TAPEMINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1, side 1
0-5:15 Alex was born in Kortezubi, Biskaia in 1945. His parents were Juan José Homaechevarria and Eduvigis Monasterio. Alex was born in a baserri, Salbide Bekoa. His family raised peppers, tomatoes, corn, cabbage, apples, cherries, and other produce on the farm, and had pigs, cows, and a horse. They sold tomatoes, peppers, apples, and cherries at the markets in Gernika and its outskirts. The farmhouse was largely self-sufficient. Alex has three sisters and one brother: Josefina, María Luisa, Juan José, and Amparo. They were all born in the farmhouse. His father worked at the Dalia factory in Gernika during the day, and helped with farm chores after work. He bicycled to work every day. Bicycling was Alex’s father’s passion, and he loved to race. He did not let his children ride his bicycle, but Alex stole a ride every now and then. Alex shares his father’s love of bicycle racing, keeping abreast of major races around the world (he mentions a Basque racer from Kortezubi who recently won a stage in the Tour de France).
5:15-11:00 Alex describes his school. Farm work limited his free time to play sports with his friends. His classes started at 9:00 am and stopped for lunch at noon. They started again at 2:00. His parents did not have much formal education, but pushed the children to do well in school. Two of the teachers he remembers were from Vitoria and Valladolid. Classes were conducted entirely in Castilian, but there were no severe punishments for speaking Basque. Students were punished if they skipped class, and their teachers informed their parents after Mass on Sunday. Alex tells a story about “borrowing” a farmer’s boat to go for a ride in the river. He and his friends lost track of time and were late for class. The teacher and their parents punished them on Sunday. Looking back, Alex sees that an occasional punishment was good for him.
11:00-18:30 Boys and girls were taught separately. Some chores, such as delivering milk, were done before school, but the majority was done afterward. Alex finished school in Kortezubi at 14, then went to Artes y Oficios (a vocational school) in Gernika to study to be a machinist. He landed a job at Malta (a tableware manufacturer) in Gernika. After working for Malta for two years, he decided to come to the United States. He describes a little of what a machinist does. He was attracted to that type of work because mathematics had come easily to him in school and he had a natural understanding of mechanics. He lived at home while he studied and worked in Gernika, commuting by bicycle every day. He built and repaired his own bicycle. During the winter, he and his friends went to see movies and watch jai alai games in Gernika. They also hunted, fished, and watched bicycle races when they were younger. Alex enjoyed his childhood. He comments on the difference in attitudes toward drinking alcohol in the Basque country and the United States. He and his family spent a great deal of time together. Most outings, especially during his childhood, were made as a family. At the age of 16 or so, he and friends started going to festivals the surrounding area.
18:30-21:00 The government funded Alex’s education in Gernika. After he finished at Artes y Oficios, he worked as a machinist at Malta. It was his responsibility to make sure the machines ran smoothly. He made parts for the factory equipment and repaired the machines from time to time. He enjoyed the work and appreciated his independence. Alex talks about the time he spent as a sheepherder in the United States. The work was harder than he expected. When he first arrived in the US, he drove straight to the sheep camp in Boise. It was late at night and very dark. His boss told him that they would travel to Marsing, Idaho the next day to work at the lambing sheds and take care of the 5000 head of sheep. Alex says that for the next three years, Fridays and Saturday nights were not special, for he always had to work the next day. He had the chance to take some English classes in Boise during the winter.
21:00-23:30 Alex talks about what motivated him to immigrate to the United States. He wanted to try something new, but had no idea what to expect in America. Socializing was completely different, for he could not go into town in the evenings for a drink with his friends. He did not have much of a vacation for the three years he worked as a camp tender. Even so, he says he was fortunate to work with a good sheepherder. Before he moved to the US, Alex’s brother-in-law had written to him to see if he would like to come to America to work for a sheep company. His brother-in-law was in the US by himself, but his wife (Alex’s sister) lived with her family in the Basque country. She joined him about a year and a half after Alex arrived.
23:30-27:15 Alex gives the details of his trip to the United States. On December 23, 1968, he took a train from Bilbao to Madrid, from Madrid to New York on Iberia Airlines, then to Denver and on to Boise on United Airlines. He did not speak any English when he arrived, and was employed under a 3-year contract. The sheep company fronted the money for Alex’s passage. He explains that under the terms of the contract, he had to work long enough to repay the company for his passage and for passage back to the Basque country in case they needed to deport him. Alex explains how he avoiding serving in the Spanish Army with help from Frank Church. Alex applied for US citizenship in 1974.
