotsagarria iruditzen zait”adieraztendu zarauztarrak.

Ikasturtea bukatu arte, apirilaren29arte egongo da bertan eta,ondoren? “Ba,ingurua ezagutzen geratuko naiz, etaekainaren hasiera aldera Euskal Herriraitzuliko naiz”. Euskal Herrira itzulitakoan,itzulpengintzako 4. maila Gasteizen eginbeharko du Kepak. “Ondorioz, bueltatubeharra daukat. Hala ere, esperientziabikaina izan da eta atzerrira ikastera berrizere joango nintzateke!!!!”,dio dudarik gabe.

Zarautzetik ere abiatu zen MireiaOrbegozo iazko abuztuaren bukaeran etabera ere Itzulpengintza eta Interpretazioaikasketak burutzea joan da Kanadara.Bekak, edo hobe esanda, diru iturri faltagogoan ditu ere gazte honek “Inongo bekarikez dugu izan, "Erasmus" delakoaEuroparako bakarrik baita. Gipuzkoarranaizenez, Kutxak laguntzatxo bat emanzidan,baina ezin beka deitu horri.Gurasoekordaindu didate guztia”. Ondorioz,erakundeen erantzunkizuna aldarrikatzendu egoera hauek konpontzeko. Azterketakapirilaren bukaera aldera amaitzen zaizkioMireiari baina egonaldia luzatu nahi luke.“Zein den nere asmoa? Ekainerarte gelditunahi nuke praktikak edo zerbait aurkituzgero behintzat”.

Ziortza Basaguren Uriarte abuztuaniritsi zen Kanadara baina Gabonetan etxerabueltatu zen pisukide biak han utzita (Mireiata Kepa).Itzulpengintza etainterpretaritzako 3. maila egiten ari dabesteen antzera ete berak ere beka bila eginduen ibilbidea kontatu nahi du.“Bizkaitarraizaki,BBKren diru laguntzatxo bat jaso dut,baina, zoritxarrez, laguntza horri ezin zaio"beka" deitu“. Klaseak apirilak 20a bainolehen amaitzen dira eta maiatzak 20a artegeratzea da bere asmoa. “...hasieranbehintzat. Hala ere, orain egonaldialuzatzeko gogoa dugu hemen oso gustorabaikaude.Nire asmoa praktikak aurkitu etaekainaren erdi aldera-edo etxera bueltatzeada,Mungiako jaietako behintzat!“.

A group of five Basque studentscompleting the final leg of their universitystudies in Canada have made the most oftheir stay in the country to boostMontreal’s Euskaldunak Association.Each one has contributed his or her grainof sand to making Euskadi known in thecountry which decades ago welcomedother Basques who arrived in search of abetter life. Kepa, Mireia, Ziortza, Aitorand Urko have blown a breath of fresh airinto the Basque Center with theirseminars, conferences, Basque languageand dance classes.They have all contrivedto find a way of covering their costs. Anendeavor doubtlessly well worth theeffort.

Bertako Euskal Etxea inndarberritzekogogoarekin ari da lanean euskaldun taldegazte bat. Bostak Kanadara iritisi zirenberen ikasketak osatzeko eta gehienak,familiaren laguntzaz eta beka eskasbatzuekin ari dira asmo hau betetzen.Diruz eskas baina animoz beterikdabiltzala esan daiteke.

Urko Rodriguez 2003ko abuztuaren13tik dago Kanadan,“hau da, laister biurte egingo ditut” eta ingenieritzaindustriala ikasketak burutzen ari da“Euskadiko Organizacion Industrialarenantzeko zerbait. Hemen bi urte egin etahemengo ingenieri titulua lortuko dut”adierazten du, ArrasatekoUnibertsitateko Goier bekari eskeritsasoaren beste aldera joan den gazteak.“Printzipioz, abuztuan bueltatuko naiz

Euskal Herrira” dio eta berriroMontrealera itzultzeko asmorik ba oteduen galdetzen zaionean,oraindik ideiakargitzeko dituela adierazten du “oraindikez dakit”.

