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--> --> July 9: Basques in the modern world By Jeff Cheek After more than a century, the picturesque, solitary Basque sheepherder has faded into the legendary history of the American West. The Taylor Grazing Act of 1934 closed ranges where he had once wandered, searching for grass for his flock. There are still about 350 herders in California but they are contract shepherds from Bolivia, Peru, and Mongolia. The Basques melded into main stream America. Only 50,000 people identified themselves as Basques in the last census. In California, 16,000; In Idaho, 8,000; Nevada has 6,000. Oregon rounds out the top four with 2, 257. But the Basques did not abandon their cultural heritage with assimilation. Their habits of hard work and thrift paved their way into middle class. Like other ethnic groups they take pride in their heritage but identify themselves as Basque Americans. For such a small ethnic sampling, they have had a remarkable impact. One major college, the Reno campus of the University of Nevada, offers degrees in Basque Studies. Jordan Valley, Oregon, hosts an annual Basque Rodeo, and many western cities host annual "Basque In-gatherings." In Idaho, there is even a preschool center where the children speak Basque and dance the traditional "jota." Basque culture is alive and well in the United States. The European Basques have not been so fortunate. When Spain became a republic in 1932, Basque regions were granted limited autonomy, with their own elected government. In 1936, the army under General Franco rebelled. Civil War decimated Spain for the next three years. Because the Basques sided with the Republic, Franco was especially brutal toward them. The tragedy of Guernica was an example. Nazi Germany provided Franco with an air force. They wanted to test the power of aerial bombardment. Guernica was a small market town of 7,000 where the Basque government met under a huge spreading oak. Franco wanted to teach the Basques a lesson. On Monday, April 26, 1937 wave after wave of Nazi bombers swept over the defenseless city. The town was pulverized but the meeting oak survived. Foreign reporters wrote that more than 1,600 bodies were dug from the rubble, all civilian victims of a ruthless dictator. Pablo Picasso painted his masterpiece, Guernica, which was exhibited at the Paris World's Fair of 1937. World opinion excoriated the Spanish dictator. Franco denied the charge, claiming the Basques dynamited Guernica to gain world sympathy! It was not until 1998 that the German Government apologized for their part in the slaughter. The war ended May 28, 1939. Dictator Franco set out to erase every vestige of the ancient Basque culture. All Basque schools were closed and the textbooks destroyed. Basque festivals were cancelled. Their leaders were shot or driven into exile. Speaking Basque was forbidden. But Franco underestimated the resilient Basque character. They would bend, but they would not break. Basque culture continued, in a hundred clandestine ways. They would survive Franco, too. Franco died November 20, 1975. A constitutional monarchy headed by King Juan Carlos was established with a freely elected government. And in March 1980, the Spanish Basques were given the right of self-government as an autonomous region of Spain. Basque tenacity and courage had defeated Franco, just as it had the Romans. FINAL CONCLUSIONS If the Basque people have any lessons for the world, it is the message of endurance. But in a sense, we are all Basques. We live in a world that is increasingly regimented but we battle each day to preserve our own personal freedom. The Basques understand and applaud this attitude, and say to all of us, "ZORIONAK!" - Congratulations, or Well Done! Jeff Cheek lives in Medford Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing