Euskal Kazeta

Director Asier Altuna to Tour U.S. with Basque Film “Karmele” in May

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 21:15:55 +0000

The Basque film Karmele, which debuted at the 2025 San Sebastian Film Festival last September, will be showcased in cities across the U.S. in May. Director Asier Altuna, who has made previous trips to the U.S. for his films, will be appearing at the screenings to speak about the movie and answer questions from the audiences.

Karmele is the story of a Basque nurse who flees her homeland after the Spanish Civil War. In France, she marries a Basque jazz trumpet player. After spending time in Europe, the two end up in Venezuela, but eventually they return to their homeland to fight against the dictatorship of Francisco Franco.

The film tour will feature 12 screenings in six states and Washington D.C. The movie is in Euskera and Spanish and will include English subtitles. Most of the presentations are sponsored by local Basque clubs.

“They are very excited about bringing this film to the diaspora,” said Philippe Acheritogaray, who arranged for Karmele to be screened in the U.S.

“It will resonate with the diaspora because the characters left Euskal Herria just like immigrants in the diaspora,” added Acheritogaray, noting the similarities between the film’s protagonists and Basque immigrants who settled in the U.S.

The film is based on the real-life experiences of Karmele Urresti and Txomin Letamendi, whose lives are reflected in the novel Elkarrekin Esnatzeko Ordua (Time to Wake Up Together) by Basque author Kirmen Uribe. Uribe has published four books and numerous poems and essays which have been translated into numerous languages. He serves as Writer in Residence in the MFA in Creative Writing in Spanish at New York University.

Director Asier Altuna, along with Marian Fernandez Pascal, started the Basque film company Txintxua Films in 2016. His last visit to the U.S. was in 2016 to showcase his film “Amama.”

Kokein Opened U.S. Tour in Bakersfield, Bringing “Sensitive Rock” to the Basque Diaspora

Juliette Camou, Writer — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 18:18:31 +0000

Kokein has been a major presence in the Basque music scene for 25 years. Founded in Eibar, Gipuzkoa in 1999, the band started out singing exclusively in Euskara and has stayed true to that choice ever since.

Across eight albums, they have continued to experiment while keeping their rock foundation. Known for their energetic, high‑quality live performances, Kokein brings a dynamic, emotionally charged presence to the stage, a culmination of decades spent touring and growing together as a musical family.

When the Basque rock band Kokein walked into Bakersfield’s Basque club for the first stop of their U.S. tour March 21, they were stepping into a community that already felt strangely familiar. The room buzzed with anticipation; not just for the music, but for the rare chance to welcome a contemporary Basque band whose sound has shaped a generation back home. The band was also scheduled to play at the TreeFort Festival in Boise, Idaho and for the Basque communities of South San Francisco and Chino, Calif.

Before their acoustic set, I sat down with three members of the band, vocalist Zaloa Urain, guitarist Iker Sáenz Zaitegi and drummer Haritz Lete to talk about their music, their identity, and what it means to share Basque rock with diaspora audiences. The other members of the band include Edu Arguinzoniz and Jatsu Argarate.

The rock band Kokein from Eibar, Gipuzkoa during their U.S. tour.

“Sensitive Rock”: How Kokein Describes Their Sound

When asked how they would introduce their music to someone hearing it for the first time, Urain paused, searching for the right words. Then she smiled.
“We make rock,” she said.

The band members laughed, but nodded in agreement. Lete used the phrase “sensitive rock.” “Dynamic,” Sáenz added. “Going up and down with emotion.”

It’s a fitting description for a group whose music blends intensity with vulnerability — a sound that resonates deeply even if you don’t speak Basque.

“When you’re singing and playing, you feel something,” Urain said. “And you want people to feel that too. Music is magic.”

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The Bakersfield show was special for another reason: Kokein performed an acoustic set, something they rarely do in the Basque Country.

“Today is a special set,” Lete explained in their interview with Euskal Kazeta. “We’re going to play acoustic. We normally play electric.”

They used to perform sets with just the guitar and vocals. But at the Bakersfield performance, Kokein added drums and bass guitars.

