Basque Fact of the Week, Euskara

Basque Fact of the Week: The Basque-Iberian Connection

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The origins of the Basque language are lost to time, or so we are told. However, new discoveries such as the Hand of Irulegi challenge some of those assumptions and reveal new and exciting insight. At the same time, researchers continue to chip away, examining the body of evidence to further our understanding of the origins of the language and its possible connection to other languages. As a consequence, old theories such as the relationship between Basque and Iberian are getting a new look.

The Hand of Irulegi, which contains inscriptions that further support the connection between Basque and Iberian. Image from Wikimedia Commons.
  • The central tenant of the Basque-Iberian hypothesis is that the various tribes that inhabited the Iberian peninsula before the arrival of the Romans spoke a language or collection of languages that were related to Basque. When the Romans came, most of those tribes became latinized and the only remnant of that family of languages is Basque.
  • This theory had its heyday between the 1500s and 1700s. The basis for the original theory was from the historian Flavius ​​Josephus (1st century AD), who said that Tubal, grandson of Noah, founded the people of the “Tubeli, who are now called Iberians.”
  • With time, the Basque-Iberian theory lost favor, as modern Basque is of little help in deciphering the few Iberian texts that have survived to present day. Further, Basque-Iberian advocates pushed their ideas too far, to suggest that many Italian place names could be interpreted this way, for example. And, as with all things Basque, politics inserted itself. People argued that there was no way that Basque was an indigenous language to the peninsula, attacking the historical basis of the language as a way to undermine the fueros. However, perhaps the biggest problem with the Basque-Iberian theory is that, while some words seem recognizable from a Basque perspective, the overall meaning of the texts is undecipherable, meaning we can’t use Basque to understand those texts.
  • On the other hand, there is evidence that suggests the languages are linked. There are names that are similar in the two languages, for example Araxes/Araiza and Ararat/Aralar. And there are non-linguistic traits that suggest a connection, including that both cultures used horned headdresses. The theory regained respect when scholar of the Basque language Wilhelm von Humboldt argued that Iberian place-names could be divided into two families: one with a Celtic origin and another that “follows the phonetic system of the Basque language.”
  • More recently, researchers like Eduardo Orduña Aznar and Joan Ferrer I Jané have delved further into the relationship between Basque and Iberian. They have found that, for example, the number systems are very similar (here the Iberian word is in bold and the Basque word in italics): ban bat (one), bi bi (two), laur lau (four), borste bost (five), okrei hogei (twenty), orkeiborste hogei ta bost (twenty-five). As the last example demonstrates, the two languages seem to compose larger numbers in a similar way.
  • Orduña has expanded his analysis to consider kinship terms. For example, he finds possible connections ata aita (father), uni(n) unide (wet nurse), -kidei -(k)ide (companion), amongst others. Beyond word similarities, he argues the two grammars are related. Both use the suffix -en to denote possession. Finally, there is a word on the Hand of Irulegi that says efaukon, which is similar to an archaic Basque word meaning “he/she gave.”
  • Orduña is careful to say that his analysis is no proof that the two languages are linked. However, he concludes that there are enough similarities and evidence to suggest a link and that warrants further research.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Estornés Zubizarreta, Idoia. VASCO-IBERISMO. Auñamendi Encyclopedia. Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/vasco-iberismo/ar-130027/; New Connections Discovered Between the Ancient Iberian Language and Basque, Beyond Numbers by Guillermo Carvajal, La Brújula Verde; One of Europe’s Most Mysterious Languages May Share Ancient Roots with Iberian by Oguz Kayra, Arkeonews



Basque Proverb of the Week

Basque Proverb of the Week: Proverb #50

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Berri gaiztoa bera zaldi.

Bad news is like a horse.

Image generated by Buber using ChatGPT.

