TAPEMINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1, side 1
0-2:15 Javier was born in 1955 in Gernika, Bizkaia. Of the 12 children in his family, he was the only one born in a hospital – the rest were born at home. The name of the house is “Oloste”, and it is in Munitibar. He is the youngest of his family. His father was Antonio, his mother was Felipa Arriaga. His father was from Arbazegui, his mother from Jayo, which is part of Bolivar. They were married around 1937.
2:15-9:15 Javier’s school was in a four-room schoolhouse, boys in two rooms, girls in the other two. The school was in Munitibar. He went to this school until he was 10 years old, at which point he started going to seminary in Euba. He only attended the seminary for a year, realized it was not for him, and moved back to his former school for another year. At the end of that year, he decided to go to trade school in Bilbao. He studied in Bilbao for 4 years, finished the 5-year program with a year in Markina. He graduated at 17 with an electrician’s degree. Backing up, Javier does not remember having any Basque teachers in Munitibar, and was not allowed to speak Basque in school. He describes one of the tactics they used to keep the children from speaking Basque. Classes were taught in Spanish. He remembers singing patriotic songs at school, and mentions some of the sports he and his friends used to play. They played cards and gambled a little as well. There was a large frontón in Munitibar. Javier was an altar boy for three years.
9:15-11:45 At home, the family grew corn, wheat, alfalfa for the cows, and other produce to feed the family. They also had cows, a pig every year, chickens, and rabbits. Javier’s family sold milk in town, and his mother would go to the market in Gernika to sell chickens, rabbits, and some fresh produce. She bought canned goods with the money she made at the market. Her work centered around the home, as did Javier’s father’s.
11:45-17:30 Javier describes the seminary in Euba, where he studied for a year. He describes the trade school in Bilbao, and talks about a teacher with whom he did not see eye to eye. Javier left the school due to problems with this teacher, but the problems had nothing to do with Javier’s academic abilities. He explains how he came to pursue an electrical degree. He took an aptitude test and scored highly, which allowed him to study what he wanted. After 4 years in Bilbao, he went to Markina to finish his degree.
17:30-21:30 Backing up a little, Javier describes some of his chores on the family farm. He said his work was normal, every boy his age had to do the same kind of work. He names some of his friends, and explains how he got his nickname, the “Red Devil”. People in town still know him by that name. Most of his friends are still in the Basque country, and they keep in touch.
21:30-23:30 Javier’s mother was a strong supporter of education, and pushed him to do well in school. His older brothers and sisters helped send him and his sister to school. He lists his siblings: Pilar, Begoña, Jesusa, José Luís, José Mari, María Victoria, Jesús, José Antonio, María Belén, and Maribel. His mother was the driving force, along with his own initiative, for getting an education.
23:30-28:30 Javier remembers his first paying job. He worked at an anchovy-canning factory before school when he was around 10-11 years old (he was an altar boy at the same time). The workers pressed for a wage increase, which the cannery could not meet. The cannery shut down and moved to a different location. His second job was in the merchant marine at 17. He worked on a ship for 2 years, 1974-75, and got to see a good part of the world. Javier had wanted to work in the merchant marine since he was 13 years old, inspired by his brother and brother-in-law. Javier worked as a mechanic in the engine room. He describes some of the work he did on the ship, which was based in Biarritz. The company only accepted Basque workers. He names the ships he worked on and some of the things they shipped.
28:30-30:00 Even though he liked working on the ship, Javier jumped ship with two friends in Singapore. They had no papers or money, but survived there for a week. He tells a story about meeting a Basque man at a bar in Singapore who helped them get their passports and tickets back to Madrid. He has not seen the man since.
Tape 1, side 2
0-6:30 Javier would like to thank the people who helped him get back to Madrid. When he and his friends arrived in Madrid, they found that the airport in Bilbao had been closed. The airline company, Iberia, gave them money for a train ticket to Bilbao, and the Spanish immigration office gave them 3000 pesetas for food and other expenses, no questions asked. They were able to watch a movie and have dinner in Madrid before they took the train to Bilbao. He tells the story of jumping ship in Singapore. He and his friends did not agree with some of the rules the captain set. When they arrived in Bilbao, they took a taxi to each of their hometowns. Javier says that his family was not surprised to see him, they were used to him coming and going, because the shipping company did not give their employees much notice before they picked them up or dropped them off at ports. He explains the procedure.