“So it’s going to be something that we did in 2007, almost 20 years ago, and it will be fun,” said Sáenz before the performance. For the diaspora audience, it meant hearing Kokein in a stripped‑down, intimate format; a unique moment in the band’s 25‑year history.

The band was especially excited to perform their newest album, Bidea Da Helmuga (“The Path is the Destination”), entirely in Euskara. Released in 2024 to honor their 25th anniversary, the project celebrates both legacy and evolution.

The album is divided into two halves: five brand‑new tracks and five reimagined versions of earlier songs, interpreted by an impressive lineup of Basque artists. These collaborators include Miren Narbaiza, Ander Mujika, Joseba Baleztena, Zea Mays, Eraso!, Mursego, and Nakar; musicians who have long been part of the same Basque Rock scene and who bring their own distinct styles to Kokein’s sound. Together, they create a tribute that highlights Kokein’s influence across generations and reflects the band’s deep commitment to community, collaboration, and the Basque music scene.

Connecting Basque Worlds
Though Kokein has performed internationally, in London, Japan and other regions of Spain, playing for Basque Americans carries a different emotional weight. This is the band’s first tour in the United States.

Music has a way of collapsing distance; between countries, generations, and people who may never have met but somehow understand each other through sound. It moves past language and geography, carrying emotion in a way that feels universal. They are excited to understand how Basques in the U.S. feel their culture.

Watching Kokein prepare for their set in Bakersfield, it was clear that this tour was much more than music; it was about connection.

Their music became a bridge between the Basque Country and the diaspora communities who hold their identity in a different way, proving that a melody can do what words sometimes can’t: remind us that we belong to something larger than ourselves.

“It’s really nice,” Urain said. “There’s something we have in common.”
The band spoke about how Basque identity shifts across borders. In the Basque Country, it’s woven into daily life. In the U.S., it’s something people actively preserve through clubs, festivals, and community traditions.

“Our friends have performed here; so it is nice to continue this cultural exchange.” Sáenz explained. “Sometimes when we talk about Basque culture, they think only of folk music,” Urain added. “But there are many bands in the Basque Country making new music. It’s nice to show that.” In fact, the number of Basque rock bands singing in Basque is growing. Kokein members consider themselves to be holding a more traditional take on rock music.

When I asked them to describe the tour in one word, Urain didn’t hesitate.
“A gift,” she said. “A big gift for us.”

She explained that the band feels deeply grateful; not only to travel and perform in the U.S., but to be welcomed by Basque communities who see their music as a bridge to the homeland.

For drummer Lete, the tour holds an especially personal meaning. Lete has family members who live in Boise, Idaho and he will be able to see them during the band’s stop there.

“It’s very special for me,” he said. “Really nice. I will connect with my family.”

Sharing their music with relatives who have built their lives in the U.S. adds another layer of emotion to the tour. “It feels extra special,” he said. “To share this with them.”

The rock band Kokein from Eibar, Gipuzkoa during their U.S. tour.

A Celebration of Basque Identity, Across Oceans
As they prepared to take the stage in Bakersfield, the band reflected on what it means to perform for Basque Americans who hold their identity in a different way; shaped by distance, memory, and community.

“We want to know how you feel Basque,” Urain said. “We know we are different, but identity is a huge part of everyone in that room.”

For Kokein, this tour is more than a series of concerts. It’s a cultural exchange, a reunion, and in many ways, a homecoming; not just for the band, but for the diaspora communities who see themselves reflected in their music.
And for the audience in Bakersfield, it was a reminder that Basque culture is alive and evolving; sometimes electric and loud, sometimes acoustic, always full of emotion.

During a performance in Boise, Idaho

What is “Txotx”?

Michael McCay, Writer — Sun, 22 Mar 2026 20:48:58 +0000

“Txotx” (pronounced “choch”) is one of my favorite words in any language. Hearing it usually means that 1) I’m in a Basque cider house, in the middle of tucking into traditional culinary delights, and 2) we’re being called to sample another one of the many casks of refreshing fermented juice from pressed apples, each with its own character and flavor notes.

The Basque word for cider is “sagardoa,” where “sagar” means apple, and “ardoa” is wine. This apple wine is produced in six of the seven historic Basque provinces, with Zuberoa being the lone exception, but well over 90% is produced in the province of Gipuzkoa. Basque cider has no added sugar and is dry, with no added carbonation.

