Basques
Euskaldunak | | Total population | | approx. 18,000,000 worldwide | | Regions with significant populations |
 Basque Country[1] | | | | Alava | 279,000 | | | Biscay | 1,160,000 | | | Guipuscoa | 684,000 | | | Total (Basque Country) | 2,123,000 | |
 Navarre[2] | 560,000 | |
 Spain Total (Spain) | 2,304,000 | |
 France | | | | Labourd | 225,000 | | | Lower Navarre | 40,000 | | | Soule | 20,000 | | | Total (France) | 285,000 | | | TOTAL | 2,589,000 | | | Basque Patronyms in other French and Spanish regions | | | | Spain | 4,000,000 | | | France | 1,000,000 | | | Diaspora | | |
 Mexico | 4.1 million | [citation needed] |
 Chile | 1.5 million | [citation needed] |
 Brazil | 800.000 - 1.500.000 | [citation needed] |
 United States | 57,793 | [citation needed] |
 Uruguay | 35,000 | [citation needed] |
 Philippines | 6,000 | [citation needed] | | | Language(s) | Basque - few monoglots
Spanish - 1,525,000 monoglots
French - 150,000 monoglots
Basque-Spanish - 600,000 speakers
Basque-French - 76,000 speakers
[citation needed] Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Basque_Country. ...
Pays Basque) see Northern Basque Country. ...
lava (Basque Araba, Spanish lava) is a province of northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. ...
For other uses, see Biscay (disambiguation). ...
Guipuscoa province. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Navarre. ...
“Navarra†redirects here. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Coat of Arms of Labourd Labourd (Lapurdi in Basque; from Latin Lapurdum, Labord in Gascon) is a former French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. ...
Basse-Navarre (Nafarroa Beherea in Basque) is a former French province, part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. ...
Mauléon, capital of Soule Soule (Zuberoa, Xiberu or Xüberoa in Basque, Sola in Gascon) is a former French province and part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département. ...
The Basque diaspora is the name given to describe people of Basque origin living outside their traditional homeland on the borders between Spain and France. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Mexico. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Chile. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Brazil. ...
Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_Uruguay. ...
Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Philippines. ...
Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...
Monoglottism (Greek monos, alone, solitary, + glotta, tongue, language) is the condition of being able to speak only a single language. ...
other native languages | | Religion(s) | | Traditionally Roman Catholic | The Basques (Basque: Euskaldunak) are an ethnic group who inhabit parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...
Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...
The name Basque derives from Medieval French and from the ancient tribe of the Vascones,[3] described by Ancient Greek historian Strabo as living south of the western Pyrenees and north of the Ebro River, in modern day Navarre and northern Aragon. This tribal name, of unknown etymology, was extended in late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages to cover all Basque-speaking people on either side of the Pyrenees. This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ...
Location of the tribe of the Vascones. ...
The term ancient Greece refers to the periods of Greek history in Classical Antiquity, lasting ca. ...
The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ...
Pic de Bugatetin the Néouvielle Natural Reserve Central Pyrenees For the mountains in Victoria, Australia, see Pyrenees (Victoria). ...
This article is about the Spanish river. ...
“Navarra†redirects here. ...
Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish Area – Total – % of Spain Ranked 4th 47,719 km² 9. ...
“Ancient†redirects here. ...
The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ...
Basques are now mainly found in an area traditionally known as Euskal Herria, which is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay. Location of the Basque Country The Basque Country divided in seven provinces Capital Pamplona Official languages Basque, French, Spanish Demonym Basque Currency Euro The Basque-speaking areas This article is about the overall Basque domain. ...
Pic de Bugatetin the Néouvielle Natural Reserve Central Pyrenees For the mountains in Victoria, Australia, see Pyrenees (Victoria). ...
Map of the Bay of Biscay. ...
The Basques are known in local languages as:
- Euskaldunak ("Basque speakers", also used loosely to describe all ethnic Basques) or euskotarrak ("Natives of the Basque Country", a rarely used neologism) in Basque
- Vascos in Spanish
- Basques in French
- Bascos in Gascon
This article discusses the Basques as an ethnic group or, as some view them, a nation, in contrast to other ethnic groups living in the Basque area. The history of the Basque region as covered here will focus on how that history bears on the Basques as a people. Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...
The Gascon language is an Occitan dialect mostly spoken in Gascony (in the French départements of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Landes, Gers, Gironde, a part of Lot-et-Garonne, a part of Haute-Garonne, and a part of Ariège), and in the small Spanish...
For other uses, see Nation (disambiguation). ...
Recent genetic studies have confirmed that many western Europeans, including the great majority of Spaniards, Portuguese, Britons, Irish and French, have a common ancestry with modern Basques that can be traced to inhabitants of the Basque areas of Spain and France based on Y-chromosome and mtDNA analysis.[4] The originators of these genes are thought to have traveled up the Atlantic Coast in the Upper Palaeolithic and the Mesolithic period. Mitochondrial DNA (some captions in German) Mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) is the DNA located in organelles called mitochondria. ...
The Upper Paleolithic or Palaeolithic is the third and last subdivision of the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age as it is understood in Europe, Africa and Asia. ...
The Mesolithic (Greek mesos=middle and lithos=stone or the Middle Stone Age) is the period between the Paleolithic and Neolithic periods. ...