These proverbs were collected by Jon Aske. For the full list, along with the origin and interpretation of each proverb, click this link.
Fighting Basques

A Historic Announcement for the Basque American Community: February 13–14 in South San Francisco

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by Sancho de Beurko Association

On Friday, February 13, and Saturday, February 14, the Basque American community and guests will gather at the Basque Cultural Center of South San Francisco for a deeply meaningful occasion: the official announcement of the city and architectural design of the National Basque World War II Veterans Memorial. 

These events take place within a very special context—the celebration of the 44th anniversary of the Basque Cultural Center, an institution that for more than four decades has served as a cornerstone of Basque cultural life, memory, and community in the United States. Framing the Memorial announcement within this anniversary highlights the continuity between past, present, and future that defines this moment.

Image: illustrative concept only; the final memorial design will be unveiled at the event on February 14.

A weekend of remembrance, gratitude, and shared purpose

The weekend will include two complementary events.

On Friday, February 13, a private donor appreciation dinner will recognize those who have helped bring the Memorial project to this important stage. The dinner is hosted by the North American Basque Organizations, Inc. (N.A.B.O.), the group leading the effort to build the Memorial.

On Saturday, February 14, a public presentation will take place at 2:00 p.m. The presentation will be delivered by Dr. Pedro J. Oiarzabal, historian and research project director, who will publicly unveil both the host city and the design concept of the National Basque World War II Veterans Memorial, marking a major milestone in the project’s development. This talk is free and open to everyone. Seating is limited, so early arrival is encouraged.

For the first time, the National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial moves from vision to place—anchored in a specific landscape and shaped by a design conceived as a permanent space of remembrance, education, and public history.

Honoring lives, stories, and living memory

The Memorial honors more than 2,150 WWII veterans of Basque descent who served in the United States Armed Forces, including the Merchant Marines—most were children of immigrants, whose service has often remained absent from broader national narratives.

This history is not distant or abstract. It is still embodied today in living memory. Among those we honor are two centenarian women veterans, Basque Californian Anna Biscay and Basque Idahoan Regina Bastida, both 104 years old, whose remarkable lives and service remind us that this project is ultimately about people—about courage, resilience, and devotion to duty. Their stories, like so many others, give a human face to the history the Memorial seeks to preserve, and continue to inspire new generations. 

Anna Biscay (left) and Regina Bastida, two centenarian women veterans of Basque descent, both 104 years old, whose lives and service reflect the living memory the Memorial seeks to preserve. (Biscay photo via authors; Bastida photo via Library of Congress, 2013).

“Echoes of two wars, 1936-1945” aims to disseminate the stories of those Basques and Navarrese who participated in two of the warfare events that defined the future of much of the 20th century. With this blog, the intention of the Sancho de Beurko Association is to rescue from anonymity the thousands of people who constitute the backbone of the historical memory of the Basque and Navarre communities, on both sides of the Pyrenees, and their diasporas of emigrants and descendants, with a primary emphasis on the United States, during the period from 1936 to 1945.

THE AUTHORS
Guillermo Tabernilla is a researcher and founder of the Sancho de Beurko Association, a non-profit organization that studies the history of the Basques and Navarrese from both sides of the Pyrenees in the Spanish Civil War and in World War II. He is currently their secretary and community manager. He is also editor of the digital magazine Saibigain. Between 2008 and 2016 he directed the catalog of the “Iron Belt” for the Heritage Directorate of the Basque Government and is, together with Pedro J. Oiarzabal, principal investigator of the Fighting Basques Project, a memory project on the Basques and Navarrese in the Second World War in collaboration with the federation of Basque Organizations of North America.

Pedro J. Oiarzabal is a Doctor in Political Science-Basque Studies, granted by the University of Nevada, Reno (USA). For two decades, his work has focused on research and consulting on public policies (citizenship abroad and return), diasporas and new technologies, and social and historical memory (oral history, migration and exile), with special emphasis on the Basque case. He is the author of more than twenty publications. He has authored the blog “Basque Identity 2.0” by EITB and “Diaspora Bizia” by EuskalKultura.eus. On Twitter @Oiarzabal.

