NABO is
the sum of its parts, and those parts are the various Basque
organizations that have joined together to preserve and promote the Basque heritage.
We benefit when our members help to promote our federation. Below
are various samples of NABO logos as well as a description of
NABO.
Q>What's Basque?
A> It is a people, a place, and a language.
Where the Pyrenees
Mountains slope down into the Bay of Biscay of the North Atlantic
(see map below) there lies a region which is home to Europe's "mystery people." We
know these people as the
Basques, but in their unique language they
call themselves Euskaldunak (which means "one who speaks Basque")
and their ancient homeland they have traditionally termed Euskal
Herria ("Land of Basque"), or more recently Euskadi. It is
comprised of seven traditional provinces that bridge the border
between Spain and France. The people and their language are
mysterious because there are more questions than answers. They are neither Spanish nor French in origin: long before the
precursors of the modern Spanish and French people--the
Indo-Europeans--the Basques inhabited this small corner of Europe.
Their unique language they call
Euskara. It is like no other
language spoken in Europe--or the world.
The Basques were among the earliest
Europeans in the New World coming with Columbus and perhaps even before
as
whalers. They later became prominent in the history
of the early Americas--North and South--leaving many place names of Basque origin. With
the discovery of gold in 1849, the Basques, as others, made their way to
California in larger numbers. Few found instant riches and instead
turned to other forms of labor and commerce. Basques soon found a place
in the thriving cattle market that ventured to feed the swelling
population of California. When a disastrous drought decimated the
California cattle herds, many Basques turned to raising sheep and that
is what produced the link with
Basque sheepherding
that is synonymous with many Basques though ironically, most who came
here had little experience raising sheep. But the sheep business
was just one route, and soon Basques found themselves in various
occupations.
Basques in the Americas have embraced their
new home where they strive to retain
their unique heritage. There are many
Basque
communities
large and small throughout North America and each one usually holds an
annual
Basque festival
to which all are invited. There you have a chance to catch a
glimpse of the
Basque Country.
Notable Basques
Euskal Herria--the homeland of the
Basques in western Europe
The seven historical provinces:
- French side or Northern Basque
Country: Labourd (Lapurdi), Lower Navarre (Baxe Nafarroa) and Soule
(Xiberoa) are part of the Pyrénées Atlantiques département (which it
shares with the Béarn region).
- Spanish side or Southern Basque
Country: Biscay (Bizkaia), Guipúzcoa (Gipuzkoa) and Álava (Araba)
make up the Basque Autonomous Region whose administrative capital is
Vitoria-Gasteiz. Navarre is an autonomous region in its own
right whose administrative capital is Pamplona-Iruñea.
Basque organizations around the world (based on those
registered with the Autonomous Basque Government of Euskadi). See
also
Basque Diaspora
NABO logos to
download:
NABO logo eps
high-resolution version (requires the software to view)
PDF version of NABO logo
Q> What is NABO?
A> The North American Basque
Organizations (a.k.a. N.A.B.O.) was founded in 1973 with
the intent of
helping its member organizations to assist each other
in the pursuit of the same objective: the perpetuation
of "Basqueness" (Basque culture and identity).
N.A.B.O. was
founded with the intent of combining the resources of Basque-American
organization to preserve and promote the Basque heritage. We are not a
stand-alone organization that accepts individuals as members. Instead
our members are Basque entities or clubs that have formed locally and
then joined us. We now count nearly forty entities and we are always
looking for more members because that means that Basques are getting
together in their own area to form new clubs.
PART I: Creating Basque
Clubs
Basques have been in the Americas at least since the time of
Columbus. The origins of our current Basque
communities, however, have more recent roots. The
closer part of this story dates from the influx of Basques
into the American West following the announcement of the
discovery of gold in California. While a few struck it
rich finding gold, everyone had to eat and that is what
brought a good many Basques into ranching. That’s what
opened the door to the current Basque-American connection to
the sheep industry.
A key part of these early Basque communities was the
ostatua or Basque boarding house which served as a home
away from home, a finding work network, a place to celebrate
weddings and birthdays, and where Basque families usually
gathered after a funeral. But with the last wave of
Basque immigration that waned in the 1970s, the boarding
houses began to fade away. Some of those switched into
restaurants, many that are still serving their familiar
menus. This disappearance of the boarding houses left
a noticeable institutional void, and some Basques saw this
and thus set out to organize Basque social clubs.
These Basque clubs now served as new focal points of
celebrating “Basqueness” by organizing regular events, dance
lessons for youth, annual summer festivals, etc.
Part 2: Creating a
regional federation—the founding of N.A.B.O.