Etymology of the word "Basque" The English word "Basque" comes from French Basque (pronounced /bask/), which itself comes from Gascon Basco (pronounced /ˈbasku/) and Spanish Vasco (pronounced /ˈbasko/). These, in turn, come from Latin Vasco (pronounced /wasko/), plural Vascones (see History section below). The Latin labial-velar approximant /w/ generally evolved into the bilabials /b/ and /β̞/ in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basque and Aquitanian, a language related to old Basque and spoken in Gascony in Antiquity (similarly the Latin /w/ evolved into /v/ in French, Italian and other languages). This explains the Roman pun at the expense of the Aquitanians (ancestors of the Gascons): 'Beati Hispani quibus vivere bibere est", which translates as "Blessed (are the) Spaniards, for whom living is drinking'. The Romans considered the Aquitanians akin to the Spaniards. The Gascon language is an Occitan dialect mostly spoken in Gascony (in the French départements of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Landes, Gers, Gironde, a part of Lot-et-Garonne, a part of Haute-Garonne, and a part of Ariège), and in the small Spanish...
For other uses, see Latins and Latin (disambiguation). ...
The labial-velar approximant is a type of consonantal sound, used in certain spoken languages. ...
Betacism is a linguistic phenomenon in which the consonant b sound shifts to become a v sound. ...
In phonetics, a bilabial consonant is a consonant articulated with both lips. ...
Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne), region later known as Gascony before the Roman conquest and, probably much later until the Upper Middle Ages. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Classical antiquity is a broad term for a long period of cultural history centered on the Mediterranean Sea, which begins roughly with the earliest-recorded Greek poetry of Homer (7th century BC), and continues through the rise of Christianity and the fall of the Western Roman Empire (5th century AD...
For other uses, see Pun (disambiguation). ...
The Spanish people or Spaniards are an ethnic group native to Spain, in southwestern Europe, who are primarily descended from the autochthonous pre-Indo-European Euskaldunak, Latin, Visigothic, Celtic and Moorish peoples. ...
 Barscunes coin. Roman period Several coins from the 1st and 2nd centuries BC found in the north of Spain bear the inscription barscunes written in the Iberian alphabet. The place where they were minted is not certain but is thought to be somewhere near Pamplona in the heartland of the area that historians believe was inhabited by the Vascones. Some scholars have suggested a Celtic etymology based on bhar-s-, meaning "summit", "point" or "leaves", according to which barscunes may have meant "the mountain people", "the tall ones" or "the proud ones", while others have posited a relationship to a pre-Indo-European root *bar- meaning "border", "frontier", "march".[5] Image File history File links Barscunes. ...
Image File history File links Barscunes. ...
(2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 1st century BC started on January 1, 100 BC and ended on December 31, 1 BC. An alternative name for this century is the last century BC. The AD/BC notation does not use a year zero. ...
(2nd millennium BC - 1st millennium BC - 1st millennium) The 2nd century BC started on January 1, 200 BC and ended on December 31, 101 BC. // Coin of Antiochus IV. Reverse shows Apollo seated on an omphalos. ...
The Iberian alphabet was an alphabet, with some of the features of a syllabary, that was used to write the Iberian and Celtiberian languages. ...
Pamplona (Basque: Iruñea or Iruña) is the capital city of Navarre, Spain. ...
Map showing the Neolithic expansions from the 7th to the 5th millennium BCE Europe in ca. ...
Others suggest that Latin Vasco comes from a Basque and Aquitanian root used by these people to refer to themselves, eusk-, pronounced /ewsk/, which is rather similar to Latin /wasko/.[citation needed] The name of an Aquitanian people which the Romans recorded as Ausci (pronounced /awski/ in Latin) appears to represent from the same root. The basque word for hand/grasp is similar to the root "eusk" in Basque as well, with the sense that other ethnic groups have also for self referral as "those who grasp(thought,word),those who understand (us)". Auch is a town and commune in southwestern France. ...
In modern Basque, Basques call themselves euskaldunak, singular euskaldun, formed from euskal- (i.e. "Basque (language)") and -dun (i.e. "one who has"); euskaldun literally means a Basque speaker. Not all Basques are Basque-speakers, and not all Basque speakers are Basques; foreigners who have learned Basque can also be called euskaldunak. Therefore the neologism euskotar, plural euskotarrak, was coined in the nineteenth century to mean an ethnically Basque person whether Basque-speaking or not. These Basque words are all derived from euskara, the Basque name for the Basque language. A neologism is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (or coined), often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ...
Alfonso Irigoyen claimed that the word euskara comes from an ancient Basque verb enautsi "to say" (cf. modern Basque esan) and the suffix -(k)ara ("way (of doing something)"). Thus euskara would literally mean "way of saying", "way of speaking". One item of evidence in favour of this hypothesis is found in the Spanish book Compendio Historial, written in 1571 by the Basque writer Esteban de Garibay, who records the native name of the Basque language as "enusquera". It may be however a writing mistake.
In the nineteenth century, the Basque nationalist activist Sabino Arana posited an original root euzko which, he thought, came from eguzkiko "of the sun" on the assumption of an original solar religion). On the basis of this putative root Arana proposed the name Euzkadi for an independent Basque nation. Arana's etymology is discredited today, but his neologism Euzkadi, in the regularized spelling Euskadi, is still widely used in both Basque and Spanish, since it is now the official name of the Autonomous Community of the Basque Country. Sabino Arana Goiri, self-styled as Arana ta Goiritaŕ Sabin (January 26, 1865 – November 25, 1903), Spain, founder of the Basque Nationalist Party and a inventor of previously non-existent Basque nationalism. ...
The Trundholm sun chariot pulled by a horse is believed to be a sculpture illustrating an important part of Nordic Bronze Age mythology. ...
Euzkadi is a name coined for the Basque Country by Sabino Arana, ideologue of Basque nationalism, first registered in 1896 and still used by his followers. ...
A neologism is a word, term, or phrase which has been recently created (or coined), often to apply to new concepts, to synthesize pre-existing concepts, or to make older terminology sound more contemporary. ...
Pays Basque) see Northern Basque Country. ...