Josu M. Aguirregabiria is a researcher and founder of the Sancho de Beurko Association and is currently its president. A specialist in the Civil War in Álava, he is the author of several publications related to this topic, among which “La batalla de Villarreal de Álava” (2015) y “Seis días de guerra en el frente de Álava. Comienza la ofensiva de Mola” (2018) stand out.

A milestone for collective memory

Since the inauguration of the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder in 1989, the Basque community has not had the opportunity to take part in a national initiative of this scale—one dedicated to recognizing its wartime service and shared sacrifice on American soil.

The National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial is not conceived merely as a list of names, but as a space that acknowledges lives, families, migration journeys, and a shared sense of responsibility shaped by war.

An invitation to be part of history

As the project enters this new phase, community participation remains essential. This Memorial is the result of a collective effort—one that depends on individuals, families, and organizations who believe that this history deserves a permanent place in the American landscape.

Supporting the Memorial—whether through donations, sharing its story, or participating in upcoming events—means taking part in a historic moment.

Those who wish to support the Memorial may do so through our secure online donation page:

https://my.cheddarup.com/c/national-basque-wwii-veterans-memorial/items

If you prefer to contribute by check, donations may be sent to:

N.A.B.O. WWII Veterans Memorial Fund
c/o Mayi Petracek
11971 S. Allerton Cir
Parker, CO 80138

Additional information about the Memorial and the campaign can be found here:

https://nabasque.eus/wwii_memorial.html

Your contribution to support the Memorial is tax-deductible Educational Fund of North American Basque Organizations Inc. (EIN: 82-0489192). All donors making a donation in excess of $1,000 will be publicly recognized on a Donor wall unless they choose otherwise.

The February 13–14 events are more than an announcement—they are an invitation to take part in a historic moment, and to help shape a memorial that belongs to us all.

Together, we can ensure that the service and sacrifice of WWII veterans of Basque descent are honored, remembered, and passed on to future generations.

Basque Fact of the Week, History

Basque Fact of the Week: The College of Biscayan Navigators of Cádiz

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“The people of Biscay are excellent in the art of navigation, pilots and warriors, … in handling maritime affairs, where all of them, without exception, prove to be excellent pilots and skilled in the art of soldiery, attacking armed enemies with the same ferocity as the violent fury of the terrifying onslaughts of the Atlantic Ocean (…)”
Giovanni Botero (1544-1617)

“The people of these provinces are quick-tempered and swift, passionate and warlike; they are the best people in the world for the sea.”
Martín Fdz de Enciso, Suma de Cosmografía, 1519.

This is how the Basques and their association with the sea have been described by historians. Perhaps no better testament to the maritime proficiency of the Basques is the College of Biscayan Navigators in the city of Cádiz.