Aitor Montoya iazko abuztutik dagoKanadan, “hamen klaseak abuztuarenbukaeran hasten baitira”. GénieIndustriel ikasketak egiten ari da, ÉcolePolytehcnique du Montréal-en etabekarik gabe badago ere,ondotxo dakizkinon dauden diru iturriak. “Nik ez detinongo bekarik jaso. MondragonUnibertsitateko Goier programarenbidez etorri naiz baina zoritxarrez,gutxigatik ez nuen bekarik jaso; etaEuropako unibertsitate bat ez denez,ezindugu Erasmus beka lortu. Gainera,Arabako Diputazioak presupuestoakprorogautak dituenez aspaldi, aldehortatik be ezer ez, ta aitak BBK-n lanegiten duenez,Caja Vital-ek beka txiki batlortzeko jartzen zituen baldintzak ezzituen betetzen, beraz “gurasoenbekakin”nago hamen”.

Berak parte hartzen duen programabi urtetarakoa denez,oraindik beste urtebete geratzen zaio Ameriketanikasketekin bukatzeko.“Orduan,2006koekainarte egongo naiz Montréalen nireikasketak burutzeko. Gero, nire asmoaEuskal Herrira bueltatzea da, dudarikgabe. Hau bizi esperientzi on bat bezalaikusten det,baina han familia,lagunak tabizimodua daukat, eta nire arloan lanegiteko aukera ainitz”.

Kepa Blázquez ikasturte bat egitera

New spirit in MontrealUrko, Ziortza, Mireia, Aitor and Kepa.

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L-o-r-e-a B-a-r-t-u-r-en, LoreaBarturen. Lorea has had to spell outher name thousands of times, becausein the place she was born and in thearea in which she lives with her family,there are no Basque communities ororganized Basque groups or knowledgeof the reality of Euskadi; in otherwords, she has always felt herself to bea bit of an exception, and sometimeseven odd-person-out in her "made inUSA" environment. "One of theadvantages of coming to live inEuskadi is that I don’t have to repeatmy name over and over again, nor do Ihave to explain what it means. Andthat’s great!". Lorea has been living inSan Sebastián for a few months nowand her presence on the University ofthe Basque Country campus was madepossible by the USAC programpermitting student exchanges which,although intended to further academicknowledge, particularly offer thesestudents the chance to experienceother cultures first-hand. The thing isthat for her, the Basque culture is sofamiliar that she has a certainadvantage over her fellow NorthAmerican students as far as her stay inthe capital of Gipuzkoa is concerned."We’ve always had a really Basque

atmosphere in my house. I grew up onchic peas, lentils and all of those sortsof things. We’ve also continued to talkin Spanish and Euskera and we alwayscame here for summer. That’s why Ifeel so at home now".

Lorea is 21, lives in New Jerseyand is in the last year of her BusinessAdministration and Sociology studiesat the University of Michigan. Hermother was born in Azkoitia and herfather is a pelota player fromPlacencia who grew up in Amorebietaand moved to the USA in the 70s onthe trail of a sporting career. Althoughthe family and its two daughterscontinues to live in the USA –herfather works for an import-exportcompany and her mother for apharmaceutical firm– their sights arealways set on coming back,particularly in her father’s case. "I’vealways felt as if I was split betweentwo different countries because partof me feels that I’m from here, whileanother part feels American. Mycousins from Eibar are my bestfriends". This dichotomy, which Loreanow carries off with great panache,was a problem as a child and teenager,"because none of my friends over thereunderstand the meaning of being

Basque or of having a Basque identity.As I have grown older, I have come torealize that this double identity hasbeen enriching for me. The thing isthat I’ve never known an American ofmy own age who was Basque; whenyou’re a child you want to be likeeveryone else and I had to spend mywhole time explaining where I camefrom".

Lorea feels really at home inDonostia "I love Euskadi, I love thiskind of life" but I still can’t decide onwhich side of the ocean I’d like to livein the future. Right now she’scompletely caught up in the MichiganUniversity atmosphere with friends sheconsiders to be her family.There she isalso actively involved in a number ofNGOs working for women’s rights andfeels that she belongs to the criticalmass condemning the Bush policy.