Spains fifty provinces (provincias) are grouped into seventeen autonomous communities (comunidades aut nomas), in addition to two African autonomous cities (ciudades aut nomas) (Ceuta and Melilla). ...
Pays Basque) see Northern Basque Country. ...
In fact the root eusk- might come from the name of the aquitanian tribe Ausci that gave its name to the french city of Auch that was called before Elimberrum 'new town' (from basco-aquitanian ili-berri). Auch is a town and commune in southwestern France. ...
Auch is a town and commune in southwestern France. ...
History
 Basque and other pre-Indo-European tribes at the time of Roman arrival (in red) -
It is thought that Basques are a remnant of the early inhabitants of Western Europe, specifically those of the Franco-Cantabrian region. Basque tribes were already mentioned in Roman times by Strabo and Pliny, including the Vascones, the Aquitani and others. There is enough evidence that they already spoke Basque in that time (see: Aquitanian language, Iruña-Veleia). Image File history File links Basque_tribes. ...
Image File history File links Basque_tribes. ...
The Basque people are an indigenous people inhabiting both Spain and France. ...
the inhabitants of the Franco-Cantabric region produced some of the finest Paleolithic mural art, as this horse at Lascaux cave Franco-Cantabric region (also Franco-Cantabrian region) is a term applied in Archaeology and History to refer to an area that stretches from Asturias, in northern Spain, to Provence...
The Greek geographer Strabo in a 16th century engraving. ...
Pliny the Elder: an imaginative 19th Century portrait. ...
Location of the tribe of the Vascones. ...
The Aquitanii (Latin for Aquitanians) were a people of horsemen living in what is now SW France, between the Pyrenees and the Garonne. ...
Aquitanian language was spoken in ancient Aquitaine (approximately between the Pyrenees and the Garonne), region later known as Gascony before the Roman conquest and, probably much later until the Upper Middle Ages. ...
Location of Veleia and other Roman cities in the context of ancient Basque tribes and the modern Basque Country Veleia was an ancient Roman town in the southern Basque Country. ...
In the Early Middle Ages the territory between the Ebro and Garonne rivers was known as Vasconia, being united under the Castillian noblesse. After Muslim invasions and Frankish expansion under Charlemagne, the territory was fragmented and eventually the Kingdom of Castile and the Kingdom of Pamplona arose as the main states with basque population in the ninth century. For the Spanish truck maker of the same name, see Ebro trucks. ...
This article does not cite any references or sources. ...
Gascony (French: Gascogne, pronounced ; Gascon: Gasconha, pronounced ) is an area of southwest France that constituted a royal province prior to the French Revolution. ...
This article is about the historical region. ...
This article is about the Frankish people and society. ...
For the American band, see Charlemagne (band). ...
The Kingdom of Navarre (Basque: Nafarroako Erresuma) was a European state which occupied lands on either side of the Pyrenees alongside the Atlantic Ocean. ...
This state, later known as Navarre, experienced feudalization and was subjected to the influences of its vaster Aragonese, Castilian and French neighbours, with Castile annexing parts of it in the eleventh and twelfth century and from 1512 to 1521. The remainder of Navarre would end up being united to France. “Navarra†redirects here. ...
Roland pledges his fealty to Charlemagne; from a manuscript of a chanson de geste Feudalism, a term first used in the early modern period (17th century), in its most classic sense refers to a Medieval European political system comprised of a set of reciprocal legal and military obligations among the...
Capital Zaragoza Official language(s) Spanish Area – Total – % of Spain Ranked 4th 47,719 km² 9. ...
Coat of arms Kingdom of Castile in the 15th century. ...
As a means of recording the passage of time, the 11th century was that century which lasted from 1001 to 1100. ...
(11th century - 12th century - 13th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 12th century was that century which lasted from 1101 to 1200. ...
Nevertheless the Basque provinces enjoyed a great deal of self-government until the French Revolution in the North and the mainly religious wars named Carlist Wars in the South trying to establish a catholic theocratic monarchy. Since then, a violent fragment of Basque society has been attempting to stablish a socialist State (see Basque nationalism) in spite of the actual self-government of the Basque Country settled by the Spanish Constitution. The French Revolution (1789–1815) was a period of political and social upheaval in the political history of France and Europe as a whole, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on...
The Carlist Wars in Spain were the last major European civil wars in which pretenders fought to establish their claim to a throne. ...
Political Spain in 1854, after the first Carlist War The Arrano beltza (black eagle) flag is waved by radical Basque nationalists, mainly supporters of ETA and HB, along the Ikurriña and the Navarrese flag as a claim of unity of the Basque lands. ...
Geography
Political and administrative divisions The autonomous community (a concept established in the Spanish constitution of 1978) that is known as Euskal Autonomia Erkidegoa or EAE in Basque, and as (la) Comunidad Autónoma Vasca or CAV in Spanish (in English: Basque Autonomous Community or BAC),[6] is composed of the three Spanish provinces of Alava, Biscay and Guipuscoa. The corresponding Basque names of these territories are Araba, Bizkaia and Gipuzkoa and their Spanish name is Álava, Vizcaya and Guipúzcoa. Constitution of Spain - Wikipedia /**/ @import /skins/monobook/IE50Fixes. ...
Year 1978 (MCMLXXVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link displays the 1978 Gregorian calendar). ...
lava (Basque Araba, Spanish lava) is a province of northern Spain, in the southern part of the autonomous community of the Basque Country. ...
For other uses, see Biscay (disambiguation). ...
Guipuscoa province. ...
