I found out this past weekend that I am about 5% Basque. I did a little research, and this is what I found
The Basque have been around for thousands of years. The Romans encountered them around 200 B.C, but they have been there long before that. They descended from Europe’s first humans, and skeletal remains from a cave in Basque country date back to 3,500 to 5.500 years ago, and their closest living genetic relatives are the Basque. They do not have a country, but live in the Pyrenees Mountains, which are on the border between Spain and France, although they are neither Spanish nor French.
Their language, which they call Euskara, is one of only four languages spoken in Europe or Scandinavia that is not an Indo-European language. It is probably the oldest language in modern Europe and is unrelated to any other known language in the world.
In the Middle Ages, they became expert sailors and ship builders, and were among the first whalers in the Atlantic, venturing as far as the coast of Newfoundland. “And while most of us grew up learning that Magellan was the first person to circumnavigate the glove, Magellan actually died in the Philippines. It was his Basque captain, Juan Sebastian Elcano, who finished the voyage.”
Basque sailors also made up a large part of Columbus’ crew, and some came to the New World with the Spanish conquistadors in the 1500s. Others migrated in the 17th through the 19th centuries, and settled in various countries in South America. 18% of Peruvians have Basque surnames.
Many Basque migrated to the US during the California gold rush. When they didn’t strike it rich, they started working as sheepherders and miners.
Basque are known for their culinary societies; clubs where men traditionally gather to cook (women have only recently been allowed to participate). San Francisco’s famous sourdough bread has been linked to the bread baked by Basque miners.
The Basque are known to have developed the breed of dog known as the Pyrenean Shepherd, the foundation stock of the Australian Shepherd.
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