'Basques of the American West': Richard W. Etulain summarizes Basque history and literature * Oregon ArtsWatch

"In Basques of the American West, released this month by University of Nevada Press, Etulain gives an excellent summary of the history of the Basques beginning with their settlement in Western Europe. They were called "mystery people" because of their unique language (Euskera) and culture. They mostly settled in lands between France and Spain but their roots remain unknown. Some scholars link them linguistically with ancient Greeks or Turks."

"Etulain says he had four goals in writing this book. The first was to show the importance of the pathbreaking book by William A. Douglas and Jon Bilbao titled Amerikanwauk: Basques in the New World (1975). The second was to summarize the work on the Basques in Western literature. The third was to suggest to scholars future research projects on Basques of the American West. The fourth was to illustrate the challenges facing researchers wanting to write about the Basques."

Four goals are presented: highlight the importance of William A. Douglas and Jon Bilbao's 1975 Amerikanwauk: Basques in the New World; summarize scholarship on Basques in Western literature; propose future research projects on Basques of the American West; and illustrate challenges facing researchers. Basques originated in lands between France and Spain with a unique language, Euskera, and were long considered a "mystery people." Some scholars link Basques linguistically to ancient Greeks, Turks, Celts, or Georgians of Central Asia. Basques began migrating to the United States during the 1840s California Gold Rush, later moving to California from South America and developing large sheep herds to meet demand for meat and wool.

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