A Basque in Boise

Help Small Village Foundation make dolls for kids in South Africa

Small Village Foundation is getting ready to depart on May 31 to South Africa with 10 Boise area students and 4 adult chaperons.  For 2 weeks they will be working on various projects, which include lots of painting, installing a garden and a playground, and numerous activities and interactions with rural South African children.  They need some help with various task, like filling in the 28 army bags they will take on their journey. They are collecting soccer balls and black baby dolls to take to the children because they very literally have nothing.

If you would like to help making the dolls (stuffing and simple sewing), this is your chance. Gloria Totoricaguena, member of the Cenarrusa Foundation Board of Advisors, has organized a get together at the Basque Center on Wednesday May 15 at 6:00 pm to help her friends Lisa and Teri with their trip to South Africa.

The Small Village Foundation is a non-profit humanitarian organization dedicated to improving the lives of rural Africans and to providing opportunities for Americans to use their talents to help others. Based in Boise, Idaho, the Small Village Foundation accomplishes these goals by funding a variety of clean water, education, and health projects in rural African villages and by providing opportunities for American high school students and adults to travel to rural African villages to engage in hands-on humanitarian projects.

If you have any questions, please call Lisa Derig at 867-8803.

Movie night at the Basque Center: “Tasio”

Euzkaldunak is proud to once again present “Movie Night” at the Basque Center. Please join  us on Thursday, May 23 upstairs in the card room. No host cocktails begin at 6:30 pm and the movie “TASIO” will start at 7:00 pm. This is legendary Basque director, Montxo Armendariz’ classic film of a charcoal-maker in Navarre. This is a traditional film in which Tasio grows up from a boy to a teen to a man, giving the viewer a sympathetic and clear picture of Basque culture.

Boise 150 Celebration at the Basque Museum

Join the Basque Museum as it celebrates Boise 150 and Idaho 150 with activities for children and adults on Saturday, June 1.

We’ll begin at 10:00 AM with fun activities for children ages 4-12 years. There will be a basic introduction to archaeology and the Cyrus Jacobs/Uberuaga House followed by activities including: crafts, musical instruments, washboards, the Bolatoki (outdoor bowling), and artifact recovery. Special tours of the historic house and the recent discovery of the well will be given to all children participating. (NOTE:Preregistration is suggested for the children’s portion of the day’s activities).

At noon, Professor Stacey Camp, UI Archaeology, accompanied by two UI Archaeology students who participated on the dig of the Jacobs Family well in August 2012 will present some of their findings of the pioneer Jacobs Family and the oldest surviving brick residence in Boise.

NOTE: Children’s activities will continue outside while the adult presentation takes place inside so that families can participate in the activity. Both the children’s activities and adult lecture are free and open to the public.

30th Annual Basque Foundation Golf Tournament

The 30th Annual Euzkaldunak Benefit Golf Tournament will be held Saturday the 27 of July at Falcon Crest Golf Course. For information and team registration, please contact:

Joe Aburusa
jaburusa@gmail.com
(208) 860-5120

Phil Goodson
philgoodson@gmail.com
(208) 860-4647
 

Pala classes for kids in July

There will be a pala instructor from the Basque Country in Boise on July 18-29 to hold camps and classes for children. There will also be opportunities for adults to work with the instructor. Please mark your calendar. There will be more information as it becomes available.

Not so long ago I wrote about why I love Boise’s Basque Center, our cultural center featuring a public bar and rental venue for the Basque community as well as the general public. In my opinion, it is the one place above all others within our Basque community that keeps us united, regardless of age, gender, and town of origin.

Now, the Euzkaldunak Basque Center is seeking an artist to create a new logo for the heart of our Boise area Basque community.

A little history

The Euzkaldunak Basque Center is a 3-story building that resides in Downtown Boise, Idaho on the historic Basque block. The Basque Center was built in 1949 and is a gathering place for Basque people in the area. We help maintain our heritage by supporting Basque dancing, events and gatherings.