The town of Astigarraga is the center of cider production, with 21 traditional baserriak or farms, each producing their own private label. Demand is so great in Gipuzkoa that they import two thirds of their apples from elsewhere in Europe to satisfy all of it.

This lovely elixir has been part of Basque culture going back at least to the 10th century and likely well before. References to the production and distribution of cider can be found in ancient Basque legal texts, and casks of sagardoa even accompanied Basque whalers on ships that reached North America, according to historical records. The cider cask was a convenient store of essential plant-based nutrients that kept sailors healthy and hydrated on long sea voyages, with zero spoilage.

But what I’m here to talk about is the consumption of this delicious nectar at its place of production, at the sagardotegi (ciderhouse). For most of the year, while the apple trees are cared for, apples are picked and pressed and the sweet juice is left to ferment in casks, these cider houses are closed to the public. Once the cider has completed its fermentation process in the tanks and casks sometime in mid-January, the doors of the cider house, or sagardotegia, are thrown open to the public for nightly sessions of eating and cider-sampling.

A Sunday in Irisarry: The Roasted Chicken That Brought My Family Together

Juliette Camou, Writer — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 21:30:02 +0000

There are certain dishes that do not need explanation. They arrive in your life already carrying the weight of memory, belonging, and quiet tradition. When someone sent me a copy of my Aitachi’s roasted chicken recipe, it felt like one of those moments. A recipe that instantly made sense because I had already lived the story behind it.

I spent the summer of 2022 in Souraïde, a small village tucked into the green folds of the Basque countryside. It was my first time in the region without my parents, and I was there for an internship with a Patxaran (a Basque liqueur) company that was exploring expansion into the United States. I helped with research on the U.S. market, translation and connecting with different distributors and restaurants interested in introducing Patxaran. (See our article on Basque drinks.) Through that work, I was not only learning about the business of Patxaran, but also about the cultural pride and history behind it.

Every weekend, my grandfather’s nephew would pick me up and bring me to their home in Irisarry. I would stay in a room just at the top of the hill from the house where my Aitatxi grew up. We wandered through local bestak or festivals, visited neighbors who greeted us like old friends and moved at the unhurried pace that defines rural Basque days.

That summer, I connected further with my Basque identity. My cousins brought me along to bestak in nearby villages, introducing me to their friends and folding me into their routines. Each weekend we hiked through different paths of the Camino de Santiago, visited cities like Bayonne and Saint Jean de Luz, and slowly the place began to feel familiar in a way it never had before.

Like clockwork, every dinner the family came together and had an aperitif (pre-dinner drink) while talking about their day. We sat around a table that always seemed to grow to fit whoever arrived. Food is not just nourishment; it’s the language of community.

Family garden in Irisarry

On my last weekend there, that language spoke louder than ever. Early in the morning, we walked to my aunt’s house, where the garden was overflowing with tomatoes, peppers, and herbs. We picked what we needed, filling our arms with the colors of late summer. Later, we carried everything to her son’s home, where the kitchen was already warm with the smell of roasting chicken.

Lunch that day was simple: a whole chicken roasted until golden, a bright piperade (see recipe) simmered slowly on the stove, and very crisp French fries, exactly like the ones I knew and loved at the Basque restaurants in California. As we ate, my cousins explained that this was a classic Sunday meal in France; a tradition built for long afternoons, for families who linger at the table, for conversations that stretch.

Now, for many Basque people that may seem like most meals encountered there. This one felt different. It was an incredibly amazing meal and to many may be thought of as simple or effortless. But calling it simple feels like a disgrace to the tradition. The meal left room for a deeper connection to fill the room. They wanted me to experience it as a goodbye, a gesture that said you’re part of this too.

That meal stayed with me. Not because it was elaborate, but because it was not. It was the kind of food that brings people together without trying.

Now four years later, reading my Aitachi’s recipe takes me back to that same table in Irisarry. The same roasted chicken, the same piperade, the same spirit. A reminder that food can be a story, a memory and a homecoming, all at once.

Looking at the recipe, you can see there are not many words. It is very straight to the point, leaving very little room for doubt. This same recipe carries on the tradition of celebration and community at the Basque clubhouse in Chino, Calif., where my Aitachi, Isidore Camou, cooked for many years. This roasted chicken recipe was regularly served there.