6:30-17:00 Back home, Javier went to work taking the bark off of pine trees. He also helped on the farm. He got a little bored at home after a month and a half, because all of his friends were either working or away at college. Javier decided to call his brother, José Mari, who was in the United States, to ask for his help in coming to America. With the help of his brother and Pete Cenarrusa, Javier made it to the US. Mr. Cenarrusa found him a job, and his brother sponsored him. Javier describes the process of arranged his affairs with the American Embassy and American hospital. He also had to apply with the Spanish Army for a permit to come work in the US (the Army had already examined him and were prepared to send him to North Africa). Francisco Franco was ill during this time, and Javier knew that it would be more difficult to get his immigration documents after Franco died, so he did what he could to speed up the process. The Army granted his request, with the condition that he return in July of 1976, and the Embassy gave him the first visa number for 1976, allowing for Javier’s departure on 3 January 1976. When he did not return the following July, he became a fugitive. When he returned with his wife in 1982, the police arrested him and checked his records. The police handed him over to the Army, who promptly put him in jail. (Editor’s note: his wife, Lauren, stayed with the Chertudi family in Madrid while her husband was in jail). After a brief period in jail, they let him go on the condition that he present himself to a judge in Bilbao. Javier’s lawyer advised him against it, so he left the country without seeing the judge. When he returned to Spain in 1986, he stayed out of the Army’s view. In the late 1980s, the king gave amnesty to certain people, and Javier’s record was erased. It has been clean ever since.
17:00-25:30 Javier explains how his brother and Pete Cenarrusa helped him come to the US. He flew from Madrid to New York to Chicago to Boise. After a week with his brother in Boise, he went down to Las Vegas, Nevada. Mr. Cenarrusa had given him a job at his sheep ranch, so his foreman picked Javier up in Las Vegas and drove him to Blithe, California. Javier worked at the lambing sheds, building fences. He eventually became the cook for the ranch. He worked there for a few months before moving to Mr. Cenarrusa’s farm in Carey, Idaho. He stayed there until June, and left with his brother when he came to visit one day. He stayed with his brother for a week or two until he found a job with a mobile home factory in Boise as an electrician. He worked at the factory for 3 years, after which he joined a union and studied at Boise State University to get his journeyman’s license. He applied for a job with Hewlett Packard, and was offered a job in 1980.
25:30-30:00 Javier explains how he met his wife, Lauren, at the mobile home factory in 1978. They were married in 1980. Backing up, he talks about his perception of the United States before he came. He had some knowledge of the eastern part of the country from his travels with the merchant marine, but the western part was unfamiliar to him. He understood American life from his travels, reading Spanish newspapers that covered some American news, and watching television. After he arrived, he learned a great deal of English by reading American newspapers and taking English classes at Boise State University. It took about a year for him to learn enough English to read the newspaper easily, a little longer to speak the language. He had learned a few words of English in the merchant marine.
Tape 2, side 2
0-6:45 On the sheep ranch, no one except the foreman spoke much English. The workers communicated in Basque to each other, in Spanish to Mexican friends, and in broken English to Americans. Javier realized that one of the best ways to learn the language was to date an American woman. Getting a job with Hewlett Packard was also a big help. He explains how in 1984 he went to school at BSU full time and worked full time until he earned a degree that made him eligible for a job he wanted at HP. He was also taking tests for his high school diploma during his lunch hours. After all that work he got the job as a technician at HP.
6:45-15:30 Javier has never experienced any overt discrimination for being Basque. American culture was not difficult to become accustomed to. He adapted quickly. He became a member of the Basque Center, Euzkaldunak, around 1977 because he felt it was the right thing to do. He did not want to forget his Basque heritage, and enjoyed socializing with other Basques. It was also a great way to keep abreast of recent events in the Basque country. Javier was surprised that there appeared to be more Basque culture in Idaho than there was in the Basque country. Since he had left the old country when Franco died, he did not experience the freedom and cultural revival that occurred in the following years. The Basque society changed so much that by the time he went back in 1982, he did not recognize it. It was a tremendous shock to him. The young people were much more open and liberal. He mentions other ways the society had changed. In his opinion, the pendulum swung too far, the society changed too much. Since then, the society has come back to more of a moderate position. He talks about how Basques in the Boise community changed, albeit slightly, after Franco’s death.