Differences between Basque andAmerican youngsters? She finds itdifficult to be specific given that thereare so many, but the main one isrelated to autonomy. "In the States it’snormal to leave home early, to becomeindependent, while here it’s normal totake more time and live with yourparents for longer. The lifestyle is verydifferent”.

Lorea Barturen Donostian bizi daazken aldi honetan, EuskalHerriko Unibertsitate eta EstatuBatuetako beste baten arteandagoen hitzarmen bati esker.Hemengo bizimodua ez zaiobatere arrotza egiten, bera NewJersey-n bizi arren, txikitandiketorri izan baita Euskadirafamilia bixitatzera etabertakoekin festak pasatzera. 21urte ditu, Enpresaritza etaSoziologia karrera amaitzear dagoeta Euskadin pasatzen ari dendenboralditxo hau bere euskarahobetzeko aprobetxatu du.

«I’ve always felt as if I was split between two different worlds»

BASQUE YOUTHS

LOREA BARTUREN MUGURUZAStudent

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24 Issue 68. Year 2005EUSKAL ETXEAK

The excellent situation ofBasque culture in today’sUSA was obvious at theNorth American BasqueOrganization (NABO) winterconvention held last 12February in Salt Lake City.

The number of subjectsdiscussed, due to which themeeting lasted for almostseven hours, underlined thefact that Basques representone of the most activecommunities in the country.

Udaleku

Udaleku or the summer campfor boys and girls is still thestar activity at NABO sinceits creation in 1973. The aimof the program is to educatenew generations in differentareas of Basque culture,including among its subjectsEuskara, the txistu, euskalkantak, pelota, mus, dancing,rural sports, etc. The summercamp takes place in adifferent city each year, andmore recent years have seenalmost a hundredparticipants from differentcities on the west coast ofAmerica.

This year Udaleku willtake place in the Californiancity of Bakersfield from 19June until 1 July. At ameeting between delegatesit was decided to maintainthe par t icipation fee ofUS$150, given that somepeople are faced withexpensive travel costs due to

the large dis tancesseparating them.

Euskara

Last January an extremelywell attended seminar washeld in Boise, Idaho, in orderto train those who are goingto be in charge ofadministrating the Bogaprogram for learning Basqueon the Internet. The new toolis now underway, and Habe

has started to issue the firstusers with authorizations andpasswords.

Ikasi

The Basque Studies Centerof the University of Nevadain Reno, continues to offer,free of charge, a course onBasque subjects. This year’scourse will take place onJune 29/30 and July 1 at theBasque Studies Department

Basque Center representatives at the NABO meeting.

USA

Proliferation of programs in the USA

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Issue 68. Year 2005 25BASQUE CENTERS

in Reno. The number of placesis limited to 40.

Four-year plan and updatingof the members’ details

Another of the points on theorder of the day included anexplanation by therepresentative of theDirectorate for Relations withBasque Communities regardingthe need for each club to reflecton its current situation andplans for the near future. Healso explained the need forclubs to participate in theupdating of databases takingplace at world level.

The meeting was attendedby Aitor Sotes, Director of theSPRI office in Chicago, whounderlined his interest inkeeping in touch withcommunities in the west.

A new Center joins the NABO:the Cenarrusa Center forBasque Studies

The Cenarrusa FoundationCenter for Basque Studiesparticipated in the meeting forthe first time as a result ofhaving requested itsparticipation in NABO oncerecognized by the BasqueGovernment.The Director of theFoundation, John Bieter,attended as its representative.

Eusko Sare

Gloria Totoricagüena,representative of the BasqueStudies Center at the Universityof Nevada in Reno andPresident of the ExpertCommittee on the Diaspora setin motion by Eusko Ikaskuntza,presented information on

EuskoSare and explained thepotential of this new program,the website for which isexpected to be launched duringMay next.

New coordinator andcommunicator

NABO similarly decided toassign the func tions ofcoordinator and communicatorfor 2005 to John Ysursa, whowill be in charge as from Juneof coordinating Euskaraprograms and al l of theinformation generated by theBasque ins t i tu t ionalframework.

