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The basque culture

Many items characterize the basque culture :

	Euskara : the Basque language.
	Dance and music.
	Rhyme and poetry.
	Mus : the basque card game.
	Basque sports.

Euskara : the Basque language :

Our language is our culture's basis. Euskara can be distinguished from all other languages spoken in Western Europe : it's not an indo-european language. And no attempts in classifying Euskara amongst other linguistic groups have been achieved clearly. Taking into account our people's history and our country's split in 7 provinces, Euskara practising has been progessively modified in the past, influenced by the states in which basque people was intergrated. At the same level as american speaking has progressively changed from english language, even if they have the same gramatical structure. The main noticed differences are located in words pronounciation or in the choice of words. So as to unify those differents speakings, the Basque Academy has decided to gather them in a unique language, called Euskara Batua. That's this unified language that the Basque Academy defends and try to promote.
Amongst its main characteristics, we can find :

	pronounciation and letters utilisation : all written letters are pronounced : there is no mute consonnants. letters c, q, v, w et y are not used. u spells oo. a must be pronounced the same way as the last a in the word area. j spells dyi (Ex : jauna (sir) spells dyaoona). s and x spells sh (Ex : sei xori (six birds) spells sheye shoree). z spells s (Ex : zakur (dog) spells sakoor)).
	sentence elaboration : Affirmative form : Subject + complement(s) + Verbal base + Auxiliary. Ex : Nik (I) merkatuan (in the market) sei (six) zakur (dogs) xuriak (white) erosi (bought) ditut (have). I have bought six white dogs in the market. Negative form : Subject + EZ + Auxiliary + Complement(s) + verbal base. Ex : Nik (I) ez (not) ditut (have) merkatuan (in the market) sei (six) zakur (dogs) xuriak (white) erosi (bought). I haven't bought six white dogs in the market. Interrogative form : Subject + Complements + Verbal base + OTE + Auxiliary. Ex : Zuk (You) sei (six) merkatuan (in the market) zakur (dogs) xuriak (white)erosi (bought) ote dituzu (have) ? Have you bought six white dogs in the market ? Interro-negative form : Subject + EZ + OTE + Auxiliary + Complement + verbal base. Ex : Zuk (You) ez ote (don't) dituzu (have) merkatuan (in the market) sei (six) zakur (dogs) xuriak (white)erosi (bought)? Don't you have bought six white dogs in the market ?
	the use of about twenty declension. Located at the words end, they replace some words like : by, in, to, towards, for, into, ...
	conjugation : In Euskara, except for strongs verbs and auxiliaries, there is only 4 possibles form for the verbal base : imperative, present, future and participle. Future builds from participle, adding KO to those finishing by a vowel and adding EN to those finishing by a consonnant. Except for strong verbs, which can be directly conjugated at present or preterit, only auxiliary is conjugated. Transitive verbs (those used with a direct object complement) are conjugating with UKAN auxiliary and untransitive verbs with IZAN auxiliary. 3 different forms of auxiliary conjugation can be distinguished : NOR NORK : this conjugation form, only used with transitive verbs, decribes relationships between a subject and its direct object complement. In this conjugation form, the subject must be declined in the active form. (Ex : Guk neska ikusi dugu : We have seen the girl). NOR NORI : this conjugation form, only used with untransitive verbs, decribes relationships between a subject and one or many complements, which are not direct object. (Ex : Neska etxetik etorri zaigu : The girl came to us from the house.) NOR NORI NORK : this conjugation form implies a subject, a direct object complement and an undirect object complement. In this case, the subject must be declined in the active form and the verb must be transitive. (Ex : Neskak mutilari musu bat eman dio : The girl gave a kiss to the boy).

For those who want to know more about Euskara, the 2 following websites will complete this information :

	http://www.buber.net/Basque/Euskara/
	http://simr02.si.ehu.es/DOCS/book.SS-G/v2/Euskara.html

Dance and music :

For centuries, basque culture was transmitted orally through songs and traditional dances. Basque people began lately to transmit their culture by writtings : the first basque writtings date from 16th century. Songs and dances have thus been our main culture vehicule. One of the oldest oral tradition is represented by the numerous men chorus, such as Anaiki or Oldarra, who sing in Euskara, mostly without music.
In the past, traditional basque music's main function was to accompany the dancers. It's beeing played with a large variety of traditional instruments. The oldest and the main used is undoubtfully the txistu. The oldest fossilized txistu have been dated 27000 years. This little flute with 4 holes (3 upper holes and 1 lower hole), is only played with the left hand. It is used to play most of the traditional dances. Txistulari (txistu player), also plays a little drum with its right hand : the attabal or the dambolina. Nowadays, its usual to find groups of 4 musicians : first and second txistu are accompanied with a silbote, larger version of txistu, and with an attabal. Txistu also exists in a smaller form, which gives a more pointed tone : the xirula. Sometimes, it can be replaced by an instrument made from horn and wood : the alboka.
Another widely used intrument in basque music is a tambourine : the panderoa. But, it also exits other traditional instruments, some of them are only used in some of the Basque Country provinces, to play specific dances :

	txalaparta is two large wood sticks, used as rythmic sticks on hard surfaces. A metallic txalaparta also exists : the tobera.
	gaita, dultzaina, supriniu and txanbela are rustic instruments, similar to oboe.
	ttun-ttun is a drum linked with wood sound-box long enough, on which six ropes are streched.