The Center acts as the primary home for our two dancing groups, Boiseko Gazteak, and the Oinkari Basque Dancers. The Center is also home for a Basque music group, Txantxangorriak, which plays traditional music at many of the Basque festivals. Annually we hold tournaments for two traditional Basque card games.

The Basque Center hosts several events throughout the year such as San Inazio in July, a typical Basque street festival. In December we hold a Sheepherder’s Ball Dinner and Dance to help raise money for our Basque Charities account, which allows us to help individuals and families in need throughout the year.

Gatherings also include membership monthly dinners that run from August through May.

How to submit

If you are feeling up to the challenge and would like to go down in history as the cool person who designed Boise’s Basque Center logo, here are the steps to get you there:

To submit your artwork, please email files to maite@ahizpak.com and include the following information:

• First Name, Last Name
• Address City/State/Zip
• Phone/Email
• Optional: Artist Bio (one paragraph limit) & website if applicable

Submission Guidelines:

• Logo should embody the Euzkaldunak’s proud past, bright future and to cultivate Basque culture.
• Logo will be used on websites, various printed materials, signage, and other publications. The logo should be effective in both grayscale and color. Overall design should be limited to a maximum of four colors with a workable grayscale adaptation.
• Submit up to 3 concepts in PDF format.
• The winning logo needs to be provided in PDS and EPS format with associated font files included. Pantone matched colors appreciated.
• By submitting the winning design, you recognize that the Euzkaldunak Basque Center will own the design and all associated rights.
• Use of any copyrighted logos, fonts or slogans that require a license to reproduce will disqualify your submission.

Deadline

May 8, 2013: submission deadline of 1-3 concepts in PDF or EPS format. Euzkaldunak (Basque Center) board will select the 3 most effective designs and vote on their favorite.

The winning artist will be notified by email and highlighted on our Facebook page and the monthly newsletter. The new logo will appear on the website as soon as it is completed. The winning artist will be credited for the new design and the Euzkaldunak Basque Center board will introduce the new logo.

The winning artist will receive:

• Fame and glory
• Recognition for your donation through a media blast
• $150 honorarium

Our soccer team (unfortunately) might not be groovin’ it this season, but Bilbao continues to be in the international spotlight and making us proud. At the beginning of the year, British Foundation of City Mayors named Bilbao’s Mayor, Iñaki Azkuna, the best Mayor in the world. Today, I read on the eitb.com website that The Airport of Bilbao has been chosen among USA Today’s “World’s most beautiful airports”.

Here, let me wipe this little tear of joy before reposting the article for your convenience.

Bilbao airport among USA Today’s ‘World’s most beautiful airports’

Its resemblance to a dove, the steel and concrete structure and the healthy dose of natural sunlight throughout the day are some of the things that USA Today mentions in its article.

The Airport of Bilbao, nicknamed ‘La Paloma’ due to its resemblance to a dove taking flight, has been chosen among USA Today’s “World’s most beautiful airports” when the national American daily newspaper listed ten of the best airports considered as striking works of architecture.

The steel and concrete structure that integrates into the surrounding green hills near Bilbao, the minimalist and sculptural four-floor departure hall and the healthy dose of natural sunlight throughout the day are the things that USA Today mentions in its article, which also has beautiful pictures of the airports, plus a link to the 10 Best Things to do in Bilbao.

A nearby airport also on the list was Madrid’s Barajas Airport, whose “terminal 4’s architectural highlights include colorful steel pylons supporting a bamboo ceiling that lets in sunlight with the aim of creating a tranquil and calming space for passengers passing through.”

The list is completed with John F. Kennedy Airport (New York), Beijing International Airport, Denver International Airport, Incheon International Airport (Seoul, South Korea), Marrakech Menara Airport (Morocco), Changi Airport (Singapore), Hong Kong International Airport and Carrasco International Airport (Uruguay).

