Yerington Monday Sidebar: Basques Games & Culture
Basques have been living in Northern Nevada for over a century and form a population of several thousand. Basque immigrants first came in the mid-1800s during the Gold Rush. For a century and a half the Basques have been closely tied to sheep herding in Nevada and neighboring states.The Basque-American culture in especially prominent in the towns of Winnemucca, Elko, Gardnerville and Reno.
Basque Music
Music holds a privileged place in the world of Basque culture. Oral tradition has bequeathed us authentic treasures, handed down generation after generation by bards and poets. The choral aspect is especially well known, as expressed in the saying: “one Basque a beret, two a pelota match, three a choral society”.
Basque Dance
The Basque culture has a great love for dancing; with many distinct folk dances. Many of the dances are unique to the region it was derived in, and may even include weapons! You can tell a good dancer by how high they jump, their double clicks, how high they kick, and their gracefulness.
“Dance, both folk dance and the more elaborate versions, has always been popular among Basques. In his Contes Philosophiques, Voltaire said that the Basques were “the people who live, or rather jump, in the foothills of the Pyrenees”. He was right, since much of Basque dance involves jumping, strength, aerial suspension, and use of space....
Some of the most well-known and popular dances are:
• Aurresku: danced in honour of special guests.
• Mutildantza: an all-male dance from the Baztán Valley.
• Mascarada suletina: from Zuberoa, this dance receives its name from its Carnivalesque features.
• Ezpatadantza: a spectacular dance using swords.
• Larraindantza: literally, the dance of the threshing floor.”
Euskera
Their language, Euskera, is ancient and unrelated to modern European languages. Basque is geographically surrounded by Romance languages, but is not related to those, but is instead a language isolate. It is the last remaining descendant of the pre-Indo-European languages of Western Europe. Consequently, its prehistory may not be reconstructible by means of the traditional comparative method except by applying it to differences between dialects within the language. Little is known of its origins, but an early form of the Basque language likely was present in Western Europe before the arrival of the Indo-European languages to the area.
Pelota
It is pelota of all the Basque Sports has found the greatest international support. Played with a bat, in a pelota court, with a long wicker racquet or with the hand alone: pelota games are arranged practically everywhere in the Basque Country and in every season.
Mus (card game)
Mus is a Spanish card game, widely played in Spain and Hispanic America, and to a lesser extent in France. Most probably originated in the Basque Country, it is a vying game. Basque emigrants carried the game to other countries such as the USA and Australia, where it is played in Basque clubs. Nowadays there is an international Mus tournament, in addition to many national and regional competitions.
Arborglyphs
Carvings on the bark of aspen trees in the mountains and on the hillsides of Northern Nevada provide a record of the presence, experiences and thoughts of sheepherders who passed through the groves decades ago. Like the sheepherders who carved them, the arborglyphs are vanishing from Northern Nevada, as the trees succumb to the ravages of time: fires, development, vandals, disease, insects, and old age. Carving on aspens has been an almost universal Basque sheepherder tradition since the late 1800s. The quality and readability of the carvings varies a great deal. An expert carver knew how to pick the right tree and the right tool, and how to make a very thin incision of the right depth to encourage the perfect scar to form within a few years, to leave an enduring and undistorted representation of his name, message or artwork. Names, dates, messages and artwork of less experienced or less careful herders can be difficult or impossible to decipher or interpret after a few years. Arborglyphs might include Spanish, Basque or French words or place names, or imperfect English usage or misspellings. But for those with the curiosity, perseverance, and sense of adventure, the study of arborglyphs can be fascinating and educational. For hikers and other casual visitors to aspen groves in Northern Nevada, the pictorial arborglyphs, especially those by talented artists and skillful carvers, are always the most delightful.
The Mystery of the Basques
https://youtu.be/I9Fw82uYw14
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