Some however saw the possibility of creating something on a
larger scale; the creation of a federation of Basque clubs
to pool resources and network ideas. This idea seems
to have been spawned from the federation of Basque
organizations in Argentina. Their federation, known as
FEVA, left an impression on two Basques researching the
global Basque Diaspora: Jon Bilbao and William Douglass.
They raised that idea with some Basque-Americans and that is
what made its way to Reno, Nevada
back in 1973. In was there that a group assembled to
explore the possibility of a questionable proposal,
especially considering Basque history, of creating a
federation of Basque clubs for North America.
The Basques had never really been united (excepting the
Middle Ages when the kingdom of Nafarroa claimed the whole
of the Basque region), neither in the Old Country nor in the
New World. The Basque country, or "Euskal Herria," had never
been "Zazpiak-Bat" (the seven provinces are one)
representing a unified, self-conscious community. Euskal
Herria most often referred to just the local region. Basques
from Bizkaia in the South, for example, had little
interaction with Basques in the northern province of Zuberoa.
This
detachment was reflected in the Basque communities of the
United States. Basques of Bizkaian descent in parts of
Idaho and Nevada interacted little with the Basques of
California which were largely northern or "French Basque."
Thus when delegates from the Basque clubs of Los Banos and
San Francisco, California; Boise and Emmett, Idaho; Elko,
Ely and Reno, Nevada; and Ontario, Oregon gathered together,
they were well aware that there was little if any
communication among the various Basque clubs of the
American West. They were attempting to cross the
divide--real and imagined--between Basque-Americans, and
their venture remained uncertain. Would "French" Basques and
"Spanish" Basques join a federation to work together? Would
individual clubs set aside competition in an effort to
preserve and promote their shared heritage?
Now we look back and know that the answer is yes. But it
was not an easy process.
Former NABO President Jean Leon Iribarren of San Francisco
summarized the early obstacles that came from mutual
suspicion. “We were afraid of each other” because we
assumed “they [Basques from Idaho or Nevada, etc.] must be
different.” Further complicating matters was the
activity of ETA during these years in Europe, and some
Basques here thought the push for this new federation was
somehow linked to this Basque separatist group. So
after the original representatives took to the idea, they
had the challenge of trying to now take it back to their
communities. But Iribarren said that before long “we
all realized we wanted the same things.”
The original short term aim was to open lines of
communication among the clubs. NABO has now surpassed
that immediate goal.
The North American Basque Organizations, Inc., commonly
referred to by its acronym N.A.B.O., is a service
organization to member clubs that does not infringe on the
autonomy of each. Its prime purpose is the preservation,
protection, and promotion of the historical, cultural, and
social interests of Basques in the United States. NABO's
function is to sponsor activities and events beyond the
scope of the individual clubs, and to promote exchanges
between Basque-Americans and the Basque country.
NABO efforts are now numerous, from sponsoring an annual mus
(Basque card game) that started in 1977, that was followed a
couple of years later with the first of several world
tournaments, and pelota tournaments. NABO recognizes
the crucial role of youth involvement, and long ago began
its two-week Basque culture summer camp for kids that began
in 1977. These and other activities rotate from club to
club each year. NABO has also forged a link with the
autonomous Basque government which has provided various
clubs with educational material, performers from the Basque
country to enliven our festivals, and scholarships for
studies in Euskadi. NABO’s ambitious title of a North
American federation finally found fruition over the last
several years when Basque clubs from Canada joined.
So the delegates which assembled in Reno long ago, in an
attempt to lortu or connect the various Basque clubs,
could not have been sure of NABO's future. They were well
aware that some might resist their efforts, but decades
later NABO has proven itself a success. Long ago most
Basque-Americans have set aside their Old World differences
of "Spanish" and "French" to work together. The member
clubs of NABO have realized that they all share one common
purpose--to promote and preserve their unique cultural
heritage--and they know that this can best be accomplished
with a strong "lotura" (bond) to help one another.
Argitxu
Camus, who recently had published her book on NABO notes
that “NABO has done a lot
of work, created
many activities.
NABO has grown from being 8 clubs
to 35 clubs. It
has created great
communication
amongst
the clubs and now
people are not
reluctant
to go
to clubs in other
regions, attend
picnics, and send their
children to
Udaleku (Basque summer camp) in different
locations.
This last
item is very
important.
Children learn that
being Basque is 'cool' and
that
there are other
kids out
there like
them. NABO has
helped many children find
their Basque identity
and I believe this
will determine
the club’s future.”
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To view an online version of NABO's
story as written by Argitxu Camus Etchecopar, click on
URAZANDI: NABO
(Be patient for the download; it's a
big file) |
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If the file does not open, you
will need to download the free software to view it by clicking
on
free pdf viewer |
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