Isidore Camou carries on the Basque traditions proudly

Isidore Camou’s Basque Roasted Chicken

Ingredients
1-2 lbs. of drumstick, thighs and breasts of chicken
Small amount of butter
Salt, pepper
Garlic powder

Instructions
Butter the bottom of the baking pan, then cover with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Cover with the pieces of chicken. Sprinkle the top of chicken with salt, pepper and garlic powder.
Dab about two large tablespoons of butter on top of the chicken pieces.
Do not cover. Cook in a 400 degree oven until done, approximately an hour. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

Portland Has a Basque Community — and It’s Ready to Connect

Terryl Asla, Writer — Sat, 28 Feb 2026 18:50:09 +0000

It was nearly standing room only on Saturday, Feb. 21, when some 25 Basques and people of Basque descent from Oregon, Washington, and Spain gathered at Bar Botellón, a cozy tapas bar, bottle shop, and market located at 606 NE Davis St., on Portland’s Central Eastside. The group is currently meeting every third Saturday at Bar Botellon.

After being dormant for several years, a younger generation of the Portland Basque Club is reincarnating it. Its new leaders admit they aren’t certain what direction the revitalized group will eventually take.

“We’ll see what folks want to do, and then we’ll do it,” said Gina Ensunsa, one of the group’s new leaders. At the moment, that includes monthly gatherings at the local tapas bar for three Basque favorites: food, drink, and most important, conversation.

Portland has not historically had a Basque club. Most of the early Basque arrivals in Oregon who came to herd sheep settled in the eastern part of the state. Basque communities developed in the towns of Jordan Valley, Ontario, and Burns, where Basque boardinghouses thrived in the early 1900s. Later, others settled in central Oregon, in cities like Bend and Pendleton. However, since 50 percent of the state’s population lives in the larger Portland metropolitan area, inevitably, many Basques live there now too.

Oregon and Washington Restaurants

New leadership of the Portland Basque Club: (L-R) Gina Ensunsa, Vanesa Arozamena, Cristian Echeverria, Justin Green.

A group organized some picnics during the 1990s, but that group did not have staying power. The organizers of the current group seem intent on keeping the momentum going. The group has a Facebook page and an Instagram page and a website.

Among the people at this month’s gathering was the Basque author and historian, Richard Etulain, Ph.D. Dr. Etulain led lively discussions on the importance of gathering the life stories of this generation of Basque Americans. Dr. Etulain has authored or edited 65 books, including “Basques of the American West: New and Collected Essays on History and Ethnicity” and “Boyhood Among the Woolies.”

Anyone interested in the group’s next gathering can find information at portlandbasque.com or join the group on Instagram or Facebook

Honoring Sacrifice: National Basque WWII Veterans Memorial Announced for Gardnerville, Nevada

Robert Lopez, Writer — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 19:20:13 +0000

Initially, the goal of the “Fighting Basques” project was to identify Basque Americans who served in the armed forces during World War II, documenting a little-known but important part of the most widespread and deadliest conflict in human history.

But as the list of names continued to grow, Professor Pedro Oiarzabal realized that a permanent memorial was needed to pay homage to the heroism and sacrifices of the men and women who helped battle the forces of tyranny in Europe and the Pacific.

On Saturday, Oiarzabal and project supporters unveiled the design of the National Basque World War II Veterans Memorial and announced that it would be built in Gardnerville, Nevada, a historical Basque community.

“As a community, we are finally creating a permanent national space to remember, honor, and thank Basque American veterans who served during World War II,” said Oiarzabal, who is spearheading the project as the primary researcher.

The announcement was made during a weekend celebration to honor the 44th anniversary of the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco.

The effort to create a memorial has been more than ten years in the making and represents the most significant undertaking for the Basque American community since the campaign to build the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder, which was erected in 1989 in Reno, Nevada. That large sculpture pays homage to the legacy of Basque immigrants in the West.

“This memorial,” Oiarzabal said, “represents long-overdue public recognition and will stand as a symbol of pride, service, and belonging, comparable in spirit to the National Monument of the Basque Sheepherder in Reno.”