Although the BAC only includes three of the seven provinces of the currently called "historical territories", it is sometimes referred to simply as "the Basque Country" (or Euskadi), at times by writers only considering those three provinces, but also on occasions merely as a convenient abbreviation when this does not lead to confusion in the context; others reject this usage as inaccurate and are careful to specify the BAC (or an equivalent expression such as "the three provinces") when referring to this entity or region. Likewise, terms such as "the Basque Government" for "the government of the BAC" are commonly though not universally employed. In particular it should be noted that in common usage the French term Pays Basque ("Basque Country"), in the absence of further qualification, refers either to the whole of Euskal Herria or, not infrequently, to the northern (or "French") Basque Country specifically.
Under Spain's present constitution, Navarre (Nafarroa in actual Basque, Navarra historically in Spanish) constitutes a voluntarily separate entity, called in actual Basque Nafarroako Foru Erkidegoa, in Spanish Comunidad Foral de Navarra (the autonomous community of Navarre). The government of this autonomous community is the Government of Navarre. Note that in historical contexts Navarre may refer to a wider area, and that the present-day northern Basque province of Low Navarre may also be referred to as (part of) Nafarroa, to distinguish it from which the term "High Navarre" (Nafarroa Garaia in Basque, Alta Navarra in Spanish) is also encountered as a way of referring to the territory of the present-day autonomous community.
There are other three provinces claimed by the nationalist basque parties as parts of an expanded Basque Country: Labourd, Lower Navarre and Soule (Lapurdi, Nafarroa Beherea and Zuberoa in Basque; Labourd, Basse-Navarre and Soule in French), have no official status within France's present-day political and administrative territorial organization and there is only a marginal political support to the Spanish basque nationalists.
Population, main cities and languages There are 2,123,000 people living in the Basque Autonomous Community (279,000 in Alava, 1,160,000 in Biscay and 684,000 in Gipuscoa). The most important cities in this region, which serve as the provinces' administrative centers, are Bilbao (Bilbo/Bilbao) (in Biscay), San Sebastian (Donostia/San Sebastián) (in Gipuscoa) and Vitoria (Gasteiz/Vitoria) (in Alava). The official languages are Basque and Spanish. Knowledge of Spanish and Basque are equally compulsory according to the Spanish constitution, and virtually universal. Knowledge of Basque, after declining for many years during Franco's dictatorship owing to official persecution, is again on the rise due to favourable official language policies and popular support. Currently about 27 per cent of the BAC's population speaks Basque. La Muy Noble y Muy Leal e Invicta (The most noble and most loyal and undefeated) Location Location of Bilbao in Spain and Biscay Coordinates : , Time zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer : CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Bilbao (Basque) Spanish name Bilbao Nickname El Botxo (the hole) Founded 15...
Location Location of Donostia-San Sebastian in Spain Coordinates : 43º 19 17 w. ...
Haec est Victoria quae vincit (This is Victoria which triumphed) Location Location of Vitoria-Gasteiz in Spain Coordinates : 42°51′ N 2°41′ O Time Zone : CET (GMT +1) - summer: CEST (GMT +2) General information Native name Vitoria-Gasteiz (Spanish) Spanish name Vitoria-Gasteiz Founded 1181 Postal code 01001-01080...
The Spanish Civil War officially ended on 1 April 1939, the day Francisco Franco announced the end of hostilities. ...
Navarre has a population of 601,000; its administrative capital and main city, also regarded by many nationalist Basques as the Basques' historical capital, is Pamplona (Iruñea in modern Basque). Although Spanish and Basque are official languages in this autonomous community, Basque language rights are only recognised by current legislation and language policy in the province's northern region, where most Basque-speaking Navarrese are concentrated.
Approximately a quarter of a million people live in the part of claimed French Basque Country. Nationalists politicians in Basque Country generally refer to this as the "north" (Iparralde), and therefore to the Spanish provinces as the "south" (Hegoalde). Much of this population lives in or near the Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz (BAB) urban belt on the coast (in Basque these are Baiona, Angelu and Miarritze). The Basque language, which was traditionally spoken by most of the region's population outside the BAB urban zone, is today losing ground to French at a fast rate. Associated with the northern Basque Country's lack of self-government within the French state is the absence of official status for the Basque language throughout this region.
The Basque diaspora -
Large numbers of Basques have left the Basque Country for other parts of the world in different historical periods, often for economic or political reasons, and in some cases to escape imprisonment or death. The Basque diaspora is the name given to describe people of Basque origin living outside their traditional homeland on the borders between Spain and France. ...
Location of the Basque Country The Basque Country divided in seven provinces Capital Pamplona Official languages Basque, French, Spanish Demonym Basque Currency Euro The Basque-speaking areas This article is about the overall Basque domain. ...
A great many Basques emigrated to Argentina, where they represent about 10% of the national population,[7] and substantial numbers settled elsewhere in North and South America, particularly in Chile, Cuba, Mexico, Guatemala, Venezuela, and the United States, where Basque place names are to be found, such as New Biscay, now Durango (Mexico), Biscayne Bay, Jalapa (Guatemala), Aguerreberry or Aguereberry Point in the United States. Durango (IPA pronunciation ) is one of the constituent states of Mexico. ...
Biscayne Bay separates Miami on the mainland from Miami Beach on the barrier islands of the Atlantic Ocean coast of Florida. ...
Jalapa is the name of: A department and town in Guatemala; see: Jalapa, Guatemala A city in Baja California, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Baja California A city in Guerrero, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Guerrero A city in Oaxaca, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Oaxaca A city in Tabasco, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Tabasco A city...
