NABO – NORTH AMERICAN BASQUE ORGANIZATIONS «Mundua ez da bakarrik zuk ezagutzen duzuna» «The World is not only that which you know» In march 1973 a group of of Basques from Nafarroa. So, during met in Reno, Nevada, in order to study the meeting in Reno, the idea of forming a proposal for the unification of efforts a federation of Spanish and French among the American Basques. Euskal Basques in order to work together, came Herria has always been conscious of under discussion. Could they collaborate being a well-defined community in order to preserve ÇZazpiak BatÈ but, as there is not a and promote their unique political own and the community, the common Basque Basques of the The ordinary NABO reunion culture? Their NABO reunion. south, from Bizkaia, took place last July 28, at the answer enabled for instance, had little same time as the Jaialdi. them to keep Wyoming. Each Basque Center sends contact with the During the reunion, the leaving working delegates to the three annual president, Bob Echeverria, northern Basques. This from Nevada, welcomed the together after assemblies, with the same decision was reflected in the new president, Pierro thirty years: power for each of them. The distribution of Basques Etcharren, a native of YES. The convention of year 2000 has been in North America, where Benafarroa who lives in result was the birth celebrated in Boise, Idaho, on the last California. the Bizkaians chose in 1974 of the North American week end of July. Idaho and Nevada, having Basque Organization. NABO does not Some of the activities of NABO: little contact with the Californian interfere in the autonomy of each ✓ elaborate the activities calendar and Basques, who were mainly descendants associated club and its purpose is to: the information brought by each ✓ preserve and promote Basque Center in the United States and in culture and any activities organized the Basque Country. by Basque people; ✓ Publish news bulletins on the ✓ encourage mutual assistance; activities of NABO itself, on ✓ educate and promote Basque euskera, Basque history... customs among the population; ✓ Actively participate in the ✓ promote communication and organization of Basque festivals exchanges among Basques, both and especially of the Jaialdi or from the United States and from Basque Culture International Euskal Herria. Festivals. NABO keeps cultural relations ✓ Summer Camp. with the Basque Government, the ÇUdalekuÈ or summer camp, where Government of , the French the youngest learn euskera, Pierro Institute of Basque Culture and other traditional music, dances and Etcharren, Basque Centers in the whole world. playing Basque instruments. They new president NABO has 31 associated centers in rotate through all the centers. of NABO California, Idaho, Nevada, New York, ✓ Mus inter-center tournament Oregon, Utah, Washington and ✓ Handball tournament.

Basque Organisations meet three times a year and they develop Diaspora makes them consider Çbeing BasqueÈ in an activities with other centers and with members of all Basque exclusive, conservative and static way, and that is what they associations. This is bringing about a new Basque unified transmit to their children. During the Jaialdi 1990 Festival, identity. some could hardly appreciate Imanol’s music, full of blues and The old categories ÇSpanish BasqueÈ or ÇFrench BasqueÈ jazz. ÇThat is not BasqueÈ, some of the attendants, who wanted are not frequent among the young generations, although txistus and accordions playing jotas, protested. Jaialdi Festival obviously some of them speak French and some others speak and all the activities of the Basque Centers in the United States Spanish and, moreover, they speak euskera differently. could inform, teach and update the idea the Basque population However, none of these members of the young generations has about their motherland. They are a model which shows the know much about the history and present situation of their variety of the seven territories and of the many Basque ancestral homeland. communities of the United States Diaspora, and above all they The idealisation of Euskal Herria by many Basques of the celebrate the many different ways of Çbeing BasqueÈ.

23