We already touched a little bit last year on a big event for Boise’s Basque community that is rapidly approaching: The 100th anniversary of the Anduiza Building fronton, which is quite an accomplishment when you consider the city is only 150 years old.

There is an initiative to compile as many fronton stories, tributes, and photographs as possible, and Boise’s Basque community needs your help. If you have anything you’d like to contribute or would like to help with this project, please contact John Bieter at johnbieter@boisestate.edu or Mark Bieter at markbieter@yahoo.com.

Related posts

• Boise’s Anduiza Fronton: Approaching 100 years of pilota history
• El frontón de Boise, en puertas de su centenario
• Cien años contra la pared
• My favorite room, by Mark Bieter (also in Spanish)

A couple of weeks ago, the Boise Basque Center secretary asked me to translate an email she had received in Basque regarding a “bertsopaper” contest organized by the Hernandorena Culture Association in honor of Pello Mari Otaño, a famous bertsolari from Zizurkil, Gipuzkoa. He is a very well-know figure in Argentina, where he died in 1910 of a heart attack in the city of Rosario, Santa Fe. I meant to write about it then, but luckily I waited and now the Etxepare Institute has the news already written in English.

First bertsopaper competition Pello Mari Otaño

The Hernandorena Culture Association has organised the first “bertsopaper” competition, in order to keep the memory of Pello Mari Otaño.

The competition is not going to be focussed exclusively to the Basque Country. Taking into account that Otaño left his mark in America, the Association has created another section for the Basques who are at the diaspora. Otaño lived for many years in Argentina. Since then, it has been kept the relationship between the “Euskal Etxeak” of Zizurkil and Argentina. Nowadays, they are working with the Etxepare Basque Institute, in order to open a Pello Mari Otaño Chair at the La Plata University. Therefore, this competition’s aim is to strengthen these relationships. The call for the participation is available at the Basque Centers (601 Grove Street, in Boise).

The contest is divided in three categories:

1. Young people up to 18 years of age (born after 1995)
2. Basques in the Diaspora: Basques that were born and who live outside of the Basque Country
3. Adults: Born in 1995 or before

Each participant may present as many works as they want, nonetheless, in the young category, there is a minimum of 6 verses and a maximum of 10. In the adult category, there is a minimum of 8 verses and a maximum of 12. The deadline to participate will be the 10th of April, and the 4th of May the names of the winners will be published, who will have the opportunity to sing their own verses.

The verses must be original and unpublished. Entries will be identified by a never before used pseudonym inside the verse. If you are mailing your entry by regular post, the verses and identifying pseudonym must be noted on the first envelope. A second envelope will include the author’s details: pseudonym, real name, address and phone number. Finally, both envelopes need to be put inside a third one that will be mailed to the specified address. If you are emailing your entry, you will need to include two attachments in your message: the verses with the pseudonym in one, and the rest of the information in the other.

By email: pedromariotano@zizurkil.net

By regular post:
Hernandorena Kultur Elkartea
(Pello Mari Otaño bertsopaper lehiaketa/verse contest)
Iriarte etxea – Pello Mari Otaño plaza, 1
20159 – Zizurkil.

1500 euros will be distributed in prizes: in the young category, the winner will win 250 euros and the runner-up 100. In the adult category, the winner will receive 500 euros and the runner-up 250.

You can check the announcement in both Basque and Spanish. Or if you would like additional information, you can call +34 65 674 3741.

Few things are as rewarding for me as writing about what’s going on in Basque communities abroad, particularly in the state of Idaho. It’s even better when I blog about events organized by people I know or attended by my friends.

Today is one of those happy times when I get to share with you news about an awesome person who, for the second time in four years, has made Boiseko Ikastola shine even more. I’m talking about Irune Sánchez, a very, very special friend and Boise’s Basque language immersion school teacher. She first came to work for the Ikastola in 2008, when my own kids were enrolled. She decided to come back last year to teach for another 15 months and has made even more families happy. Irune is the greatest with kids, good-natured, fun and full of energy. Boiseko Ikastola in particular and Boise’s Basque community in general, we are lucky to have her.