The conceptual design of the World War II memorial is titled “Bizi leku,” which means “the Place to Live” in the Basque language of Euskara. Basque architect Maider Bezos Lanz created the Corten steel design. The design is intended to reflect the experience of migration and settlement, as well as symbolize the adoption of the United States as a new home without losing cultural roots.

“Bizi leku is conceived as a welcoming space,” Bezos Lanz said. “It is a symbolic home, one that brings together all the names engraved on its walls, allowing them to coexist in peace and dignity, united by a shared history and a shared place of remembrance.”

The memorial will feature the names of more than 2,100 veterans who have been identified by a team of researchers who pored over databases and historical archives. Among them are three brothers from Gardnerville —- John, William and Leon Etchemendy -— who were once described by the Reno Gazette as the “the most decorated group of brothers in Nevada” because of the medals and campaign ribbons they were awarded.

The Etchemendy brothers (L-R): Leon, John and William with their Gardnerville family. The brothers fought for the U.S. in World War II. (Courtesy of Pedro Oiarzabal )

In Gardnerville
The memorial will be built at Heritage Park, just a short walk from Highway 395, which is lined with historical buildings in the small city in the picturesque Carson Valley. Among the businesses on the main drag is J.T. Basque, a venerable bar and restaurant that serves family style Basque meals and has been owned by the local Basque Lekumberry family for decades.

Founded in 1879, Gardnerville was an important sheep center and attracted Basque immigrants who helped raise sheep around the turn of the century, Euskal Kazeta Editor Nancy Zubiri wrote in her book “A Travel Guide to Basque America.”

In its heyday, the downtown was home to several Basque restaurants and boardinghouses, where herders stayed while taking breaks from tending their flocks on the open range. The city is home to an active Basque club, Mendiko Euskaldun Cluba, which hosts a popular festival in August.

The project to build the World War II memorial is supported by the North American Basque Organizations. Anyone wishing to support the memorial can make a tax-deductible contribution here.

To publicize the exploits of the veterans, Oiarzabal’s research team launched a blog, Echoes of Two Wars 1939-1945 in English, and Ecos de Dos Guerras in Spanish and Basque, and team members promote the project on social media and through newspaper articles. The team has also been involved in special events and tributes to the veterans. The team is sponsored by the Basque Country homeland history association, Sancho de Beurko.

If you are a relative of a Basque WWII veteran and you would like to find out if he or she is on the list, please contact the project researchers: sanchobeurko@gmail.com.

The First Basque Book Came Home for the Holidays; Now Basque Speakers Want It to Stay

Eukene Franco-Landa, Writer — Sat, 14 Feb 2026 00:59:55 +0000

Baiona, Iparralde
For the holiday season, the Basque Museum in Baiona, France received a guest that had not been home in centuries. It is small, fragile, and unassuming in appearance, yet the book holds great importance as the oldest written legacy of the Basque people.

Linguae Vasconum Primitiae, the first book ever printed in the Basque language, arrived in Baiona on Oct. 11, 2025 as part of the museum’s centenary exhibition titled “LINGUÆ VASCONUM PRIMITIÆ – 1545 The Beginnings of the Language of the Basques.”

Loaned by the Bibliothèque Nationale de France in Paris, the book was scheduled to return to the French capital this January. The volume resides in Paris not because of any cultural affinity, but because it is the property of the French State, held in the national archives which possess the only known copy in existence.

However, a coalition of Basque language activists, cultural organizations and local politicians has launched a campaign to keep the book in the Basque Country permanently. They argue that the volume, written by the priest Bernard Etxepare in 1545, is not merely a French archival artifact, but the soul of Basque literature.

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The Man Who Printed a Language
To understand why this small book generates such passion, one must look at the man who wrote it. Bernard Etxepare was not just a remote historical figure; he was a man of the Renaissance deeply involved in the turbulent life of 16th-century Nafarroa.

Born between 1470 and 1480, likely in the town of Sarrasketa, he served as a rector in the town of Saint-Michel, though his writings reveal a deep love for Donibane Garazi (St. Jean Pied de Port), which he considered his true home. His life was far from the quiet existence of a monk; he lived through the political upheaval of the conquest of Nafarroa and was even imprisoned for a time -— a difficult episode he chronicled in his autobiographical poem Mossen Bernard Echaparere Cantuya.