At the end of the 19th century, the trikitixa, a diatonic accordion has been adopted by traditional basque music. It will accompany, along the 20th century, lot of folkloric groups. These groups, such as Haitzpetik or Arrantzaleak among the most recent, and singers such as Michel Etcheverry have given a new birth to numerous traditional songs. They also have used them for their own inspiration, while following the tradition.

For long, music was the support and the vehicule of traditional dance. And these dances took a huge place in the basque social life. They can be distinguished in 4 types :

	dances, such as fandango, in which several men and women, hand by hand or holding a shared scarf, are dancing describing a large circle.
	fighting dances, executed by two opposite groups, who dance a 8 or 9 scenes choregraphy, using swords, sticks or wood arches.
	sword dances, named ezpatadanza, executed by groups contituted by more than 10 dancers carrying long swords or by 3 or 4 people carrying short swords.
	carnaval dances.

Nowadays, traditional basque music has been fed by other styles of musics. And around traditional groups or singers, such as Erramun Marticorena, Mikel Laboa or Benito Lertxundi, many artists have created new styles of music, mixing tradition with pop, rock, jazz,... and even rap. These new artists, such as Oskorri, Itoiz, Negu Gorriak, Kepa Junkera, Sutagar... and many others enrich the basque culture with their own creations. To discover them, I suggest you to visit the following websites :

	Elkarlanean basque discs catalogue.
	Euskalmusika.com (in spanish)

To complete this basque music overview, these two websites are exclusively dedicated to txistu and txalaparta and this other one deals, amongst other subsjects, with basque music.

Rhyme and poetry :

For long, basque culture had been transmitted orally by music, dance, story tellers and bertsularis. As in other cultures, story tellers transmitted, generation after generation, the Basque Country legends. Bertsularis have also been for a very long time the basque poets.
Bertsularism is a improvisation singing created in Euskara, and based upon a topic (which can be inspired from social and/or political concerns, or even love) and upon a versification, either tossed or choosen by a person, usually a game master. Bertsularis, litterally verses singers, must follow the topic, while embellishing their creation with jokes and fine words. Melody and versification are stritcly codified. The two main used rhymes are the ZORTZIKO NAGUSIA (alternation of 10 and 8 syllables verses, the 8 syllables verse contains the rhyme) and ZORTZIKO TXIKIA (alternation of 7 and 6 syllables verses, the 6 syllables verse contains the rhyme).
Berstulari has few seconds to choose his intonation, to follow the rythm, find the rhymes and elaborate the content. He has no time to count the syllables number : experience tells him which melody will rule the creation of a define verse. Usually, bertsularis are playing in duo : they alternately compose a rhyme, replying each other. Sometimes, the game master challenges the bertsulari. Performance has to be evaluated at all, rather than on the content of a single or few verses.
Many traditional basque songs come from berstulari compositions.

Mus : the basque card game :

Mus is a basque card game, mainly played by bluffing, with a 40 cards game, called spanish cards. Those cards are splited in 4 main famillies : bludgeons, swords, gold coins and cups. Mus can be played with 2 to 6 players (mostly 4), in 2 teams. Each party is played in 3 sets, and the first team to reach 40 points wins the set.
This website fully describes this game's rules.

Basque sports :

The main basque sport is undoubtfully the basque pelota. Many variations of this game exist, depending on the racket or on the ball type, and also on the playfield geometry. 7 basque pelota games exist :

	Naked hand, the most often played game.
	Chistera, probably the most beautiful game.
	Pasaka.
	Leather pala.
	Xare.
	Rebot.
	Gum pala.

I suggest you to visit this website that fully and acurately describe the different kind of games, playfields and game rules.

Another type of sports played in the Basque Country are the rural sports. Those sports or games, very popular, are based upon strength and are directly linked with old fishermen and old farmers everyday activities. It was a ludic and competitive recreation of everyday job. Rural sports are nowadays one of the most important events of basque villages and town festivals. The most spectacular is undoubtfully the harriketa or stone raising, some of them weighting more than 300 kg.
In summertime, all coastal villages also organize traineras (oared boat) races.