This isn’t the first generation of Oinkaris it has hosted for dance practice or performance…and hopefully the floor will last for another decade or so until it needs to be replaced. It creaks and flexes under the weight of so many feet. And the rhythmic poundings of kicks and twirls of the Oinkari Basque Dancers vibrate throughout the whole room, in celebration.
The walls are lined with tables and chairs – overflowing with Basque families and their friends.

A semicircle unconsciously begins to take shape as those who have come for the festivies leave a small space for the dancers to appear. Wine glasses and water are scattered intermittently between elbows of onlookers at surrounding tables. Children on their mother’s laps try to peer eagerly over their neighbor’s shoulders to catch a glimpse of the dancers. Some children slide under tables and peek out through the jungle of legs and tapping toes. The flash of red and black — the characteristic snapping of flying fingers of Basque Dances, cause a few little ones in my line of sight to giggle with delight, their eyes bright with admiration. Those in the audience who have been “pushed” to the back of the anxious crowd, find solace and companionship at the bar. I can’t help but think this is also a long-standing tradition.

The dancers skip onto the dance floor with, each with their arku or wooden hoop. KREEK,KRAK,KREEK,KRAK reverberates from the hoops as the dancers slap them together in mock combat… up and down…side to side…creating a primal beat. BAT, BI, HIRU, LAU… The crowd claps together with the beat of the arkus. Laughter and talking fill the air and warm it. There is no empty space.

I am able to pick out a few comments and conversations “ You see that kick?!? these old legs ache just watching it! Haha” or “ Jimmy used to play at all these dances…”

Mouth-watering aromas of Chorizo & Bacalau are drifting up the stairs from a dinner that was prepared just hours before in the Boise Euskaldunak’ basement, just under this busy dance floor. These mix with the somehow comforting hint of decades’ old cigarette and cigar smoke that lingers stubbornly in the upholstery or in the Basque Center’s walls. Although some things stay the same…some things do change . People now have to take their smokes outside.

Dan Ansotegui on his accordion, Sean Aucutt on his pandera and Miren Azpitarte on her albolka – they all strike up the music as the dancers prepare for the Arrateako Dantza eta Poriselda. Kicks and twirls…snaps and jumps…. the music takes one back to a time before even the oldest memories in the room can recall personally. The light layer of dust skirting the floor gives way to make room for arbarkak and espadrilles…leaving distinctly artistic trails on the floor for those who are able to look away from the Oinkaris fast moving feet long enough to catch a glimpse of the larger story playing out through the dance.

The Sheepherders Ball is a long-standing tradition with the Boise Basques. This gathering dates back to approximately 1929. Basque herders would come into town looking for companionship and those who could speak their native tongue. Basque women might attend the dances hoping to glimpse a suitable husband. Both men and women were expected “dress up” in the earlier days. The men in their “American” Denim Levis and the women in simple house dresses. The Basque use of the term “Ball” indicated that this dance was special. Today there is not a spoken dress code…but as amuma might say, “ You never know who you are going to meet at these things – you should look your best!”

The Sheepherders Ball is also very special for the Oinkari Taldea. 50 years ago this month, the Oinkaris made their debut performance at this event. Today the tradition continues by allowing all new members of the dance group to make their debut performance at the Ball.
It is my belief that even as the traditions of the Basque culture are being kept alive through events like this, every generation is redefining what it means “ to be Basque”. But some things never change. Instead of talking, these dance floors and walls echo the camaraderie of all those that danced, sang and clapped before us. Gora!

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Cold white breaths rise slowly as they escape the smiles from the on looking crowd. It is a chilly 20 F in Hailey, ID but the sun is shining brightly and the sky is cloudless. The day couldn’t be more perfect. The mountains are lightly dusted with snow and majestically lord over the Wood River Valley in Central Idaho. Despite their beauty, they aren’t the focal point today. All eyes are on the dancers with the red dresses with black stripes, white pants and red txapalas: The Oinkari Basque dancers.

P.J. Mansisidor (former president of the Oinkari taldea.) lets out a shrill irrintzi. Its a call to arms. The yell causes a domino effect: Dan Ansotegi’s fingers push his accordion buttons, John Krakau puts his hand to his pandera and starts its rythmic vibrations and the dancer’s feet and arms kick and snap into action. It s blur of color and sounds as the Oinkaris sway and kick in unison in their opening dance, a jota. The girl’s red skirts twirl and the men’s bells keep time with John Krakau’s panderna. The audience loves it.

Proud shouts of ” Aupa Oinkariak!” can be heard from amongst the crowd….most likely from the old Amerikanuaks that make the annual trip to the festival each year. To them, the Oinkaris are more than a visual symbol of Basque culture in Idaho. The dancers represent the strength and resillience of a people gone far from home…dancing through each generation…still going strong.
The Trailing of the Sheep festival is an annual favorite trip for the Oinkaris. Beautiful scenary, fresh mountain air…it’s hard to hate Hailey, ID. The Oinkaris’ performances are a consistent crowd favorite. This year, the Oinkaris were housed in two fully furnished condominums courtesy of the Trailing of the Sheep Festival. In their down time between performances, they ate at a local resturant, Smokey Mountain Pizzeria and Pasta, where they enjoyed good food, drink and som live entertainment. Back at the condos, the Oinakris relaxed by playing and listening to music, and playing several varieties of card games.
The Trailing of the Sheep Festival was created to commemorate the history of the sheepherding Industry in Idaho and the immigrant cultures that made it a success. It is said that John Hailey brought the first sheep into the Wood River Valley in the late 1860’s. As the mines began to play out and produce less the sheep industry filled an increasingly large role in the local Wood River Valley economy. By the late 1800’s, there were a reported six hundred thousand sheep in Idaho. A famous 1905 newspaper photograph of a shearing plant in neighboring Picabo states that 95,000 sheep were sheared in a one week period! In 1918 the sheep population reached 2.65 million (almost six times the human population of Idaho).
Thousands of lambs were shipped by railroad through Bellevue, Hailey and Ketchum to markets around the west. As a major sheep center, Ketchum was second only to Sydney, Australia! The role of the Basques in the sheep industry was critical to its success. They began to arrive in the U.S. from their homeland in northern Spain in the mid-1850s. They came in response to the gold rush but soon they began migrating around the west finding jobs as sheepherders. Their hard work and dependability made it possible for the industry’s success. Many Basques stayed on in the U.S, often beginning their own sheep operations – the Cenarrusas, Etcheverrys, and Oxarangos among others. Today most Idaho herders are Peruvian and most Basque familes have moved on to other careers but the Basque’s work ethic and sucess is still considered the model for today’s sheep industry in the U.S.

The Trailing of the Sheep Festival celebrates a rich history in which Basques have played a critical role. It is fitting that the Oinkaris are such a vital and integral part of each year’s festivities.

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