In Mexico most Basques are concentrated in the Monterrey, Saltillo, Camargo, Jalisco, Durango, and the Mexican states of Nuevo Leon, Tamaulipas, and Coahuila areas. In Guatemala most Basques are concentrated in Jalapa Guatemala for six generations now, some have immigrated to the city of Guatemala. The largest of several important Basque communities in the United States is in the area around Boise, Idaho, home to the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, host to a Basque festival every year, as well as a festival for the entire Basque diaspora every five years. Reno, Nevada, where the Center for Basque Studies and the Basque Studies Library are located in the University of Nevada, is another significant nucleus of Basque population. There also exists a history of Basque culture in Chino, California. In Chino, there are two annual Basque festivals that celebrate the dance, cuisine, and culture of the peoples. In Winnemucca, Nevada there is an annual Basque festival that celebrates the dance, cuisine and cultures of the peoples, much like Chino. In South Texas along the Mexican-Texan border of the Rio Grande Valley, many people are of Basque heritage or have Basque surnames. Along this area are many ranches given to colonial Spanish settlers to New Spain which still exist today. Many people in Uruguay are of Basque heritage also.[1] Nickname: Motto: El Trabajo templa el EspÃritu Location of Monterrey in northern Mexico Coordinates: , Country State Founded 20 September 1596 Government - Mayor Adalberto Madero ( PAN) Area - City 860 km² (332 sq mi) Elevation 537 m (1,762 ft) Population (2005) - City 1,133,814 - Density 1,989/km² (5...
Saltillo is a city in northeast Mexico, located at 25°42′ N 101°00′ W. It is the current capital of the state of Coahuila. ...
Camargo may refer to: Camargo, Kentucky Camargo, Oklahoma Camargo, Illinois This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ...
Location within Mexico Country Capital Municipalities 126 Largest City Guadalajara Government - Governor Emilio González Márquez (PAN) - Federal Deputies PAN: 18 PRI: 1 - Federal Senators Eva Contreras (PAN) Héctor Pérez (PAN) Ramiro Hernández (PRI) Area Ranked 6th - State 30,534. ...
Durango (IPA pronunciation ) is one of the constituent states of Mexico. ...
Other Mexican States Capital Monterrey Other major cities Area 64,924 km² Ranked 13th Population (2000 census) 3,826,240 Ranked 9th Governor (2003-09) José Natividad González Parás (PRI/PVEM) Federal Deputies (11) PRI/PVEM = 10 PAN = 1 Federal Senators PAN = 2 PRI = 1 ISO 3166-2 Postal abbr. ...
Tamaulipas is a state in the northeast of Mexico. ...
Coahuila (formal name: Coahuila de Zaragoza) is one of Mexicos 31 component states. ...
Jalapa is the name of: A department and town in Guatemala; see: Jalapa, Guatemala A city in Baja California, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Baja California A city in Guerrero, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Guerrero A city in Oaxaca, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Oaxaca A city in Tabasco, Mexico; see: Jalapa, Tabasco A city...
Boise redirects here. ...
Reno redirects here. ...
The University of Nevada, Reno (Nevada or UNR) is a university located in Reno, Nevada, USA, and is known for its programs in agricultural research, journalism, animal biotechnology, and mining-related engineering and natural sciences. ...
Chino is a city in San Bernardino County, California, United States. ...
Winnemucca cemetery with a sign reading: Welcome to Winnemucca, Proud of it! // Winnemucca is the county seat of Humboldt County in the U.S. state of Nevada and the site of a September 19, 1900 bank robbery by the Wild Bunch. ...
South Texas is a region of the U.S. state of Texas which lies roughly south of, or beginning at, San Antonio. ...
The Rio Grande Valley is an area located in the southernmost tip of Texas. ...
map of New Spain in red, with territories claimed but not controlled in orange. ...
There are also many Basques and people of Basque ancestry living outside their homeland in Spain, France and other European countries.
 Classification of population according to cultural identity
Culture
Language -
The identifying language of the Basques is called Basque or Euskara, spoken today by 25%-30%[8] of the country's population. An idea of the central place of the ethnic terms in Basque nationalist politicians is given by the fact that, in Basque, Basques identify themselves by the term euskaldun and their country as Euskal Herria, literally "Basque speaker" and "Country of the Basque Language" respectively. The use of the language as a political instrument has damaged the original culture of the Basque Country. Essentially an identity issue, the language has nonetheless been converted into a political issue by Spanish and French policies targeting its use and the widespread Basque response of teaching, speaking, writing and cultivating their heritage language with ever-increasing enthusiasm and success, as a way of maintaining, defending and symbolizing their survival as a people. Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...
Basque (native name: euskara) is the language spoken by the Basque people who inhabit the Pyrenees in North-Central Spain and the adjoining region of South-Western France. ...
As a result of state persecution, school policies, the impact of mass media, and the effects of immigration, today virtually all Basques (except for some children below school age) can use and understand the official language of their state (Spanish or French), meaning that all Basque speakers except for little children are effectively bilingual. Spanish or French is also typically the first language learned by immigrants, many of whom do not learn Basque, although recent Basque Government policies aim to change this pattern.[9]
The Basque language is thought to be a genetic language isolate. Thus Basque contrasts with other European languages, almost all of which belong to the large Indo-European language family. Another peculiarity of Basque is that it has been spoken continuously in situ, in and around its present territorial location, for longer than other modern European languages, which have all been introduced in historical or prehistorical times through population migrations or other processes of cultural transmission.[10] Genetic, in linguistics, means due to descent from a common ancestor language, rather than borrowing at some time in the past between languages that were not necessarily descended from a common ancestor. ...
A language isolate, in the absolute sense, is a natural language with no demonstrable genealogical (or genetic) relationship with other living languages; that is, one that has not been demonstrated to descend from an ancestor common to any other language. ...
Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Indo-European languages include some 443 (SIL estimate) languages and dialects spoken by about three billion people, including most of the major language families of Europe and western Asia, which belong to a single superfamily. ...