A few days ago, Basque newspaper Anboto published an interview with Irune, which I’ve put in English below. If you rather read the article in Basque, find it online at Anboto’s website, or download the pdf and navigate to page 24.

I always ask that you forgive me when translating from Spanish to English. On a Basque to English translation, I really, really mean it!

Irune Sánchez: ”Like my friends say, I’m another Basque-American”

Irune Sánchez, a Basque teacher from Berriz, Basque Country, made cakes for San Blas with the kids at Boiseko Ikastola. She is happy in Boise: she says she feels at home among those people in Boise who experience Basque culture in their own special way. Boiseko Ikastola was created fifteen years ago with to preserve Basque culture. Kids between three and six years of age attend the school, and Irune is their only teacher. There are over 5000 miles between Berriz and Boise, but thanks to today’s technology, she answered our questions right away.

What type of lifestyle do you have in Boise?

Even though Boise is a city, it’s not like other cities in the United States. It has the charm of a smaller place. I work until four o’clock during the week, then play pala once a week. Other days I teach Basque at the Basque Museum, I go for a walk with my roommate or I have a couple of drinks.

You were there four years ago and decided to go back.

Yes, I came in 2008 and spend 15 months here. Then I went to London and in 2012, the Basque Museum asked if I would come back, and here I am again. Like my friends here say, I’m another Basque-American, I feel at home and I know most Basque people here.

How is the Ikaskola in Boise?

It’s called Ikastola, but it’s more of a preschool. There are kids between three and six years of age. Some Basque formed the Ikastola in 1998 for their kids to be surrounded by other Basque children and to maintain the Basque culture. Now we have 21 kids split between two classrooms.

Do they call you ‘Miss Irune’?

No! Some kids whose parents are not Basque do, but otherwise they call me Irune or teacher.

How do the parents and their kids experience the Basque language there?

This group is very different from the group I had four years ago. Then, the kids spoke more Basque because they had parents at home who spoke to them in Basque. In this year’s group there are four kids whose parents know Basque but it’s difficult for them to speak to their children in Basque. It’s not easy. I do my best but they don’t speak much Basque among each other. They use “give, take, careful, don’t run”, and things like that.

We hear that people from the Diaspora are really proud of their roots? Do you agree?

If you ask my friends from here, none of them will tell you they are just American; they are Basque-American. They all know where their family came from and the surrounding towns. Then, they have necklaces or tattoos featuring the lauburu or something related to the Basque Country. They give their kids Basque names and if the Basque last name is going to be lost, they make it the kid’s middle name, like Parker Arana Anderson or McKenna Kattalin. Basques here feel more their roots more than many in the Basque Country and they fight more to maintain their language and traditions.

You teach many things about Basque culture.

Not so long ago we celebrated Tamborrada at the Ikastola. Then we did Santa Agueda and finally we made cakes for the parents during San Blas. Next week, although a little bit late, we will celebrate Lantza’s carnival and we will sing songs for the parents.

You will also celebrate Korrika this year.

Yes! The Ikastola kids, their parents and many people from Boise will gather at the Basque Center. A couple of years ago about 200 people took part. We will run and then eat at the Center. Adults will pay $15 and the money will be used to send young people to the Basque Country to improve their Basque.

You have been in London too. Did you always want to live abroad?

Yes… I left when I was young and now, even though I miss my town and I’m older, it’s not easy to come back. I always think there will be time to return and for now I have to ties. I want to travel more.

You will be in Boise until the end of the year. Would you like to stay longer?

Yes… if it was up to me, I would stay here at least two more years!