The island-city of Cádiz today. Image from Gilmar.
  • Basque maritime history goes back at least as far as 1131, when Alfonso the Battler, King of Navarre and Aragon, is documented as building ships in Baiona. In 1191, Richard the Lionheart embarked during the Fourth Crusade with a fleet of Basque-Gascon ships. Not only were Basques important mariners, but they had made significant developments to ship technology, including the Bayonne rudder, or baionnoiz.
  • By the end of the 1200s, the Basques had important roles in the commerce of Europe. They had established trade with Bruges and were instrumental in transporting goods, primarily iron, in Andalucía. Basque maritime expertise was also used in the reconquest of Andalucía from the Moors, especially the siege of Sevilla. As a result, villages such as Getaria were granted exceptions in how much tax they had to pay in Sevilla for goods sold.
  • After the reconquest of Andalucía and Gibraltar, Basque ships were frequent in the Mediterranean. A century earlier, after Cádiz had been retaken, the city was a shambles with few inhabitants after the Muslims had been expelled. Basques and others from the Cantabrian coast were a major part of the resettlement. These new inhabitants were granted special legal and commercial privileges to encourage settlement and economic growth. Cádiz’s strategic location meant that it became a key stop for merchant fleets going from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic and beyond.
  • Basques were valued as pilots, as leaders of the ships, a position that had many demands: They had to possess courage, audacity, and fortitude in the storms and dangers of the sea, and also the courage to attack and defend themselves against enemies. They had to pass an exam and had to master the use of the astrolabe, the compass, and nautical charts.
  • At one point, Basques had a monopoly on piloting ships past the Strait of Gibraltar from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic. Ships would have to stop in Cádiz and take on a pilot to lead them west.
  • All of this is a backdrop to the College of Biscayan Navigators that was founded in Cádiz. Not much is known about the College. The College is attested to in 1500, however it must have been founded long before that – there is some hint that it could have ben established in the 1200 or 1300s. And a brotherhood of Basque sailors in Cádiz is mentioned in around 1403. They seem to have met in a chapel that they built in the old cathedral of the city, Santa Cruz in Cádiz. The college disappeared around 1583.
  • Very little is known about its function either. It is thought that it was a technical-scientific-commercial institution, where knowledge of navigation was imparted. More than a formal school, it was a guild that still enjoyed sanction by the crown. Navigators such as Elkano and those that made their way to Iceland and beyond may have learned there. The lack of records of voyages was despite the decree by law that pilots keep logbooks of their journeys. The Basques kept their secrets.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary source: El Colegio de Pilotos Vizcaínos de Cádiz. La otra historia marítima de los vascos: del Mare Nostrum al Pacífico by Fernando Txueka Isasti, in Itsas memoria: Revista de Estudios Marítimos del País Vasco.

Basque Proverb of the Week

Basque Proverb of the Week: Proverb #49

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Bere etxe pobrea, erregearena baino hobea.

His poor house is better than the king’s.

Image generated by Buber using ChatGPT.

These proverbs were collected by Jon Aske. For the full list, along with the origin and interpretation of each proverb, click this link.
Basque Fact of the Week, Books, People

Basque Fact of the Week: Poet Gabriel Aresti

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Not growing up in the Basque Country and not being exposed to the history and culture on a daily basis, there is so much I simply don’t know, so many figures that made an impact on the culture that I’ve never heard of. Gabriel Aresti is one of those. While I’ve heard his name in connection with a poem or song, I had little appreciation for his contributions. And, with so many things associated with the Basque Country, Aresti as a figure is complicated. His importance to Basque culture is undeniable but his politics make him controversial for some.

The poet Gabriel Aresti. Photo from Onda Vasca.
  • Gabriel Aresti Segurola was born on October 14, 1933 in Bilbo. While his father spoke Euskara, he only did so with Gabriel’s grandparents, so Gabriel grew up with Spanish as his first language. However, he learned Euskara on his own, starting when he was 12 years old, and he wrote primarily in Basque.
  • When he was 21 years old, he published his first poems in “Euzko-Gogoa” in Guatemala. He soon became known to the Basque public and by 1957 was a correspondent for Euskaltzaindia, the Basque Language Academy. A few years later he began winning prizes for his work, first for his poem “Maldan behera” and then his play Mugaldeko herrian eginikako tobera.
  • Aresti is most well known for his works Harri eta Herri (Stone and Country, 1964), Euskal Harria (The Basque Stone, 1968) and Harrizko Herri Hau (This Country of Stone, 1971). This series of “stone” (harri) works, linking stones to the Basque people and culture, delves into the lives of the people of the Basque Country. His poems, which “take place in an urban environment and are written in free verse” were praised for “their modernity, innovative spirit and their left-wing humanism” (source). Perhaps his most famous poem “Nire aitaren etxea” appears in Harri eta Herri. Because of his controversial ideology, it took some time for Aresti to find a publisher for Harri eta Herri.
  • In addition to his original works, Aresti also made significant contributions to Basque literature through translation. He translated the works of several authors to Basque, including Federico García Lorca, T. S. Eliot and Giovanni Boccaccio. Anecdotally, he was working on a translation of James Joyce‘s Ulysses when the Guardia Civil raided his home and confiscated the manuscript – it was never seen again.
  • Aresti became a major proponent for the unification of the Basque language. He used both colloquial language and an early form of a unified Euskara in his works.
  • Near the end of his life, he became a publisher, establishing the publishing house Lur. Several important Basque authors got their start with Lur, including Ramon Saizarbitoria, Arantxa Urretabizkaia or Xabier Lete. However, Aresti’s own work, Kaniko eta Beltxitina, was censored by his colleagues and friends at Lur and so he broke his association with the publisher.
  • His ideas, often sympathetic with communism and class struggle, put him at odds with both Franco’s regime and with the nationalist parts of Basque society. For example, one of his talks was interrupted by a group of young Basque nationalists who accused him of diluting the Basque nationalist struggle by promoting a more general class struggle. He became strongly associated with communism, which for some tarnished his contributions.
  • He died in 1975 at the age of 41.
  • Some of his work has been translated into English.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Gabriel Aresti, Wikipedia; Gabriel Aresti, Wikipedia

