The Basques are the people who inhabit the so-called Basque lands located in northern Spain and in southwestern France. Its origin is one of the biggest mysteries not only for Europe, but also for the whole world.
Who are the Basques? Where did they come from? If we consider these issues from the perspective of citizenship, then the Basques are the Spaniards and the French, because they live in Spain and France. But why does this people speak such an unusual language that is completely different from any other language? How is it that over the millennia of war and incest, the Basque civilization has retained its identity? Concerning this ethnos, there are many questions that researchers still cannot find answers to. In the article, we will try to figure out who the Basques are, and also talk about how these European rebels and proud people live today.
Etymology of the name
To understand the meaning of the word "Basques", you need to turn to history. This word goes back to the Latin vasco - the so-called ancient Vascons who lived in the pre-Roman and Roman periods in the territory where the Spanish Basques now live. However, this is not the only people who participated in their genesis. The ancestors of the Basques were also aquitans and, perhaps, cantabras, as a result of which they can now observe a significant dialect fragmentation.
Origin
Genetic studies have established the uniqueness of the people we are considering. Basques are people who have the highest proportion of negative Rh factor (25 percent) among all Europeans and one of the highest blood types belonging to type O (55 percent). There is a very sharp genetic difference between the representatives of this ethnic group and other peoples, especially in Spain. Therefore, one can hardly say that the Basques are Catalans.
The list of versions about the origin of the mysterious people is very wide. At one time, the hypothesis was discussed that the Basques are Armenians. Then opinions were expressed that they are ancient Georgians who from the territory of present Georgia moved to the Iberian Peninsula since time immemorial .
Are Cro-Magnons among us?
It should be noted that the versions that the Basques descended from Armenians or Georgians retain a chance of provability, however, most scholars agree that these are indigenous people of Europe, directly descended from Cro-Magnons, who came to European lands from Africa 35 thousand years ago and remaining there.
Cro-Magnons probably did not participate in any subsequent migrations of peoples, since archaeologists did not find any evidence that allows us to talk about a change in the population in this area throughout the whole time, until the appearance of the Romans. This means that all those people who today call themselves Europeans are just children compared to the Basques. Amazing right?
Esquara
True Basques are those who, from birth, speak a language called the esquoir. There are about one million such people now, of which over eight hundred thousand live in Spain, more than one hundred thousand in France, and the rest in the United States and Latin America.
Linguists have been trying to unravel the mystery of the origin of the esquoir for a very long time. Some researchers hypothesize that the Basque language is genetically associated with the Iberian language, which has now disappeared; others do not support this idea, but through the version of building an esquoir on a Semitic-Hamitic basis, an assumption was born that the ancestors of the Basques were Jews. So, in 1900 the book was seen by J. Espanyol, the French abbot, in which he proved the origin of the mysterious people from Spartan colonists who had Jewish roots.
The people are the language
At one time, the escuar was also tried to be related with the Arabic language, then - with the Japanese language, and not so long ago it was suggested that the Basque language is associated with the languages ββof nomadic tribes living in West Africa. Nevertheless, all hypotheses are not confirmed. Recently, French linguists conducted another study and proved that esquoir is an autonomous language and has been developing independently for eight thousand years, since the Paleolithic. This is the one of a kind pre-Roman European language that has come down to our time from the depths of millennia.
Way of life
As already mentioned, the Basques are a mysterious people living mainly in the two countries - Spain and France. In the French Basque provinces, all houses are white and contain red wood elements. Traditional stone buildings have survived only in mountainous areas. In general, the Basques are very sensitive to tradition. Both in cities and in villages they β from young to old β play pelota, arrange bull competitions, wear the famous berets on their heads. This little nation has a unique ethnic identity.
Basque character
The Basques - for all their originality - are similar to other inhabitants of the Iberian Peninsula with a tendency to indefatigable fun. However, along with this, they are also very quick-tempered. But neither cheerful disposition nor emotionality prevent them from adhering to a patriarchal way of life. This applies especially to those Basques who live far from industrial centers. Mountain dwellers are very religious (most of them are Orthodox Catholics) and lead a secluded life.
Kitchen
Basque cuisine is considered one of the best in Europe, and the point is not to use sophisticated recipes, but that these people use mostly fresh products to create dishes. For example, when fruits and vegetables ripen, Basques eat them; when a ram is slaughtered, they eat meat. Marinating, salting, freezing - all these and other similar preparations from this people are not accepted. Basques prefer to eat boiled or stewed foods, they practically do not eat fried foods, and also do not use spices. The most famous dishes are cod in white sauce and braised pike fins. They like Basques mushrooms, truffles, rice, seafood. They make all kinds of desserts from nuts, berries, fruits, milk. This people produces fine cheeses and wines.
clothing
National costumes of the Basques look very elegant. Female consists of a lush blue or blue skirt and a black short jacket, decorated with lacing and shiny appliquΓ©s. The most popular materials for this outfit are velvet and chintz. The men's suit consists of narrow black or brown breeches, black stockings, a belt of the same color, a dark vest and a jacket made of leather or thick fabric with shiny buttons.
Samples of Basque clothing dating back to the late medieval period (16th century) have survived to our time. These were cloaks of sheep's skins sewn with coarse thread on the sides and having a neckline for the head.
Echoes of history
Attempts to divide the Basque-inhabited territories have been undertaken since the sixth-eighth centuries. At different times, lands located on both sides of the Pyrenees mountains were owned by England, Aquitaine, Spain, and France. And each time the owners wanted to subjugate and completely "dissolve" the mysterious people. Ultimately, Basque sovereignty gave way to local autonomy: for more than five centuries, the Basques in France and Spain had a special status and privileges in taxation, trade, and military service.
All these provisions were contained in the traditional code of laws, which is known as Fueros. All cities, village communities, villages, towns had their own Fueros, but at the end of the nineteenth century the Basque institutions of self-government were abolished, private Fueros were destroyed, and the territories were incorporated into the Spanish state and became part of the administrative and legal system of Spain.
Since that time, the unquenchable, passionate, persistent and selfless desire of the Basques arose to become a separate state.
Freedom-loving and proud
After the liquidation of the Basque autonomy in 1937, a movement of this people for national self-determination arose. In the fifties of the twentieth century, the terrorist organization Euskadi and Askatasuna was created (in the translation "Homeland and Freedom", abbreviated as ETA). For fifty years, during the terrorist attacks carried out by her, about 800 people died.
ETA recently, following the Irish extremists, announced the cessation of terrorist activities. But for how long? After all, the budget of the Basque terror totaled more than ten million euros ... Of course, I would like to believe and hope that forever. Yes, and the Basques themselves, even those who live in remote communities, are tired of having a reputation as indefatigable, persistent and bloody people in their claims. In fact, they are not at all ...