However, popular stereotypes characterizing Basque as "the oldest language in Europe" and "unique among the world's languages" may be misunderstood and lead to erroneous assumptions.[11] Over the centuries, Basque has remained in constant contact with neighboring languages in its western European surroundings, with which it has come to share numerous lexical items and typological features; it is therefore misleading to exaggerate the "outlandish" character of Basque. Basque is also a modern language, and nowadays firmly established as a written and printed medium, also used in present-day forms of publication and communication, as well as a language spoken and used in a very wide range of social and cultural contexts, styles, and registers.
Land and inheritance Basques have a close attachment to their home (etxe(a)or 'eche' 'house, home'), especially when this consists of the traditional self-sufficient, family-run farm or baserri(a). Home in this context is synonymous with family roots. Old baserri names, themselves typically expressing short-range geographical orientations or other locally meaningful identifying features, have transmuted into modern Basque surnames, thereby providing even Basques whose families may have left the land generations ago with an important link to their rural family origins: Bengoetxea "the house of further down", Goikoetxea "the house above", Landaburu "top of the field", Errekondo "next to the stream", Elizalde "by the church", Mendizabal "wide hill", Useche "house of birds" Ibarretxe "house in the valley", Etxeberria "the new house", etc.[12] Red dots indicate where the last name can be found Bengoechea is a common surname in the Basque country of Spain. ...
The Elizalde was a Spanish automobile manufactured from 1914 until 1928. ...
Juan José Ibarretxe Markuartu (born March 15, 1957)[1] is a Spanish politician. ...
Etxeberria is a Basque-language placename and surname, meaning the new house, often associated to the construction of new farms (baserri) after the introduction of American crops like maize and potatoes. ...
A widespread belief that Basque society was originally matriarchal seems to conflict with the clearly patrilinear character of known family inheritance structures. There have been attempts to reconcile these points by assuming that the latter represents an innovation. In any case, the social position of women in both traditional and modern Basque society is somewhat better than in neighbouring cultures, and women have a substantial influence in decisions about the domestic economy. In the past, some women participated in collective magical ceremonies, and were key participants in a rich folklore, today largely forgotten. A matriarchy is a tradition (and by extension a form of government) in which community power lies with the eldest mother of a community. ...
Patrilineality is a system in which one belongs to ones fathers lineage; it generally involves the inheritance of property, names or titles through the male line as well. ...
In contrast to surrounding regions, ancient Basque inheritance patterns, recognised in the fueros, favour survival of the unity of inherited land holdings which generally fall to a single male heir, usually the oldest son. This system forced the other siblings to find other sources of sustenance, and before the advent of industrialisation resulted in the emigration of many rural Basques to Spain, France or the Americas. This system, harsh by modern standards, was no doubt responsible for sending out into the world a great many enterprising personalities of Basque origin, from Spanish conquistadors such as Lope de Aguirre to world-renowned saints of the Catholic church such as Francis Xavier. Fueros is a Spanish legal term and concept; there is a similar Portuguese term, Forals. ...
A Conquistador (Spanish: []) (English: Conqueror) was a Spanish soldier, explorer and adventurer who took part in the gradual invasion and conquering of much of the Americas and Asia Pacific, bringing them under Spanish colonial rule between the 15th and 19th centuries. ...
Lope de Agguire Lope de Aguirre ( c. ...
Saint Francis Xavier (Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa; Spanish: San Francisco Javier; Portuguese: São Francisco Xavier; Chinese: è–方濟å„沙勿略) (7 April 1506 - 2 December 1552) was a Spanish pioneering Roman Catholic Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). ...
Cuisine -
Main article: Basque cuisine Basque cuisine is at the heart of Basque culture, influenced by the neighboring communities and the excellent produce from the sea and the land. A twentieth-century feature of Basque culture is the phenomenon of gastronomical societies (txoko, "corner" in Biscay), food clubs where men gather to cook and enjoy their own food. Until recently, women were only allowed one day in the year. Sagardotegiak or cider houses are popular restaurants in Gipuzkoa open for a few months while the cider is in season. Basque cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of the cuisine of the Basque people in Spain. ...
Basque cuisine refers to the typical dishes and ingredients of the cuisine of the Basque people in Spain. ...
Gastronomical society is the communication and trade among a group of people through and/or because of the exchange of food and related media. ...
Cultural production Despite ETA and the crisis of heavy industries, the Basque economic condition has recovered remarkably in recent years, emerging from persecution during the Franco regime with a strong and vibrant language and culture. The Basque language is expanding geographically led by large increases in the major urban centers of Pamplona, Bilbao, and Bayonne, where only a few decades ago the Basque language had all but disappeared. For other uses, see ETA (disambiguation). ...
Francisco Paulino Hermenegildo Teódulo Franco y Bahamonde (December 4, 1892 - November 20, 1975), commonly known as Francisco Franco (pronounced ) or Francisco Franco y Bahamonde was leader of Spain from October 1936, as regent of Kingdom of Spain from 1947 until his death in 1975. ...
Music -
Main article: Basque music The Basque language is unrelated to any other language family and its origins are unknown. ...
Religion One of the pieces found in the Roman town of Veleia is interpreted as the oldest representation of the Calvary ever found. If confirmed, this could advance the date of the diffusion of Christianity in the Basque Country, at least in the valleys. Traditionally Basques have been mostly Roman Catholics. In the nineteenth century and well into the twentieth, Basques as a group remained notably devout and churchgoing. In recent years church attendance has fallen off, as in most of Western Europe. The region has been a source of missionaries like Francis Xavier and Michel Garicoïts. Ignatius Loyola, founder of the Society of Jesus, was a Basque. Location of Veleia and other Roman cities in the context of ancient Basque tribes and the modern Basque Country Veleia was an ancient Roman town in the southern Basque Country. ...