27:15-30:00 He explains how he started to learn English. It did not take him long to realize that he would not learn the language by spending all his time with Basque sheepherders. He would have to go out and socialize with people who spoke English. He took every opportunity available to spend time with non-Basques, even roller skating on one occasion.
Tape 1, side 2
0-5:45 Alex was the first person in his family to come to the United States. He made his first trip back to the Basque country with his family in 1975. It was quite an accomplishment considering how financially difficult his first few years in the US had been. He had to make his money go a long way.
5:45-20:00 Backing up, he explains that he worked for the same sheep outfit as his brother-in-law. He worked as a camptender, but saw how much responsibility was involved with herding sheep. He took care of the mules and horses, moved the camp, and cooked. Supplies were usually brought to him in camp. Alex learned how to cook in the US, and tells the story of his first experiences with macaroni and bread (in a Dutch oven). Alex’s first herder was a man named Bicandi, the second was Domingo (surname unknown), and the third was Basilio (surname unknown). He lists some of the food he used to prepare. Alex spent his free time hunting bears and fishing. He shot 11 bears during his last year as a camp tender. He and his herders used a sheep wagon in the low country, but had to sleep in a tent when they went up into the high country. He describes the layout of a typical sheep wagon. The sheep moved at least four or five miles a day, and the horses needed to be hobbled at night (especially if it was cold) to keep them from moving too far away. Even though it is not good for a horse or mule to be hobbled in the cold, herders and camp tenders hobbled them to avoid searching for them in the morning.
20:00-23:30 In the winter, Alex would go to Basque dances and festivals in Mountain Home, Grandview, Emmett, Boise, and other towns. Every little town had a sheepherders’ ball. They were the best times to see other Basques. When he was in Boise, he usually stayed at the Valencia or Letamendi boarding houses. One of the herders he worked with owned a car, which enabled Alex to visit Basques in other sheep camps or in town. He wrote to his family once a month, and they found it hard to believe some of his stories of hunting elk or bear. They were amazed by some of the things he was doing.
23:30-27:15 Alex explains how he started working as a machinist for Yanke Machine Shop. Henry Goitiandia told him about the job, so Alex found another man to replace him as a camptender and went to Boise. He has worked there for 33 years. He met Henry at a dance. Alex started as the low man on the totem pole, but moved up quickly. He underscores the importance of seeing opportunities and going for them.
27:15-30:00 He tells the story of meeting his wife, (Placida “Ceedy” Gaona – see minute 30), in 1969. He was living in Boise with his sister at the time. They married soon afterward and started raising their family.
Tape 2, side 1
0-5:30 Alex’s first son, Alex Jr., was born on 18 August 1970. He and his wife worked very hard to afford their new home, car, and support their family. Their daughter, Angie, was born in 1971. Alex and Placida were married by a Justice of the Peace in Winnemucca and later by a priest in Boise in 1969. They made their first trip to the Basque country in part to decide whether or not to move there, but decided to stay in the United States.
5:30-15:45 Looking back on this childhood, Alex remembers that he and his friends always spoke Basque to one another unless they went to a bigger city where people did not speak the language. In those days, if someone did not speak Basque, he knew that they weren’t Basque. Today, it is much more difficult to tell. Alex and his wife used to speak Spanish to each other (she is of Mexican descent), but they switched to English to help him learn the language. They talk about the difficult decision they had to make about whether or not to teach the children Basque or Spanish. To teach them about the Basque culture, they enrolled their sons dancing lessons and took them to Basque festivals and events. Alex served on the board of directors for the Boise Basque Center for three years (in the late 1970s). Placida encouraged the children to learn about the Basque culture, and both she and Alex are members of the Center. As the years passed, the children turned their attention to soccer. The family did many things together (fishing, camping, road trips), making it a point to spend time as a family. Alex and Placida’s grandchildren will start dancing with the Oinkari Basque Dancers soon.