Other programs

Other subjects were alsodiscussed, including the KantariEguna, to take place once againthis year at Gardnerville in mid-August; the mus and Basquepelota championships;distribution of the recentpublication on Bertsolaris in theUSA, "Shooting from the hip";the website; the BiziEmankorra Award, for whichthe candidatures of FatherKaxiano and Mike Olano, fromWinnemucca, were chosen.

Jill Aldape, leader of theOinkari Basque Dancers in

Boise gave an educationaltalk about the history of thegroup.

NABO Convention 2005 andJaialdi in Boise

Next July, two weeks apart fromone another, the NABOConvention (15-17 July) willtake place in Rock Springs,Wyoming, while Boise willcelebrate its Jaialdi, held in thecapital of Idaho since 1987 (andwhich takes place every fiveyears to coincide with the SaintIgnatius weekend).This year theJaialdi program will start on 27July and continue through theweek until Sunday 31st.

For more information onthese events you can visit theirrespective websites:

Convention: www.alkartasuna.usJaialdi: www.jaialdi.com

Coinciding with the 22nddinner-festival, with service andentertainment provided by themembers of this Basque Center,the Utah’ko Euskaldunak clubonce again organized its openday for the community held yearafter year. In fact, only half ofthe almost 400 diners whoattended the dinner were ofBasque origin.

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ARGENTINA

CANADA

An exhibition for the memoryLast March, a delegation

from the Department ofEducation, Universities andResearch, headed by MinisterAnjeles Iztueta, visitedArgentina to present a wideprogram of activities. On theone hand was the inaugurationat the Recoleta Cultural Centerin Buenos Aires of theExhibition "EUSKALAZTARNA ARGENTINAN.Memoriaren bitartez hezi etaikasi", "THE BASQUEIMPRINT IN ARGENTINA,Educating and learning fromthe memory", open until the endof April 2005. This exhibitionwill subsequently be brought toEuskadi for a tour of Basqueeducational centers.

The inauguration of theexhibition, attended by theArgentinean Minister ofEducation, Daniel Filmus, andHead of the Special ProgramsUnit, Iñaki Hernaiz, wasbroadcast by satellite to tenArgentine Euskal Etxeak:

Rosario, Mar del Plata, LaPlata, Bahía Blanca, Mendoza,Paraná, Necoechea, SanNicolás, Laprida and Arrecifes.

Similarly during this trip, asculpture by NestorBasterretxea was presented tothe Rosario Contemporary ArtMuseum at an event in the"Laurak Bat" Euskal Etxeawith participation of thesculptor himself, in addition toMarcelo Romeu, Director ofInternational Relations ofRosario Municipality;

Fernando Farina, Director ofthe Rosario Contemporary ArtMuseum; Carlos Sosa,President of the FEVA(Federation of ArgentineanEuskal Etxeak) and GuillermoCanut, President of theRosario Euskal Etxea.

Minister Anjeles Iztuetabrought her program ofactivities to a close with ameeting between Basquejournalists and NobelPrizewinner Adolfo PérezEskibel.

Last January 11, the BasqueGovernment recognized andregistered as a BasqueCenter this association,currently recovering itsactivities thanks to the newspirit infused by youngstersconscious of the excellentopportunities it proffered totheir objective of making theBasque culture known in theprovince of Quebec.

The Executive Committee,comprising Jean Goyhenetche,Lehendakari; NadineLachaussée, Secretary; andMichel Usereau,Treasurer andorganizer of courses inEuskera, has been bolstered bythe participation of JocelyneVerret as a link to the EuskoIkaskuntza programs.

Among the principalactivities now offered by theassociation are the weekly

Basque classes preceded by atalk on a linguistic or culturalsubject.

There are other importantBasque communities in Canada,such as that of Saint Pierre deMiquelon and the Parc del’aventure basque, dedicated tothe Basque whalers, with aspectacular pelota court despiteits poor condition.

For more information, see:www.euskaldunakquebec.com

Minister ÁnjelesIztueta at the opening

of the exhibition.

