Website of the IPAR AMERIKETAKO EUSKAL ELKARTEAK
 North American Basque Organizations
  A federation of organizations to sustain BASQUE culture
 
 


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  Izan ziralako, gara, eta garalako izango dira  
"Because they were, we are, and because we are they will be"
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Eguberri eta
Urte Berri On!

Merry Christmas &
Happy New Year!

Feliz Navidad y
Prospero A
ño Nuevo!

Joyeux No
ël et
Bonne Ann
ée




 

 

 

EUSkal diasPORA: The Global Basque Diaspora

Euspora derives from Euskal Diaspora and it relates to the global Basque Diaspora defined as people living outside the Basque homeland in Europe who identify as being Basque. 

Global Basque Association

While historical references to the formation of Basque associations outside the Basque country date from the 17th (Lima, Peru) and 18th (Madrid & Mexico) centuries, the real expansion of the global Basque Diaspora is only over the last century.  About 200 such voluntary associations continue in 21 countries around the world. Estimates vary (as high as ten million) but there are now more people of Basque descent living outside than in Euskal Herria (Basque homeland in Europe where three million people live).

The logo above of intertwined laces (from the traditional "Zinta dantza" or Basque version of the Maypole dance) toped by the globe denotes the intention of this webpage: the connecting of Basques all around this world. To date most Basque-American communication has been between here (U.S. Basque community) and there (the Basque Country) and not among the various Basque communities in various other countries.

ZINTA DANTZA
The logo above of intertwined laces (from the traditional "Zinta dantza" or Basque version of the Maypole dance) toped by the globe denotes the intention of this webpage: the connecting of Basques all around this world.

 

The North American Basque Organizations (a.k.a. N.A.B.O.) was founded decades ago with the intent of helping its member organizations to help each other in the pursuit of the same objective: the perpetuation of "Basqueness" (Basque culture and identity).  NABO promotes expanding communication networks with our fellow Basques for practical and pleasing reasons:  practical because now with the world of the Internet new opportunities are afforded us to learn from one another as we encounter many of the same challenges in sustaining "Basqueness." There is also a personal benefit because of the gratification derived from meeting others of a like-minded commitment to sustaining Basqueness.

To the extent that NABO has found success it has been based on multi-directional communication among our various member organizations; note that NABO is only federation and its strength derives from what our member organizations provide. Understandably until now, this communication remained concentrated here in the United States.  But the same formula that helped to animate our Basque-American can also serve us again in relation to Euspora.

EUSKALDUNEN ERRONKA

These are easy questions to ask, but it is much harder to come up with substantial answers.  This is the challenge for Basques--those of the Basque Country and the Diaspora-of today.

Practical and pleasing purposes prompted NABO in the Fall of 2006 to invite representatives from Basque clubs in Canada and Mexico (visit Ipar Amerikako Euskal Elkartea) to a get-acquainted meeting in the hope of opening up communications and to see if we could not fulfill the mission implied by our organization's name: North American.  Then in the summer of 2007 NABO entered into a collaboration with the federation of Basque organizations in Argentina (visit FEVA-NABO Collaboration) for those same practical and pleasing reasons.  A final example was the IV International Congress of Basque Entities hosted by the Basque Autonomous Government of Euskadi that brings together in one place representatives from most all of these Basque Diaspora countries (visit International Congress).

While historical references to the formation of Basque associations outside the Basque country date from the 17th (Lima, Peru) and 18th (Madrid & Mexico) centuries, the real expansion of the global Basque Diaspora is only over the last century.  About 200 such voluntary associations continue in 21 countries around the world.  The IV World Congress of Basque Collectives drew delegations from eighteen of those countries, and for a week in Bilbao they together formulated a plan of action to coordinate activities among themselves and the Basque Autonomous Government of Euskadi.

Access to Basque Government

  Logo del Congreso

Whereas the meaning of Basqueness has changed over time (e.g., at one time Basques were predominately rural whereas they are now urbanites) one constant has been their language Euskara--Europe's oldest language.  It is a language unrelated to its Indo-European neighbors that were all introduced after the Basques were situated in their homeland.  For example, when the Romans arrived 2,000 years ago speaking Latin that later spawned Romance languages (i.e., Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese & Romanian) they found a people inhabiting this corner of Europe speaking a language all their own.  Basques have been around for a long time as a self-defined community, and this cultural trait seems to have clearly animated Basque migrants who went about creating Basque associations where-ever they went.


EUSPORA: the global Basque Diaspora

The term diaspora (in Ancient Greek, διασπορά – "a scattering or sowing of seeds") is used to refer to any people or ethnic population who are forced or induced to leave their traditional homeland.  Over the last five centuries, Basques migrated for many reasons including political and economic hardships.  This webpage provides some general information about this global community that maintains Basqueness in the Euspora.  Then again, being Basque is largely a state of mind--these days one decides to what degree s/he chooses to define as being Basque. Here are some related websites; please send along your link recommendations, and we hope you enjoy our Euspora portal.

English websites about the Basque Diaspora include::

euskaldiaspora.com

wikipedia.org/Basquediaspora

euskalkultura.com/basqueheritage

buber.net

euskosare.org

 


Preview this book

 


Books available from the Center for Basque Studies:


The Basque Diaspora/La Diaspora Vasca (Hardcover)

by Drs. William A. Douglass (Editor), Carmelo Urza (Editor), Linda White (Editor), Joseba Zulaika (Editor). This multilingual volume contains eight essays in Spanish on Basques in Latin America notably Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Mexico, four essays in English on Basques in the western United States, and one essay in French on the Basques of Canada.

Basque Diaspora: Migration and Transnational Identity
by Dr. Gloria Totoricaguena. This general introduction located defining points of contrast in the global Basque Diapora.

Articles by Dr. Gloria Totoricaguena available online:

 


 

Recreate + Educate = Perpetuate


naBASQUE.org is the website of the North American Basque Organizations, Inc. (N.A.B.O.) a federation of organizations for the promotion of Basque culture. Helping to make this website possible is the Basque Autonomous Government of Euskadi.  Please send inquiries to info@naBASQUE.org  For links to all our pages on this website click on SITEMAP