Golgotha redirects here. ...
The Roman Catholic Church, most often spoken of simply as the Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with over one billion members. ...
(19th century - 20th century - 21st century - more centuries) Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s 1980s 1990s The 20th century lasted from 1901 to 2000 in the Gregorian calendar (often from (1900 to 1999 in common usage). ...
Saint Francis Xavier (Basque: San Frantzisko Xabierkoa; Spanish: San Francisco Javier; Portuguese: São Francisco Xavier; Chinese: è–方濟å„沙勿略) (7 April 1506 - 2 December 1552) was a Spanish pioneering Roman Catholic Christian missionary and co-founder of the Society of Jesus (Jesuit Order). ...
Saint Michael Garicoits (Garicoïts) (April 15, 1797— May 14, 1863) was a Basque saint. ...
Ignatius of Loyola Saint Ignatius of Loyola (December 24, 1491? – July 31, 1556), baptized Íñigo López de Loyola, was the founder of the Society of Jesus, a Roman Catholic religious order commonly known as the Jesuits that was established to strengthen the Church, initially against Protestantism. ...
Seal of the Society of Jesus. ...
A sprout of Protestantism in the continental Basque Country produced the first translation of the new Testament into Basque by Joannes Leyçarraga. After the king of Navarre converted to Catholicism to be king of France, Protestantism almost disappeared. Protestantism encompasses the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated with the doctrines of the Reformation. ...
Henry IV of France, also Henry III of Navarre (13 December 1553 – 14 May 1610), ruled as King of France from 1589 to 1610 and King of Navarre from 1572 to 1610. ...
Bayonne held a Jewish community composed mainly of Sephardi Jews fleeing from the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. There were also important Jewish and Muslim communities in Navarre before the Castilian invasion of 1512-21. Bayonne. ...
Language(s) Hebrew, Ladino, Judæo-Portuguese, Catalanic, Shuadit, local languages Religion(s) Judaism Related ethnic groups Ashkenazi Jews, Mizrahi Jews, other Jewish ethnic divisions, Arabs, Spaniards, Portuguese. ...
An Inquisition - Auto-da-fe. ...
There is also a collection of Hadith called Sahih Muslim A Muslim (Arabic: مسلم, Persian: Mosalman or Mosalmon Urdu: مسلمان, Turkish: Müslüman, Albanian: Mysliman, Bosnian: Musliman) is an adherent of the religion of Islam. ...
“Navarra†redirects here. ...
Nowadays only slightly more than 50% of Basques show some kind of belief in God, while the rest are either agnostic or atheist. The number of religious skeptics increases noticeably for the younger generations, while the older ones are more religious.[13] This article is about the term God in the context of monotheism and henotheism. ...
The term agnosticism and the related agnostic were coined by Thomas Henry Huxley in 1869. ...
For information about the band, see Atheist (band). ...
Pre-Christian religion and mythology -
There is strong evidence of a previous religion, reflected in countless legends and some enduring traditions. This pre-Christian religion was apparently centered on a superior female goddess: Mari. Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1771x1119, 476 KB) Monte Amboto, PaÃs Vasco (visto desde el Orisol) Taken by myself. ...
Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1771x1119, 476 KB) Monte Amboto, PaÃs Vasco (visto desde el Orisol) Taken by myself. ...
Anboto is a mountain of the Western Basque Country, belonging to the Gorbea Sierra and not far from the pass of Urkiolamendi between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz. ...
Mari is the main character of Basque mythology, having, unlike other criatures that share the same imaginary enviroment, a god_like nature. ...
Ancient Basque mythology is centered around the figure of the goddess Mari, and her consort Sugaar (also called Maju). ...
Mari is the main character of Basque mythology, having, unlike other criatures that share the same imaginary enviroment, a god_like nature. ...
Mari's consort Sugaar also seems to bear some importance. This chthonic couple seem to bear the superior ethical power and also the power of creation and destruction. It's said that when they gathered in the high caves of the sacred peaks, they engendered the storms. These meetings typically happened on Friday nights, the day of historical akelarre or coven. Mari was said to reside in mount Anboto, periodically she crossed the skies as a bright light to reach her other home at mount Txindoki. The introduction of this article does not provide enough context for readers unfamiliar with the subject to understand later content. ...
For other uses, see Chthon (disambiguation). ...
Akelarre is the Basque name (meadow of the he-goat) of several places, all them said to have been a place in which witches (sorgiñak in Basque) met. ...
Coven or covan was originally a late medieval Scots word (c1500) meaning a gathering of any kind, according to the Oxford English Dictionary. ...
Anboto is a mountain of the Western Basque Country, belonging to the Gorbea Sierra and not far from the pass of Urkiolamendi between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz. ...
Iconic mountain (1346 m) located in the region of Goiherri, Guipúzcoa, Spain. ...
Another divinity seems to be Urtzi (also Ost or Ortzi, meaning "sky") but it seems to have been imported, as legends do not speak of him. Nevertheless his name appears in weekdays, months names and meteorological events. In medieval times, Aymeric Picaud, a French pilgrim, wrote on the Basques, saying: et Deus vocant Urcia ("and they name God as Urci-a"; the -a being the Basque nominative or suffixed article). Urtzi, Ortzi, Ost and similar forms are the old Basque words for sky. Currently the Latinate zeru (from caelum) is used and Urtzi is used as a person name or in compounds like osteguna (Thursday and oskorri (day break, literally red sky). The medieval pilgrim Aymericus Picaudus notes that the...