15:30-23:30 Javier mentions some of the ways in which he is involved in the Basque Center. His ex-wife, Lauren, helped a little with Basque cultural events. Javier’s children, Amanda and Jason, danced with the Oinkaris. He talks about what membership in the Basque Center did for his family, and more about what it does for him. He is proud of being Basque, and says Basques in Boise and other communities are generally well respected. He did not speak Basque with his children, but taught them as much as possible about the culture. But he says it is difficult to teach the children Basque when their mother speaks only English, and there is really no need for them to learn the language. He returns to a discussion of the Basque Center, saying that without it the culture would probably diminish in Boise. He notices a change in the Basque community, since most of the people in charge of running the Center are 2nd or 3rd generation Basques, and very few people are coming from the Basque country. The culture has a different flavor now. It is a mixture of Basque and American cultures. In his opinion, it is important to change with the times, and to continue to celebrate the Basque culture in the United States as it is.
23:30-25:30 Javier talks about his hobbies: golf, camping, travel, spending time with friends. He has visited the Basque country about 5 times, and keeps in frequent contact with family and friends by phone and email. He has 3 siblings in Boise, but 7 are still in the Basque country.
25:30-30:00 He explains why he decided to settle in the United States. He originally came to make some money so that he could survive and afford the lifestyle of the Spanish Army, but was not able to save very much, so he decided to stay in the US after a few years. He has thought about spending part of the year in the Basque country after he retires. It is very likely that he will do so, and it is possible that he will even move back permanently. He has been able to readjust to life in the Basque country, and feels very comfortable there. His heart is divided between the US and his homeland.
Tape 2, side 2
0-3:00 Javier became a US citizen in 1981 because he needed a passport to go back to the Basque country. He took night classes to prepare for an interview at the federal building in Boise. Even with his citizenship, he considers himself to be Basque first, then American. He thinks of himself as a Basque man living in the United States.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Arriaga, Felipa – Javier’s mother.
Cenarrusa, Pete – helped Javier come to the United States.
Franco, Francisco – Spanish dictator.
Gernika – Javier was born in a hospital in this town.
Guerricabeitia, Antonio – Javier’s father.
Guerricabeitia, Begoña – one of Javier’s sisters.
Guerricabeitia, Jesús – one of Javier’s brothers.
Guerricabeitia, Jesusa – one of Javier’s sisters.
Guerricabeitia, José Antonio – one of Javier’s brothers.
Guerricabeitia, José Luís – one of Javier’s brothers.
Guerricabeitia, José Mari – one of Javier’s brothers.
Guerricabeitia, Lauren – Javier’s ex-wife.
Guerricabeitia, María Belén – one of Javier’s sisters.
Guerricabeitia, María Victoria – one of Javier’s sisters.
Guerricabeitia, Maribel – one of Javier’s sisters.
Guerricabeitia, Pilar – one of Javier’s sisters.
Iberia – a Spanish airline company.
Oinkari Basque Dancers, Boise, Idaho
Oloste – the name of Javier’s family’s house.
PLACES:
Arbazegui – Javier’s father’s birthplace.
Basque Center, Boise, Idaho – Javier is a member, talks about the purpose and significance of the center.
Biarritz – base of the shipping company Javier worked for.
Bilbao – location of the trade school he attended for 4 years. Location of an American embassy and hospital.
Blithe, California – location of one of the Cenarrusa lambing ranches.
Boise State University – Javier has attended the university.
Carey, Idaho – location of the Cenarrusa ranch and farm.
Chicago, Illinois – a stopover on Javier’s way to Boise.
Euba – location of the seminary he attended for a year.
Gernika, Bizkaia – Javier’s birthplace.
Hewlett Packard – a computer manufacturer, Javier’s current employer.
Jayo (Bolivar) – Javier’s mother’s birthplace.
Las Vegas, Nevada – Pete Cenarrusa’s foremen met Javier here to drive him to Blithe, California
Madrid, Spain – scene of several of the events in Javier’s life.
Markina – location of the trade school where he finished his degree.
Munitibar – location of Javier’s first school.
New York, New York – Javier entered the country here.
Singapore – Javier and two friends jumped ship in Singapore.
THEMES:
American culture
Basque clubs and organizations
Basque culture and society
Cooking
Education
Family
Farming
Language
Merchant marine
Sheep herding
Spain after Franco
Spain under Franco
Spanish Army