In 1545, Etxepare faced a major hurdle: he wanted to do something that had never been done: print a book in Euskara. But there were no printing presses in the Northern Basque Country capable of the job. Determined, he traveled north to Bordeaux to the printing house of François Morpain.

The result was a collection of 15 poems that range from religious devotion to surprisingly bold romantic verses, and his personal accounts of imprisonment. But the book is most famous for its final two poems, Kontrapas and Sautrela, which are passionate defenses of the Basque language.

Etxepare created these verses not just to be read, but to be sung in town squares, using the rhythms of popular dances. It is a wish that came true centuries later. Modern cultural icons like singer-songwriter Xabier Lete and the folk group Oskorri set these poems to music, turning 16th-century rhymes into contemporary anthems of identity known by many Basque speakers today: the songs Kontrapas and Sautrela (see the videos below).

“It is important to see that there is a 16th-century book written in Basque that shares concerns we still have today,” says Maddi Kintana, a researcher and PhD candidate at the University of the Basque Country and a Basque instructor in Baiona.

A “Sit-In” for Etxepare

A peaceful sit-in at the Basque Museum in Baiona to keep the oldest Basque book in the Basque Country. Courtesy of Euskal Herrian Euskaraz.

On Dec. 3, coinciding with the International Day of the Basque Language, the reverence for these verses turned into action. Members of the group Euskal Herrian Euskaraz (EHE) staged a peaceful “sit-in” inside the museum.

Surrounded by the museum’s collection, they sat on the floor and sang “Kontrapas.” By singing the very words displayed in the glass case — “Heuskara, jalgi hadi kanpora” (Basque, go forth outside) — they bridged a 480-year gap. Their message was clear: they would not leave until a dialogue was opened regarding the book’s permanent repatriation.

The cultural demonstration drew immediate attention. Local officials including Baiona Mayor Jean-René Etxegarai arrived at the museum to speak with the activists. The mayor committed to a meeting to discuss the possibilities of keeping the book.

True to his word, a high-level meeting took place Dec. 22. It included Mayor Etxegarai, EHE representatives, and Maylis Descazeaux-Roques, the Regional Director of Cultural Affairs representing the French state.

The Struggle to “Go Out” in Iparralde
The irony of Etxepare’s call for the language to “go forth to the plaza” is not lost on today’s Basque speakers in Iparralde (the Northern Basque Country, France). While Etxepare dreamed of a prestigious language used by nobles and commoners alike, Euskara today faces a complex reality in the historical territory where the author lived.

Sautrela poem from Etxepare’s book. Courtesy of Rosa Arburua

Unlike in most of the Southern Basque Country (Hegoalde), Euskara has no official status in the Northern Basque Country.

The fragility of the language is evident in the data. According to a 2021 government study, only 20 percent of the population in Iparralde -— approximately 51,500 people -— are Basque speakers.

However, the survey reveals a shifting landscape. While the highest density of speakers remains in the older generations (over 65) and in the rural provinces of Baxe-Nafarroa (Lower Navarre) and Zuberoa (Soule) — where nearly half the population speaks the language, a quiet revolution is happening among the youth.

For the first time in decades, the decline of the language has stalled, and the trend is reversing among the youngest generation. The survey shows that 22% of those aged 16 to 24 are Basque speakers, a figure significantly higher than the 25-34 age group. This “youth revitalization” suggests that transmission efforts are finally beginning to bear fruit, though the reality on the ground is complex.

“Most of the young people I interviewed did not have two Basque-speaking parents, so they learned in the ikastola,” explains Kintana, about her study of youth speech in Baiona. However, she notes that these new speakers are making a conscious choice to use the language socially, particularly in the local gaztetxe (community-based youth centers). “I have seen a big link with the gaztetxe,” Kintana observes. “So there is that intention to make the jump to the plaza.”

Yet, she warns that without official status, the language often remains trapped in a specific cultural sphere. “It exists in a tension,” Kintana adds. “They have taken it out of the school, but it often stays within those walls. You won’t find a hairdressing course or a cooking class in Basque here. It is still limited to a reduced space.”