Related posts

• Boiseko euskaldunak
• Basque Run/Walk Korrika returns to Boise on March 9, 2013
• St. Agueda celebrations in Boise
• Idaho vs Bizkaia: Two worlds, two different lifestyles

Studying the effects of the Bilbao Guggenheim Museum with Joseba Zulaika in Chicago

By Etxepare Institute

2013-01-29 The anthropologist Joseba Zulaika is the teacher of the new edition of the Koldo Mitxelena Chair at the University of Chicago, which main topic is focused on “the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao: museums, arquitecture and city renewal”.The workshop began the 6th of January and will finish the 1st of February.

Zulaika will use the study of the “Bilbao Guggenheim Museum effect”to show everyone what architecture could do to change the image and the touristic appeal of a postindustrial city. In fact, the study of such “Guggenheim effects” has become mandatory in the departments of architecture, museum studies, urban renewal, or tourism.

In Zulaika´s opinion, Bilbao’s fin de millennium has become the paradigmatic example of the interdependencies between museum culture, the international art market, spectacular architecture, tourism, the politics of local identities, urban regeneration discourse, the media, late capitalist strategies, and the promotional selling of national images in a postmodern world. The approach of the course is multidisciplinary: cultural studies, anthropology, urbanism and architecture, museum and popular culture.

In addition to the workshop, Joseba Zulaika will offer two colloquiums at the University of Chicago, in the Department of Division of Humanities. The first one was held the 28 of January. Joseba Zulaika and Karlos Arregi, teacher at the University of Chicago, analyzed the Allocutive agreement and forms of address in Basque. The second one will be held today with the title “Gernika, Bilbao and the Minotaur: From Picasso to Ghery”.

The Koldo Mitxelena Chair was created by the Etxepare Basque Institute in 2012, with the aim of promoting the dissemination of Basque Studies in the American University field. The Chair is located in the Division of Humanities department at the University of Chicago and every year renowned Basque professors teach some workshops. Lourdes Oñederra, phonology professor at the University of the Basque Country, was the first visiting professor.

The Etxepare Basque Institute is also in charge of two Chairs: Bernardo Atxaga Chair at City University of New York (CUNY) and Eduardo Chillida Chair at the Goethe University (Germany).

Come by the Basque Center on February 7 for a fundraiser benefiting the Basque Museum and Cultural Center’s Expanding Horizons Campaign. See a sneak preview performance of Trey McIntyre’s Arrantza, part of their February 16 Spring Show. They will also welcome the Oinkari Basque Dancers as part of the celebration.

Wine, paella and dance … come Basque in the fun and go behind the scenes of Arrantza!

First Thursday, February 7, 5:30 pm
Tickets are $40 each, $140 for four—wine and paella included
Call the Basque Museum at 208-343-2671 for tickets and reservations.
 

 

Related posts

• Boise Oinkari Basque dancers featured in “Downtown Boise Gift Card” commercial
• Patty Miller and Boise Basque Museum to Receive Awards
• Boise’s Basque Block featured in Idaho for 91 Days series
• Where do I find out about Basque events in Boise?

I’m so happy there have been great Basque-related news lately, thus giving me something to share with you without actually making an effort to sit down at the computer and think about what to write. Besides, learning about Bilbao’s Mayor being voted best in the world tops by far Andoni breaking a tooth in New Year’s Eve. Not for me, of course, but I’m his amatxu after all. I got an excuse.

Today I’d like to bring your attention to a couple of travelers named Jürgen, from Germany, and Mike (go figure), from the USA. Born wanderers, they love learning about new cultures and have decided to see the world… slowly. In their opinion, always being tourist might get lame, but they can live being eternal newcomers. Their plan is to move to an interesting new city, once every three months. About 91 days.

Idaho was their latest destination and on January 10, right before their farewell, they published an article on Boise’s Basque Block.

Boise’s Basque Block

By Mike Powell

Basque Shepherds and Arborglyphs

One of the most idiosyncratic aspects of Idaho, and Boise in particular, is its connection to the Basque Country. Because of geographic and climatic similarities to their homeland, thousands of emigrating Basques chose Idaho as their new home. Their influence remains strong throughout the state, but nowhere is it more celebrated celebrated than in Boise’s Basque Block.