There is also Anbotoko Mari, a goddess whose movements affected the weather. According to one tradition, she traveled every seven years between a cave on mount Anboto and one on another mountain (the stories vary); the weather would be wet when she was in Anboto, dry when she was in Aloña, or Supelegor, or Gorbea. It is hard to say how old this legend is; despite the pagan elements, one of her names, Mari Urraca, ties her to a possibly historical Navarrese princess of the 11th and 12th century and other legends give her a brother or cousin who was a Roman Catholic priest. Anbotoko Mari, Mari Urraca, la Dama de Anboto (the lady of Anboto) and the possibly distinct Dama de Murumendi (lady of Murumendi) was a goddess — a lamia — of the Basques. ...
Anboto is a mountain of the Western Basque Country, belonging to the Gorbea Sierra and not far from the pass of Urkiolamendi between Durango and Vitoria-Gasteiz. ...
Gorbea or Gorbeia is a mountain and massif, the highest one of Biscay and Alava (Basque Country,Spain) with a height of 1,481 m AMSL. The massif covers a wide area between the two provinces. ...
Pagan and heathen redirect here. ...
Legends also speak of many and abundant genies, like jentilak (equivalent to giants), lamiak (equivalent to nymphs), mairuak (builders of the cromlechs or stone circles, literally Moors), iratxoak (imps), sorginak (witches, priestess of Mari), etc. Basajaun is a Basque version of the Woodwose. There is a trickster named San Martin Txiki ("St Martin the Lesser"). It has been shown that some of these stories have entered Basque culture in recent centuries or as part of Roman superstitio. It is unclear whether neolithic stone structures called dolmens have a religious significance or were built to house animals or resting shepherds. Some of the dolmens and cromlechs are burial sites serving as well as border markers. The jentilak (singular: jentil, meaning gentile from Latin gentilis) are a race of giants in Basque mythology. ...
Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ...
In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ...
Mairu (or mairuak with the Basque plural), also called intxisu(ak) in the Bidasoa valley, were, in Basque mythology, giants who built dolmens or harrespil. ...
For other uses, see moor. ...
IMP or imp may mean: Imp, a fantasy creature. ...
Sorginak (singular sorgin) are the assistants of the goddess Mari in Basque mythology They are likened to witches or pagan priestesses. ...
It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Witchcraft. ...
In Basque mythology, the basajaun (plural: baxajaunak) were an ancient human race of stout, hairy wild men who were megalith builders. ...
Woodwoses support coats of arms in the side panels of a portrait by Albrecht Dürer, 1499 (Alte Pinakothek, Munich) Grand arms of Prussia, 1873 The Woodwose or hairy wildman of the woods was the Sasquatch figure of pre-Christian Gaul, in Anglo-Saxon a Woodwoses appear in the carved...
For other uses, see Trickster (disambiguation). ...
San Martin Txiki (Little Saint Martin) is the Trickster figure from Basque mythology. ...
An array of Neolithic artifacts, including bracelets, axe heads, chisels, and polishing tools. ...
Poulnabrone dolmen in County Clare, Ireland For the French TV miniseries, see Dolmen (TV miniseries). ...
T shaped Hunebed D27 in Borger-Odoorn, Netherlands, recent. ...
The jentilak ('Giants'), on the other hand, are a legendary people which explains the disappearance of a people of Stone Age culture that used to live in the high lands and with no knowledge of the iron. Many legends about them tell that they were bigger and taller, with a great force, but were displaced by the ferrons, or workers of ironworks foundries, until their total fade-out. They were pagans, but one of them, Olentzero, accepted Christianity and became a sort of Basque Santa Claus. They gave name to several toponyms, as Jentilbaratza. Jack the Giant-Killer by Arthur Rackham. ...
Stone Age fishing hook. ...
This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...
A typical depiction of Santa Claus. ...
Society The Basque possessed “unique social institutions startlingly different from those of feudal Europe. The Basques never developed an elitist culture, instead appointing a 'Lord of Biscay' by democratic election.... [W]omen held significant power at least as far back as 7 A.D., when the Greek geographer, Strabo, wrote ... of 'a sort of woman-rule - not at all a mark of civilization.'" (Hadington 1992). Lord of Biscay (Basque: Bizkaiko Jauna, Spanish: Señor de Vizcaya) is a historical title of the head of state of the autonomous territory of Biscay, Basque Country. ...
Historically the Basques have been egalitarian: “Women could inherit and control property as well as officiate in churches. This enraged the leaders of the Spanish Inquisition. One of its most savage mass witch-burnings was staged at the Basque town of Logroño in 1610”.[14] Location within Rioja Media (La Rioja). ...
The striking uniqueness of Basque society and culture continued up into the twentieth century: “Goddess religion, the lunar calendar, matrilineal inheritance laws, and agricultural work performed by women continued in Basque country until the early twentieth century. For more than a century, scholars have widely discussed the high status of Basque women in law codes, as well as their positions as judges, inheritors, and arbitrators through pre-Roman, medieval, and modern times. The system of laws governing succession in the French Basque region reflected total equality between the sexes. Up until the eve of the French Revolution, the Basque woman was truly ‘the mistress of the house,’ hereditary guardian, and head of the lineage” (Gimbutas 2001: 172).
Traditional Basque sports
Pilota -
Main article: Basque pelota The great family of ball games have their unique offsprings among Basque ball games, known generically as pilota (Spanish: pelota). Some variants have been exported to the United States and Macau under the name of Jai Alai. A game of pelote as played in Ustaritz Pilota in Basque and Catalan, pelota in Spanish, or pelote in French (from Latin pila) is a name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using ones hand, a racket, a wooden bat (pala), or a basket propulsor...
Pilota in Basque and Catalan, pelota in Spanish, or pelote in French (from Latin pila) is a name for a variety of court sports played with a ball using ones hand, a racket, |
