Living in the Basque Country, you can't go a day without hearing something about the Basque conflict and the differences in culture and ideals or even appearance. Reading articles on Bilbao before I left the United States, I thought I was going to be killed over my lack of knowledge on the issue, but Bilbao is really the safest place I've ever lived. Here is as much as I know and understand about the Basque history:
Historians, archaeologists, and pretty much everyone that is qualified to study the Basque people are confused on their origin. Most of the original tribes of people in Europe can be traced back to some location in the past, but scientists are finding that impossible to do with the Basque people. The only explanation they can come up with is that the Basques are the original cave people of Western Europe. Though this isn't proved, it still seems insane! They have trouble tracing them back to any specific tribe of people because Basques are traditionally taller than other Europeans with a different bone structure. The blood type is very different too.
What makes it most difficult is the Basque language, "Euskera." Euskera isn't based on Latin like Spanish and English, so it would be very difficult for an outsider to pick up on. Linguists have decided that Euskera is most similar to Japanese, though it is nothing like Japanese or any other Oriental language. Currently, Euskera is one of the first languages children learn to speak in the Basque Country. Either their family speaks it at home, or half of their classes in school are taught in Euskera. Many people older than 20 do not know how to speak Euskera. This is because during Franco's dictatorship, it was illegal to speak Basque. The language was preserved by the people that fled to France during the dictatorship or by the people who illegally spoke the language in their homes.
Also illegal during the reign of Franco were Basque names. My teacher, whose name is Begonia, had to be named Maria Begonia at her birth. Begonia is a Basque name, but Maria Begonia is the name of a saint. Her parents would have been arrested as they tried to leave the hospital if they didn't include the name Maria on her birth certificate. And even though she has never been called Maria, it is still part of her name to protect her family.
From the beginning of the Spanish civilization, the Basque people had their own type of independence. Though their land was controlled by the lords and kings in Spain, they were given autonomy. Throughout the years and many wars, they often lost some of their powers, but their independence was always respected to a degree. After the Spanish Civil War, Franco eliminated the Basque independence. It pretty much became illegal to be Basque. Now that Spain is a Republic, the Basque Country has regained a lot of its independence, though there are many people that want to be a separate country.
As I understand it, the most intense push to be an independent nation came in the 80's and 90's. A Basque terrorist group called ETA was formed. Their most devastating attack was in Madrid in the 90's. To the Spanish people, this is considered as devastating as 9/11 is to us. After the attack, the government decided to give the Basque people a little more freedom in exchange for a cease-fire. ETA is currently inactive and all the jailed members of this terrorist organization were put in prisons outside of the Basque Country to make it more difficult to fire up the group. (Not all Basques are extremists. It's just like American extremists.)
Right now, to explain the Basque Country is one big contradiction. They are called a country but they aren't a country. They are independent but they answer to the Spanish government. They have their own language but the majority of people speak Spanish on a daily basis. They are Spanish but they are Basque. They want to be their own country but they also want to be part of Spain. Basically, if you are an American visiting the Basque Country, don't share your opinion about the conflict because it's too complex to fully understand unless you yourself are Basque. I personally find the whole situation fascinating and I'm so glad I choose to live here even though everything on the internet tried to scare me away.
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