"Euskaldunak" in the province of Quebec, second Basque Center recognized by the Basque Government in Canada after that of Vancouver



ARGENTINA, URUGUAY

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Argentina and Uruguay inresponse to an invitation fromFEVA and Euskal Herria,respectively, to explain oureveryday reality to the largeBasque community existing inthese two countries. I wassurprised at the interest shownby members of the Basquecommunity in these subjectsand often at their wideknowledge, not only of up-to-date news in Euskadi, but alsoof events in the EuropeanUnion: MERCOSUR, the SouthAmerican version of acommunity model, the meaningof the right of every people toself-determination withinEurope, compatibility of theProposed New Political Statutefor the Basque Country with theEuropean Constitutional Treaty,the concept of co-sovereignty,application of the principle ofsubsidiarity and the institutionalorganizations of Euskadi, Spainand the European Union, or theEconomic Agreement and itsplace in Europe, were some ofthe subjects discussed duringthe various talks I had theopportunity to give, and at myseveral press, radio andtelevision interviews. I even hadthe chance of an interview withthe Municipal Governor ofParaná, Julio Rodolfo F.Solanas, who gave me a warmwelcome and to whom Iexplained my point of view ofthe current Basque situationand the influential Basquecommunity in Paraná.

But what surprised me mostwas the enormous feeling ofbelonging to a community, theBasque community, so far

removed in distance and time,particularly in the case ofcertain Basques whose originsdate back five or sixgenerations. I was also pleasedto observe the effort andcommitment of some of theseBasque men and women whoendeavor to know the languageof their elders, Euskara, thanksto which I was able to talk tothem in this language, feeling apart of something belonging to

us all despite the differenceswhich can separate us and onoccasions succeed in doing so.

I would therefore like tosincerely thank them all fortheir warm welcome and fortheir efforts, often made inless than ideal conditions.Agur bero bat".

MIKEL ANTÓNBasque Director of Foreign

Affairs

The Basque Director for Youthand Community Action, XabierSánchez Robles, participated inthe management trainingcourses organized in March bythe Federation of Argentinean-Basque Entities in Buenos Aires,at which he gave a talk on thekey points of the Basque YouthPolicy.

During his stay in Chile,Uruguay and Argentina, he metvarious politicians and figuresfrom the world of universitymanagement in Santiago deChile, Montevideo, Buenos Aires,

Comodoro Rivadavia, Mendoza,Córdoba and La Plata, cities inwhich he also participated invarious conferences organized byBasque Centers, explaining theimportance placed by theBasque Government oncomprehensive youth policies.

According to the Youth andCommunity Action Directorate,this highly interesting visit hasmade it possible to establish asolid basis for knowledgeexchange permitting theundertaking of bilateral youth-related programs and projects.

Mikel Antón, Director of European Affairs, with members of Basque Centers.

The Basque Government explains its youth policies

Issue 68. Year 2005 27BASQUE CENTERS

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The work "Vascos en el Chaco,Historias de Vida de Angeles deDios Altuna de Martina"("Basques in Chaco,Tales of theLife of Angeles de Dios Altuna deMartina"), has been granted aspecial mention by the Secretariatfor Culture of the Presidency of theNation under the RegionalGeographical, Historical andAnthropological Sciences, RegionII-NEA production 1996/1999Award. This distinction wasgranted by decision of the juryconsisting of lecturer Julia BeatrizBosch, lawyer María M. Podestáand lawyer Néstor M.Gorojovsky.

This work contains a chapterdedicated to Basque emigration,particularly in the second half ofthe 19th Century, another toArgentine immigration policiesand tales referring to JuanBautista Echezarreta Mugica andhis wife Joseba de Zurutuza e

Iraztorza, Florencio UribarriIgartúa, Segundo Ereño Iturrate,María del Carmen GrandesIguerategui de Gil de Muro andMaría del Carmen Gil de MuroGrandes, who arrived in Chacofrom the Basque Country in theearly decades of the 20th Centuryduring a period of lateimmigration. The testimonies ofthe protagonists, illustrated withphotographs, marriage and birthcertificates, tell in story form thereasons for their emigration, theirintegration to what was thenknown as the National Territory ofChaco, the different kind of jobsthey did, the difficulties of thoseyears, the customs they broughtfrom their land and transmitted totheir children, and their use oflanguage, games and songs, thedishes they cooked, their love andrecognition of the land that tookthem in.