This limitation puts immense pressure on the education system. While family transmission remains the most effective method when both parents are speakers, the reality of mixed households means that the school system has become the vital artery for the language’s survival. Because the public school system is French-monolingual by law, parents who wish for their children to be literate in Basque must often rely on the Seaska Federation of Ikastolas (all-Basque schools).

Founded in 1969, Seaska has grown to a network of 34 schools. Yet, resources are limited. The Bernat Etxepare Lizeoa in Baiona is the only high school in the entire Northern Basque Country that offers a full immersion curriculum. Students from across Lapurdi, Baxe-Nafarroa, and Zuberoa must often board there to access education in their mother tongue.

As Iparralde and southern Nafarroa are the only places in Euskal Herria where Basque does not enjoy official status, those who want their children to study in Basque must invest significantly in their education. This context turns the location of the book into a political symbol. For the foundational text of the language to reside in Paris —- the capital of a state that does not officially recognize that language -— is seen as a insult to some.

A Technical Solution
Mayor Etxegarai has formally asked the French Minister of Culture to consider moving the book permanently to Baiona. In a letter sent on Dec. 23, Etxegarai argued that Baiona possesses the technical capabilities to satisfy the strict conservation laws, which require sensitive paper artifacts to rest for three years after a three-month exhibition.

The proposal suggests housing the book in the Baiona Library. Unlike a museum display case, the library has specialized facilities to keep the book in the necessary darkness and climate-controlled environment required for the mandatory rest periods.

The response arrived quickly. On Jan. 6, the French Minister of Culture formally replied to the Mayor. In her letter, Minister Rachida Dati committed to examining the request to keep the book in the Basque Country “as soon as possible.” This marks a significant shift, as it is the first time the central government in Paris has officially opened the door to a potential repatriation of the text.

The Center for Basque Studies of Reno, Nev. published an English translation of Etxepare’s book that can be purchased on Amazon.

As negotiations continue, the spirit of Etxepare seems more alive than ever. In 1545, he published Linguae Vasconum Primitiae to end the mockery of his language. Today, the community is mobilizing to ensure that the physical proof of their language’s survival returns home.

The song “Kontrapas” written by Xabier Lete based on Etxepare’s writings

The song “Sautrela” by Oskorri, based on Etxepare’s writings

Host city, design of World War II Basque Veterans Memorial to be unveiled at Feb. 14 event

Robert Lopez, Writer — Mon, 09 Feb 2026 03:38:04 +0000

On Feb. 19, 1945, Pfc. Albert Pagoaga and his fellow Marines landed on Iwo Jima in a deadly amphibious assault as Japanese defenders unleashed a withering barrage of artillery and machine gun fire. Pagoaga, a Boise, Idaho native whose parents had emigrated from the Basque Country, survived the bloody fighting on the volcanic sand beach.

But on Day 20 of the battle for the strategic Pacific island, Pagoaga lost part of his leg in a mortar blast that killed three of his friends. He was awarded the Purple Heart.

Pagoaga, who passed away in 2017, is one of more than 2,150 veterans of Basque descent who served in all branches of the U.S. military during World War. These veterans who fought across the Pacific and Europe will be honored in a memorial that has been in the planning stages for a decade.

The long-awaited architectural design of the National Basque World War II Veterans Memorial and the city where it will be located will be announced on Feb. 14 at the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco. The announcement will coincide with the 44th anniversary celebration of the center, a beacon of pride and culture for the Basque American community. The announcement will be made at 2 p.m. and it will be livestreamed.

“We have more than 2,150 Basque Americans who served during World War II, but their contributions remain largely absent from the national narrative,” said Professor Pedro Oiarzabal, who is a principal researcher for the “Fighting Basques: Memory of WWII” research team.

“This project brings that history to public view,” he said in an interview with Euskal Kazeta. “It is time that we pay homage to those brave men and women who sacrificed — even with their lives — for the freedom that we all cherish.”

Oiarzabal, who has been spearheading the project, said the memorial will be engraved with the names of Basque veterans whom he and his team have identified through meticulous research of historical archives and databases. The memorial will also feature an interactive element with short stories and photographs.

