About three million
Basques live in
their green and beautiful homeland in the Pyrenees Mountains.
The land of the Basques (called Eskual Herria in the Basque language)
straddles the border of France and Spain,
comprising three French and four Spanish provinces.
The Basques are a distinctive people
with several unique characteristics:
-
Language -
Basque is apparently the only Western European language that does not
belong to the Indo-European family of languages.
Written Basque is as strange-looking as the language is strange-sounding,
featuring an extraordinary number of x's and an apparent
disregard for vowels.
The Basques refer to themselves as Euskaldunak,
or ``speakers of the Euzkara''.
Contemporary theories
suggest that Basques may have descended from early Iberian tribes,
and this language presumably came with them.
Legend states the Devil tried to learn Basque by
listening behind the door of a Basque farmhouse.
After seven years,
he mastered only two words:
``Yes, Ma'am.''
This, say the Basques, is a tribute to their women as well as
the difficulty of their tongue.
- Blood - Blood-type frequencies cement the Basques claims of ethnic uniqueness. They have the world's highest frequency of type O and RH negative blood. The Basques clearly are a people which did not mingle with outsiders.
- Toughness - The Basques are a tough people, with a strong determination to preserve their national character. They defended themselves against the Phoenicians, the Greeks, the Romans and the Visigoths. The Basques wiped out half of Emperor Charlemagne's rear guard at the battle of the Pass of Roncesvalles. Guernica was a Basque village leveled in the Spanish Civil War, made famous by Picasso's painting - now it is the home of the largest fronton on Europe.
The Basque love of freedom continues today.
For over thirty years,
the terrorist group ETA (Euskadi ta Askatasuna, translated as
Basque Homeland and Liberty)
has been fighting Spain
to win the independence of the Basque region, and killing some 800
people in the process.
More recently, the spectacular new Guggenheim museum in Bilbao
has put the Basque region on the map
for something other than jai-alai or terrorist activities.
Indeed, the Basque region of Spain and France is a terrific place to
spend a vacation.
A one-week trip could combine the unique architecture of Bilbao with
the spectacular beaches of San Sebastian.
You can drive winding cliff roads
along an unspoiled rocky coast, stopping to eat fresh seafood and tapas,
the little plates of savory appetizers which have spread throughout Spain
but originated in the Basque country.
You can stop in nearby Pamplona to see the running of the bulls, made
famous by Hemingway.
And, of course, you can watch the finest jai-alai in the world.
*******
Typical Basque Clothing
"Caserio" Basque Rural Home
"Caserio" Basque Rural Home
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