Basque Proverb of the Week

Basque Proverb of the Week: Proverb #48

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Berbak handiak, ezkurrak txikiak.

The words are big but the acorns are small.

Image generated by Buber using ChatGPT.

These proverbs were collected by Jon Aske. For the full list, along with the origin and interpretation of each proverb, click this link.
Basque Fact of the Week, Diaspora, History

Basque Fact of the Week: The Basque History of Labrador

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One of my first exposures to the broader history of the Basque Country and the unique role Basques played in the history of the Americas was through National Geographic magazine. Before that, what little I knew was through osmosis from dancing and festivals. I didn’t really know much about Basques beyond having Basque parents. That article on the history of Basque whaling in America was a revelation and maybe, in some ways, sparked the flame that ultimately led to this page.

The cover of the July 1985 issue of National Geographic, highlighting the discovery and excavation of the San Juan. Image from CBC.
  • The Basques arrived in Labrador by at least the early 1500s, though some claims by various historians place Basque activities in the area even earlier, perhaps as early as 1372. The earliest documented records we have with any certainty, as described by Selma Barkham, put the Basques in the waters of what is now Canada by 1511.
  • They establishing a post where they processed the whales they hunted in the area. These Basque whalers gave the region its name, Terranova, or New Land in Latin. One whaling station, called Butus, used red tiles brought from Europe in the building construction, giving the bay, now called Red Bay, its name (though some sources say the bay is named after the nearby red cliffs). Before that, it had been called Balea Baya, or Whale Bay, by the Basques. Because of this historical significance, Red Bay was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2014.
  • The first ships were after cod and whale meat, not oil. In 1530, the French-Basque ship La Catherine d’Urtubie returned to France with some 4500 cod and 12 barrels of whale meat. However, it wasn’t long after that that whale oil became the prized commodity.
  • In 1565, one Basque ship, the San Juan, sunk in the waters off of Labrador, more specifically off of Saddle Island in Red Bay. Working on a tip by Selma Barkham, Robert Grenier (who died on January 3, 2026) and his team raised the wreck in 1978 and that is what is pictured on that cover of National Geographic. This led to a reevaluation of the role of Basque mariners in the history of North America.
  • At least 16 different whale processing stations have been found in Red Bay, along with a cemetery that contained more than 140 people. At its peak, the area hosted about 1000 workers and saw 11 ships in its harbor, ready to bring cargo back to Europe. From Red Bay and surrounding areas, 15,000 barrels of oil were produced and sent back, worth more than the plunders from the Caribbean. However, we don’t really know much about all of this activity because the Basques never wrote things down, perhaps to keep their economic activity a secret.
  • Basque whaling in the area declined in the 1600s and ended formally in 1697 when Spanish Basques were banned from the region and later in 1713 when the Treaty of Utrecht banned all Basques from the Gulf of Saint Lawerence.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Thanks to Terryl Asla for sending a link that inspired this post.