The project to build the memorial is supported by the North American Basque Organizations. Anyone wishing to support the memorial can make a tax-deductible contribution here.

The World War II memorial is the first project of this magnitude in the Basque American community since the National Monument to the Basque Sheepherder was erected in 1989 in Reno, Nevada. The large sculpture pays homage to the legacy of Basque immigrants in the West.

“The Basque Sheepherder Monument was the first major public recognition of Basque people in the American West,” Oiarzabal said. “The World War Two Memorial builds on that legacy. And I believe the memorial that we’re trying to build extends this narrative from the labor of migration to military service and national sacrifice.”

To publicize the exploits of the veterans, the team launched a blog, Echoes of Two Wars 1939-1945 in English, and Ecos de Dos Guerras in Spanish and Basque, and team members promote the project on social media and through newspaper articles. The team has also been involved in special events and tributes to the veterans. The team is sponsored by the Basque Country homeland history association, Sancho de Beurko.

If you are a relative of a Basque WWII veteran and you would like to find out if he or she is on the list, please contact the project researchers: sanchobeurko@gmail.com.

The Basque Band Kokein Heading to the U.S. in March

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 18:59:30 +0000

The Basque band Kokein will be coming for a tour of the U.S. in March. The rock and roll band will be playing in Boise, Idaho and the California cities of South San Francisco, Bakersfield and Chino.

The group, which performs all its music in Basque, is based in the town of Eibar, Gipuzkoa.

This is the third year in a row that a rock band from the Basque Country has been invited to the U.S. by San Francisco and Boise to perform for Basque communities. In 2024, Zea Mays, a band from Bilbao and well known in the Basque Country, played in the U.S.

The two initial scheduled stops for Zea Mays were the Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco and Boise. But the Basque Center in Boise was not available, because they were hosting bands from Idaho’s big music celebration, the Tree Fort Festival. Basque organizers in Boise worked out an arrangement for the Basque band to participate in the Tree Fort Festival as well, providing an opportunity for exposure beyond the Basque community. When the popular band Bulego came to the U.S. last year, they also performed at the Tree Fort Festival, and Kokein will appear there as well.

The goal of bringing these bands is “to showcase contemporary Basque culture,” said Philippe Acheritogaray, organizer of the concerts for the Basque Cultural Center. He noted that because these bands sing in Basque for such a niche audience, “they don’t do it for the money.”

“They all have their day jobs and they do this on the side,” said Acheritogaray. “We’re pretty fortunate to have the support of the Basque Government (in Spain),” he said, explaining that some funding for the bands’ tours come from the government and additional support comes from the U.S Basque clubs who host them.

Learn Euskara Now

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 00:55:54 +0000

Have you been thinking about learning Euskara? Do you wish you lived near a Basque club where Euskara classes are offered? The North American Basque Organizations (NABO) has been working hard to develop options for people in the U.S. who want to learn the Basque language, including online and in person classes.

“Whatever gets your foot in the Basque door, I want to make sure you have a way to access it,” said NABO’s Euskara co-coordinator Madalen Bieter.

Online classes offered by NABO start their spring semester soon. The deadline to sign up for these classes is Saturday, Jan. 10. They are offering two different types of beginner classes, for people who have never studied Euskara and for those who may have been exposed to the language via family members who spoke it. There’s also an advanced beginner class and an intermediate class. They need at least eight people for each class and right now, Bieter said they have plenty of room in all the classes. Register for the classes at their website.

NABO also helps Basque clubs in the U.S. offer classes in person. Currently, in-person classes are available at the Basque Museum in Boise, Idaho, at the Txoko Ona center in Homedale, Idaho and through the Basque club in Reno, Nev. The Basque Cultural Center in South San Francisco may be starting in-person classes soon, noted Bieter. And the Basque club in Utah offers conversational sessions twice a month. All the existing classes are listed on the NABO Euskera website, which is kept up to date, said Bieter. Prices vary for each club.

The Basque Museum also offers online classes and registration is taking place for those classes now.

Members of the New York Basque Club have been requesting classes for a long time, said Bieter, and NABO is working on finding them a teacher. Bieter said that they are always interested in finding Euskara teachers. They have an application online for anyone who might be interested in teaching the language.

To learn more, follow NABO Euskara on Instagram.

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