Basque during the spanish republic
In the 1930S, after several decades of upheaval in Spanish politics,
the Basque language began to see an incipient social recognition.
In the midst of this cultural renaissance, poetry and theatre flourished.
New Basque-language magazines and weeklies were published,
featuring prestigious correspondents. Despite the obstacles
placed in the way by the Spanish government, the desire to turn
Basque into a fully-fledged cultural tongue spread to the field of
education and the first ikastolas (Basque-language schools) were
founded. Basque culture, which had re-emerged with relative
strength after the Carlist Wars, attained its moment of greatest splendour.
Like other cultural and popular movements, however, it was
hit hard by Franco's military uprising.
191. Following Primo de Rivera's coup d'état in 1923, his government
made Spanish the primary language in education, the church
and in public life. With the coming of the Second Republic (1931-
1936) and the transfer of powers on education to the regions, many
people called for children to be taught through their mother tongue.
However, Basque only became an official language in October
1936, when the Basque Government proclaimed the Statute of
Autonomy, several months after the war had already begun. 192. Tene Mujika (Robustiana Mugika Egaña, Deba, 1888-1981),
one of the first woman writers in Basque, published short stories,
theatre and essays. During this time the modern women poets
Frantziska Astibia Onintze and Sorne Unzueta Utarsus also published
work. 193. The first ikastola was founded in Bilbao in 1896 by Resurrección
María de Azkue and the second in 1914, by the Muñoa family in San
Sebastian. At one point it had 300 students. The first association of
ikastolas, Euzko Ikastola Batza, was founded in 1932. The first text
books in Basque were also published at this time: Xabiertxo (1925
first edition) published by Isaac López de Mendizabal, Tolosa. 194. Illustrations by Jon Zabalo Txiki (Manchester 1892-1948). 195. Txomin Agirre (Ondarroa, 1864-1920) is considered to be the creator of the Basque novel, writing costumbrista folkloric tales su as Auñamendiko Lorea in 1898, Kresala (1906) and Garoa (1912). 196. The Basque-speaking composer Maurice Ravel (Ziburu 1875-
1937) was an exponent of European musical impressionism, and
wrote works on Basque themes such as Trio, Zazpiak bat and Euskal
kontzertua. This stamp was issued in Monaco on the centenary of
the composer's birth. 197. Cover of Euskal Ordua, published in Montevideo, Uruguay in
1934. 198. Poster by Aurelio Arteta. 199. Arriaga Theatre. Bilbao. 200. Xabier de Lizardi (Jose Maria Aguirre Egaña, (Zarautz, 1896-
1933). A poet and leading writer, together with Estepan Urkiaga
Lauaxeta. (Laukiz, 1905-1937), he was one of the leading figures of
pre-Civil War literature. His poetry —Biotz-begietan (1932) and his
posthumous anthology Umezurtz-olerkiak (1934)— marked a move
from romanticism to symbolism in Basque literature. He also wrote
drama and prose, participated actively in Euskaltzaleak and always
pursued the dream of a Basque-language newspaper. 201. Aitzol, José de Ariztimuño (1896-1936) led the second Basque
renaissance from 1930, as the chairman of Euskaltzaleak. He organised
annual Basque poetry and theatre festivals, Bertsolari Guduak,
and published the bilingual newspaper El Día (1930-36) and the
magazine Yakintza (1933-37). The group of poets centring on
Euskaltzaleak (Lizardi, Lauaxeta, Orixe and Loramendi) formed one
of the most important nuclei of lyrical and avant-garde output of
Basque literature. He was executed in Hernani on October 1936,
after being captured and imprisoned by the insurrectionists. 202. This episode of the adventures of popular comic book hero Bécassine
in 1925 was set in the Basque Country, an exotic location
for its French- and English-speaking readership. 203. Statue of Liberty on Liberty Island. 204. Advertisements for transatlantic passages. 205. Before 1936, about ten weeklies were published in Basque.
Correspondents included Fermín Irigaray Larreko (Auritz 1869-1949)
and Enrike Zubiri Manezaundi (Luzaide, 1867-1943). The popular
writer Ebaristo Bustintza (Mañaria, 1886-1929), Kirikiño, began his
career writing articles for the magazine Euskaltzale. In 1921 Argia was
launched in San Sebastian. One of the chief publications in the Northern
Basque Country was the conservative weekly Eskualduna (Bayonne,
1887-1944), which formed the centre for the Gizaldi gaztea
group of writers, with Jean Etxepare, Jean Barbier and Jules Moulier
Oxobi. 206. At the end of the nineteenth century and the beginning of the
twentieth, hundreds of thousands of Basques moved to the USA,
where a community was formed with a strong personality based on
its Basque roots. Like many of them, Lucy Garatea, from Lekeitio
(Biscay), disembarked at Ellis Island. Lucy became the central figure
in the exhibition Hidden in Plain Sight: the Basques which opened
in February 2010 in the halls where immigrants to the country
were once received. On their way to the west, the immigrants were
received in New York by other Basques, before setting off for
Oregon, Nevada and Idaho. 207. Idaho licence plate.