15:45-20:00 Alex decided to join the Basque Center so that he could spend times with other Basques. It was a hub of social activity in the Basque community, and a good place to hear news from the Basque country. He has noticed changes in the Center as years have passed and people in the community have aged. Interests have changed, and the Center is different today from what it used to be.
20:00-30:00 On trips back to the Basque country he has noticed major changes, especially in terms of automobile traffic and economic improvements. The people have changed as well, for he finds it more difficult to tell which village or town people are from (it used to be easy). He has made five trips; the most recent was two weeks ago. He has also noticed changes in the Basque language itself. Alex says that it could just be him, but it seems that the language is not as mixed with Spanish anymore. Now that his family has settled in the US, Alex does not think he would return to the Basque country permanently. He is considering spending several months out of the year there when he retires. He jokes that the way people drive there scares him. He keeps in touch with his family and friends in the Basque country by phone.
Tape 2, side 2
0-8:00 Alex enjoys visiting the Basque country. He loves sitting with family and friends for hours over lunch or dinner, talking and spending time together. (Anecdote: Alex and Placida remember a huge barbecue in Kuna with Kepa and Joseba Chertudi).
8:00-11:00 Alex became a US citizen in 1975, but considers himself to be Basque above all else. These days, he plays golf, goes fishing and hunting, hikes, rides his bicycle, and spends time with Placida. He and Placida are looking for a good place to retire. He feels most at home in the United States.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Basilio – first name of one of Alex’s herders.
Church, Frank – US Senator.
Domingo – first name of one of Alex’s herders.
Gaona, Placida – Alex’s wife.
Goitiandia, Enrique “Henry” – a friend.
Homaechevarria, Alex Jr. – son.
Homaechevarria, Amparo – one of Alex’s sisters.
Homaechevarria, Angie – daughter.
Homaechevarria, Josefina – one of Alex’s sisters.
Homaechevarria, Juan José – Alex’s father.
Homaechevarria, Juan José – Alex’s father.
Homaechevarria, María Luisa – one of Alex’s sisters.
Iberia Airlines – Alex flew to New York on this airline.
Monasterio, Eduvigis – Alex’s mother.
Salbide Bekoa – name of Alex’s family’s baserri in Kortezubi.
United Airlines – Alex flew to Boise on this airline.
Bicandi – surname of one of Alex’s herders.
PLACES:
Artes y Oficios, Gernika – Vocational school where Alex studied to be a machinist here.
Basque Center, Boise, Idaho – Alex and Placida are members, and he has served on the Board of Directors.
Bilbao, Biskaia – one of the stops on Alex’s journey to Boise, Idaho.
Boise, Idaho – Alex took English classes in Boise in the winters during his years as a camp tender.
Denver – one of the stops on Alex’s journey to Boise, Idaho.
Emmett – Alex used to go to Basque dances and festivals here.
Gernika, Biskaia – Alex mentions this town in several contexts.
Grandview – Alex used to go to Basque dances and festivals here.
Kortezubi, Biskaia – Alex’s birthplace.
Kuna, Idaho – Alex mentions a barbecue he attended with Kepa and Joseba Chertudi.
Letamendi boarding house, Boise, Idaho – Alex stayed at this boarding house during his years as a herder.
Madrid – one of the stops on Alex’s journey to Boise, Idaho.
Malta – name of a tableware manufacturer in Gernika. Alex’s first job as a machinist.
Marsing, Idaho – Alex’s first job in the United States was to work in the lambing sheds here.
Mountain Home, Idaho – Alex used to go to Basque dances and festivals here.
New York – one of the stops on Alex’s journey to Boise, Idaho.
Oinkari Basque Dancers, Boise, Idaho – Alex’s children have danced with the Oinkaris.
Valencia Hotel and boarding house, Boise, Idaho – Alex stayed at this boarding house during his years as a
herder.
Valladolid, Spain – one of Alex’s grade school teachers was from Valladolid.
Vitoria, Araba – one of Alex’s grade school teachers was from Vitoria.
Winnemucca, Nevada – Alex and Placida were married by a Justice of the Peace here, and again by a priest in
Boise, Idaho.
Yanke Machine Shop, Boise, Idaho – Alex’s employer.
THEMES:
Baserri life
Basque clubs and organizations
Basque friends and acquaintances
Cycling
Family
Hunting and fishing
Language
Sheep herding
Spanish Army