Primary sources: History of Basque Whaling, Wikipedia; Red Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Wikipedia; Labrador, Wikipedia; Basque Whaling in Labrador in the 16th Century by Jean-Pierre Proulx

Basque Proverb of the Week

Basque Proverb of the Week: Proverb #47

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Beltz guztiak ez dira ikatz.

Not everything that’s black is coal.

Image generated by Buber using ChatGPT.

These proverbs were collected by Jon Aske. For the full list, along with the origin and interpretation of each proverb, click this link.
Basque Fact of the Week, Folklore, History

Basque Fact of the Week: Sorginak, the Basque Witches

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To me, one of the fascinating aspects of Basque history relates to witches. The Basque witch trials are infamous for how indiscriminate they were but also because they reveal how mob mentality can easily turn neighbors into enemies and outcasts into villains. Witches in the Basque Country represent this interesting transition between the autochthonous religion of the Basques and its supplantation by Christianity. Witches were a vestige of the old ways.

A celebration of Sorginaren Eguna, or the Day of the Witches, in Zugarramurdi, the town of the witches. Photo from ViajeroS.
  • The sorginak have two roles in Basque mythology. Originally, the attendants and assistants of Mari, the Basque mother goddess, were called sorginak.
  • The other sense of sorgin is witch. Sorginak were men and women who practiced various activities that had their origins in pre-Christian times. These activities ranged from gathering and preparing medicinal herbs to casting spells to protect or damage crops. In this sense, they often performed white magic – making potions and casting spells that were meant to benefit people. As the Church and Christianity grew, these types of practices were fined but not punished more severely.
  • Sorginak would gather together to worship Basque deities such as Mari and Akerbeltz, a black he-goat that was associated with fertility. These gatherings were called akelarreak.
  • It wasn’t until later – sometime in the 13th or 14th centuries – that witchcraft was associated with black magic and demonology. Now, those same practices were punished much more severely, including death, often by burning at the stake. Thus, in 1329, Joan the Leper was accused of being a herbalist and necromancer and, with four other women, burned at the stake.
  • Thus, practices that were maybe frowned upon but tolerated became associated with evil and the devil. Religious authorities, such as Pierre de Lancre, cast the gods that the sorginak might have worshipped as demons and agents of Satan. The resulting persecution of witches was devastating for the region. However, the acts they were charged with, as discussed by Emma Wilby in her book Invoking the Akelarre, grew out of the practices of healing and herbalism that were common in the Basque Country.
  • Despite this, ancient practices in herbalism didn’t disappear. Martija de Jauregui was practicing what we would call traditional medicine in the late 1500s. In the 1700 and 1800s, healers and herbalists still practiced and in some cases were given contracts from the town councils to care for the neighborhood, animals, and fields of the town. Indeed, Basque military leader Tomas Zumalakarregi was being attended by such a healer when he died in 1835.
  • We don’t fully know what the word sorgin means. -gin is a common Basque suffix meaning “one who does,” coming from the Basque verb egin, to do. Most scholars agree on this. Where there is less certainty is what sor- means. It may come from the Latin sorte, or luck, or from the Basque sortu, which means to create. So, alternatively, sorgin might mean fortuneteller or creator.
  • In Zuberoa, other names for sorginak include belagile and sorsain. Belagile literally means herbalist, from the Basque words belar, meaning “herb,” and gile, meaning “one who works with.” In contrast, a sorsain, literally “protector of childbirth,” has supernatural powers. These two words highlight the origins of sorginak and witches in traditional health care.

A full list of all of Buber’s Basque Facts of the Week can be found in the Archive.

Primary sources: Sorginak, Wikipedia; Sorgin, Wikipedia; Estornés Zubizarreta, Idoia. Brujería. Auñamendi Encyclopedia, 2025. Available at: https://aunamendi.eusko-ikaskuntza.eus/en/brujeria/ar-33837/