A wonderfully realized mural on Capital Boulevard welcomes visitors into the block. For the uninitiated, the painting works as a visual introduction to the Basques and their history in Idaho. Scenes from the homeland mix with representations of Idahoan pastoral life and even a recreation of Picasso’s Guernica.

The block itself centers on the Basque Heritage Museum and House, both of which we took a tour of. The museum is excellent, with a exhibits that throw a light on the Basques, their homeland, language, history and present-day situation. Basques are a fascinating people, thought to be among Europe’s oldest cultures, with a language whose roots can’t be traced to any other. Though their history has been fraught with hardship, today the Basque Country (which they call the Euskal Herria) is one of the most prosperous regions in Spain.

The Basque Boarding House is as interesting as the museum. It’s one of the oldest surviving houses in Boise, and was owned and run by a Basque family for decades. Mostly, the boarding house hosted shepherds over the winter. After snow fell, most of the Basque herdsmen who worked for the big Idahoan ranchers would be temporarily laid off. With whatever money they had saved, they moved into boarding houses to spend the winter months gambling, drinking and pining for home.

The boarding house has remained mostly unchanged from bygone days, and is filled with artifacts and furniture appropriate to the era. We were given a tour by the museum’s director, Patty Smith, who (despite the very English name) is of Basque heritage and who knows practically everything about the culture. She also showed us into the block’s pilota hall, where the fast-moving sport is still frequently played.

There’s a lot more to discover in the relatively small block. Public art, like the larger-than-life laikas(Basque farm implements) which crown the entrance to the block. Basque poems and songs inscribed into the sidewalk. Bar Gernika, a popular restaurant which serves up traditional fare like chorizo sandwiches and a delicious lamb grinder.

No visit to Boise is complete without a tour around the Basque Block. The fascinating and surprising connection to the Old World is one of the city’s defining characteristics.

Location on our Idaho Map
Basque Cultural Center Boise Idaho – Website

-Buy A Basque Beret Here

Before I leave you with a wonderful series of photos featuring Boise’s Basque Block taken by Jürgen during their visit, I’d like to encourage you all to thank these traveler for their great work. You can share your comments, suggestions or questions with this contact form, or by sending them an email. You can also follow them on Twitter and Facebook.

Besides the Basque Block, Jürgen and Mike have also featured The Old Boise Penitentiary, The Capitol Building and the Boise Train Depot, or The Boise State Broncos, among other Idaho places. Visit their Idaho for 91 Days website to check them all out.

Boise’s young american filmmaker Javi Aitor Zubizarreta won the Best Screenplay Award at the 1st Annual Festival Internacional de Cine de Hermosillo (México) for his first long feature “Zuretzako” (For you).

The festival took place last week, from December 11 to the 15th in the Art Museum of Sonora.

These are the films that competed in the “Long Feature” category:

Pruebas (España, 78 min., Jaime Bartolomé).
Semiprofesionales (España, 86 min., Juan A. Anguita).
Zuretzako (Estados Unidos, 45 min., Javi Aitor Zubizarreta).
Lección debida (España, 62 min., Ivan Ruiz Flores)

The 1st Annual Festival Internacional de Cine de Hermosillo (FICH) is a non-profit organization whose goal is to recognize the work and talent of filmmakers around the world, providing a source of culture and tourism to promote art and the passion for movies.

The first American-made Basque-language film, Zuretzako is based on the life of filmmaker and Princess Grace Award-Winner Javi Zubizarreta’s own grandfather. Starring Zubizarreta’s father and brother in the title roles, Zuretzako tells the story of the sacrifices that fathers make and the toll they take on their sons.

Related articles

• ‘Zuretzako’ wins nomination to best film at the Red Rock International Film
• “Zuretzako”, a Basque immigrant tale
• “Zuretzako” in the Idaho Statesman
• Javi Zubizarreta’s “Zuretzako” to premiere in Boise next week (Includes an interview with Josu Zubizarreta)