These have been 15 years ofuninterrupted radio program infavor of Basque culture,history and news, an effortrecognized, among others, bythe Municipality of Paraná andits councilors, who declaredthe program as being of"municipal interest" in 1997.The Deia newspaper in Bilbaosimilarly listed the presenter ofthe program among the 46personalities in its "worldBasques" series and included himin a book on the collection.

The photograph showsFederico Borrás Alcain,

President of the Urrundik BasqueAssociation in Paraná andDirector of the radio program"Basque Presence" at work.

The documentary video "Lospasos de Juan BautistaEchezarreta",produced in 2004by the 'Kotoiaren Lurra' BasqueCenter in Chaco (Argentina) andthe Chaco Province Under-Secretariat for Culture, wasselected for the 20th Mar delPlata International Film Festivalwhich took place on 10-20March.The workof videomakerand writer JulioH o r a c i oLaurino, the filmnarrates the lifeof Juan BautistaEchezarreta,born in Gipuzkoain the late 19thCentury, whoarrived in Chacoat a very youngage.There he chose the traditionof dairy farmer for a living,forging a destiny for himselfthrough hard work like many ofthe other immigrants who landedin this province.This video is thesecond of a series in thiscoproduction between the saidinstitutions endeavoring tounderline the imprint left byBasques on the Province ofChaco.The first of the two was "Elcura caminador: SeverianoAiastui Errasti" (The walkingpriest: Severiano AiastuiErrasti).

Recently,the President of the"Kotoiaren Lurra" Basque Centerin Chaco,Oscar Nelson Bulacio,presented Ángeles Iztueta,Basque Minister for Education,Universities and Research,with acopy of this video thatrepresented inland Argentina atthe Mar del Plata InternationalFilm Festival.

Recognition of Basqueimmigration

The life of JuanBautista Echezarreta,

on video

"Basque presence",15 years on the air



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BASQUE CENTERS

Nicomedes Iguain Azurza("Niko" to those who knewhim) was born on 17th May1927 in Beasain (Gipuzkoa).

He was the eldest ofeight children. His father,Pedro José Iguain, aremarkable organ player anddirector of the BeasainMunicipal Band, created theLoinaz choir in the sametown.

Having passed his highschool certificate, Nikobegan his studies to becomea lawyer at the University ofValladolid.

Somewhere around1948, he contacted a Basqueresistance group consistingof Basque students andheaded by Arenaza in thesaid Castilian city,distributing flyers on Basquenationalism.

Having found the group,Niko was given the job ofdestroying propaganda bythrowing it into the RiverPisuerga, but with themisfortune that the packetburst and hundreds of flyersfloated to the surface.

Arrested and on thepoint of being tried, in aneven worse situation givenhis position of "universitymilitia spearhead ", he wasfinally saved fromprosecution by his father’stremendous efforts.

In 1949 the Iguain-Azurza family immigrated toArgentina with Niko. Theyset up home in Azul andlater in Buenos Aires.

Inheritor of his father’smusical talent, he became aconsummated organ-player,eventually taking over hisprogenitor’s position in theParish Church of La Piedad.

It was around that timethat he launched himself intoan outstanding career asmusic teacher at La SalleSchool, marking the start ofan over thir ty-yearrevolution in the teaching ofMusic at secondary schoolsin Argentina, sowing in hisstudents not only a love ofmusic, but of everythingrelated to painting,sculpture, architecture,cinema, etc.

The other great loveaccompanying hisexceptional teaching workwas the Basque culture.

He was therefore amember of the famousSaski-Naski formation. Theholder of a fine baritonevoice, he created the vocalquartet "Aberri", along withMertxe Marrodán (later tobecome his wife), Juan JoséAgote and Miguel Aguirre.

He organized at theDenak Bat in Lomas deZamora memorable tributesto Padre Donosti and JesúsGuridi, sharing radioauditions of Basque Musicon National Radio withIsidoro de Fagoaga.

Politically speaking, hewas an enthusiasticsupporter of Jagi-Jagi in thefifties, in 1957 becoming oneof the founders in Argentinaof the Basque NationalFront, headed from

Iparralde by Telesforo deMonzón.

Following a trip to theFar East, he completelyabandoned partisan

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