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Zortziak Bat International Symposium�

Basque Diaspora and the Zortziak Bat : A History of the Future

Pablo Ubierna (UNIPE-CONICET, Buenos Aires)

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The Basque Diaspora and Zortziak Bat : A challenging project.

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« Atzarrabita oslagun, / Emen íartzen naiz kantari, / Lor oíez bat dala kari / Noiznai loitzarri dagone / Txori soila lez gizona / Urgaitzten baita abeskari ».
[Here I come to sing to the beat of my guitar / because a man who is kept from sleep by an uncommon sorrow / comforts himself with singing, like a solitary bird.] Engl. Trans. C. E. Ward, New York, first edition 1967 ; second edition 1974, revised by Frank G. Carrino and Alberto J. Carlos.

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« Aquí me pongo a cantar / al compás de la vigüela, / Que al hombre que lo desvela / una pena extraordinaria, / como la ave solitaria / con el cantar se consuela».

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“Biok gerala ba zekust / zur bereko ezpalkiak”

[ya veo que somos los dos / astillas del mesmo palo].

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The Zortziak Bat as a Province.

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The Basque Diaspora, the Zortziak Bat, and the Culture of Encounter: From Historical Perspective to Programmatic Horizon

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Zazpiaren ondoren zortzi dator

[eight comes after seven]

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Zer litzateke Euskal Herria, pilotarik gabe?

[What would Euskal Herria be without pelota ?]

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Laurak Bat, Buenos Aires. Plaza Euskara and modern trinkete

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J. E. Zubillaga, Euskaldunak Argentinan, Buenos Aires, Ekin, 1972, pp. 76-77.

« Esana dago 1912go urtean, emen ere jokatzen zala pelotan eskuz, baña, sarritxo asi izan ziran, eskuzkoai utzitabestalakoai jarraitzen ».
[It is said that in the year 1912, hand-pelota was already being played here as well, but before long, they began to abandon hand-pelota and follow other forms]

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« Pelotan jokatzeko oitura berria, agian, euskalerrian sortua izango, zan, bañan, or nik ez nuen ezagutu izan, xarez pelota gogorrakin jokatzen. Eta ez da ere, zurezko pala zabalekin, gomazko pelota ariñakin jokatzen. Xarez jokatzeko oiturak, ez zuen ezer aurrenda, bañan paletazkoak bai. Onek sarri uzkaldu izan zuen, eskuz jokatzeko zana. 1920go urteetik 1950garreneraño, Argentina guzian asko jokatu oi zan, "pelota a paleta" deritzayon kirol ortan ».

[The new way of playing pelota may have originated in the Basque Country, but I had never seen it before—playing with a hard ball and a net. And it's not even the one played with wide wooden paletas and a light rubber ball. The custom of playing with a net didn’t contribute much, but the one with paletas certainly did. That often caused the decline of hand-pelota. From around 1920 to 1950, the sport known as pelota a paleta was widely played throughout Argentina].

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Gramera Berria, 1883 ed. �[1st ed. 1850]

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Buenos Aires Province, �Salado River

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Saint John the Baptist, Buenos Aires (Bétharram Fathers). Niño Dios Abbey (Benedictines) Victoria, Entre Ríos.

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Michel Iriart [(9e CIE) Régiment de Marche du Tchad 3^e. Bataillon] + RAF 164 Squadron “Firmes Volamos”