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BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX
NAME:
Fermin Zubizareta TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS Tape 1, side 10-5:45 Fermin was born in Nampa, Idaho on 10 April 1917. His father was Domingo Zubizareta; his mother was Brigida Aspiri Plaza. Domingo was born near Markina around 1882. He came to the United States at the age of 16-18 to work. Domingo had two brothers and other relatives in Boise when he came. According to Fermin, his father most likely went straight to work for the same sheep company as one of his brothers, Fermin. Domingo sent money home to his mother to help her support his two siblings. He worked in the US for about eight years, returned to the Basque country to marry Brigida, who had probably been his longtime girlfriend, and returned to the US. Domingo and Brigida married around 1908 and stayed in the Basque country long enough to have their first two children. Their children are Pedro (1909), Antonio (1912), Juanita [1915], Fermin, and Juan “John” [1919]. Domingo returned to the US around the time of Antonio’s birth to continue working for the sheep company he had an interest, or share, in. Before long, he left the sheep company and bought a 40-acre farm in Nampa. Domingo retained his interest in the sheep company until Fermin was born. He grew potatoes, alfalfa, grains, and raised cows on his farm. 5:45-10:00 Fermin’s mother was from Amoroto. She was born around 1874. Brigida immigrated to the US around 1914 with her two children. She did not speak any English. Brigida and the children stayed at the Star Hotel in Nampa while Domingo was in the process of leaving the sheep company and buying the 40-acres for the farm. Fermin was born at the Star Hotel and was still an infant when the family moved to the farm. They stayed on the farm for three or four years. When Domingo fell ill with cancer, the family decided to move off the farm. He passed away seven years later. 10:00-11:45 When Domingo fell ill, the family moved onto a farm in Owyhee, Oregon. They lived there for another four years. Fermin and his brothers did the farm work. The family spoke only Basque at home. Domingo spoke English, but Brigida did not, so they spoke to the children in Basque. Fermin laughs when he remembers that he did not even know there was another language. 11:45- He describes the school he attended in Owyhee. It was a small country school. There were two rooms: one for children in the first through fourth grades, and one for children from fifth through eighth grade. There were two teachers who not only taught school, but also cleaned the building and built a fire in the stove every morning as well. In Fermin’s group, there were only about 15 students. Owyhee was a small farming community. Fermin and his siblings walked about 1 ˝ miles to school every day. They had to buy their own books. The teachers were very young – one was 19, the other 21. Both women lived in Ontario, Oregon. Fermin went through three grades in Owyhee. He and his siblings were the only Basque children there. It was difficult for them to start school for several reasons: his mother could not help them with their homework because she herself was not educated and the walk to school was rather long. Fermin had difficulty learning English. (Anecdote: Fermin’s teacher told him that for every day he finished his lessons, she would give him a penny. He laughs, and says that he only got one penny). His older brothers, Pedro and Antonio, did not get much of an education in part because they had so much responsibility on the farm. Fermin tells the story of how he spelled his name “Phermin” for the first few years of school. When he started school, Antonio took him to the teacher, who asked him what his name was. Antonio, who was only in the third grade and had the work “elephant” written in his grammar book, told the teacher to spell it with a “Ph.” After a few years, Fermin realized the mistake and changed the spelling of his name. 18:00-22:45 Fermin’s older brothers helped him immensely when he started school. He looked up to them. They went to another school, so Fermin was the only Basque boy in his class. The teacher was kind to him and helped him with his lessons. It took Fermin until the second grade to feel comfortable speaking English. He and his brothers tried to teach their mother English, but were not very successful. They were the only Basque family in Owyhee itself. There were quite a few Basques in surrounding communities working with sheep or farming. Since they did not have a car, the Zubizaretas walked or drove horse-drawn wagons to visit other Basques two or more miles away. The family spent most of their time with other Basques. Fermin did not have many non-Basque friends. His family was very close to other Basque families. When the children started learning English, they switched to speaking English with each other and Basque with their parents. 22:45-26:30 Fermin’s family moved to Parma, Idaho after about four years in Owyhee. They moved into a little house. In 1927, after a year in Parma, Fermin’s father died. Fermin’s older brothers went to work as sheepherders, leaving their mother with the younger children. There were other Basque families in Parma. Fermin befriended two other Basque children on the other side of town. They to each other spoke in English. There were no festivals or organized Basque social events in Parma. The Zubizaretas decided to move to Boise in 1927-28. 26:30-30:00 They moved into a house west of Boise. Fermin went to work for a dairy and finished the eighth grade at Garfield School. His ambition was to herd sheep. His younger brother, John, stayed in Boise, finished high school, and went into the grocery store business. Fermin was 15 years old when he started herding sheep for the “Ybarra Brothers and Elizondo” sheep company outside of Crane, Oregon on Steens Mountain. They were French Basques. Fermin’s brother was working for them at the time, and offered Fermin a job. Tape 1, side 20-7:30 Fermin recalls how he started his career as a sheepherder. He tells the story of how he had to rely on help from several people just to locate the Ybarra brothers’ outfit, which he eventually found near Steens Mountain. Since he was so young, Fermin’s boss put him to work fixing fences and doing odd jobs. One of the bosses had homesteaded some land on the mountain, so Fermin stayed in the cabin. He worked this way all summer before his brother left the sheep company in the fall. Fermin took over his brother’s band of sheep and started working as a herder. He had been helping his brother quite a bit during the summer. The French Basques he met spoke English, French, Spanish and Basque well. Since he had difficulty understanding their Basque, Fermin spoke mostly English to them. 7:30-13:45 Fermin did not have a camp tender. One of the bosses brought supplies to all the herders. Fermin used a burro to carry his tent and supplies. He spent a great deal of time alone. His bosses discouraged herders from owning radios since they thought the radios would distract them. Fermin spent five years on Steens Mountain. The only time he went to town was in the spring, when herders were sent down for a couple of days to receive an inoculation against diseases from tick bites. He saw his family about once a year. Fermin earned $40 a month, which was a rather large sum in those days. During the Depression, most herders were making only $30-$35 a month. After a year, the economic situation improved and Fermin’s salary rose to $65, and $70 by the time he quit. His bosses were honest and timely in paying their employees. Backing up, he explains that when the Depression hit, the market for sheep suffered greatly and sheep companies could not borrow much money from banks. Fermin saved his money; he put it away in a bank. 13:45-15:45 At 20, he left the sheep company and went to Boise to visit his family. [In 1936] he and his brothers bought 160 acres of sagebrush land in Owyhee and developed it into a farm. They farmed for four years, raising milk cows and growing grain. 15:45-16:15 Fermin enlisted in the US Army [in 1941] and served for four years. When he returned, he went into the grocery business with his brothers. (Aside: Fermin’s father had earned his citizenship, but his mother had not). After enlisting, Fermin was sent to Camp Roberts (sp.), California with thousands of other servicemen. After basic training, Fermin was assigned to the Signal Corps. He was sent to Washington for over a year and then to Panama for three years. 18:10-20:30 Backing up, Fermin describes the Basque community in Owyhee at the time he and his brothers owned their farm. Many were sheep owners. When there was not much work to be done on the farm, his brothers would work for some of them on their ranches. Most Basques in the area lived on cattle and sheep ranches. He remembers Jack Echanis’ boarding house in Ontario, Oregon. Fermin attended the dances that Echanis hosted throughout the year. There was no organized Basque activity at the time. He laughs and says that most Basques were too concerned with trying to make a living to give much thought to preserving their heritage. 20:30-24:15 Fermin did not meet any Basques while he was in the service. He found that most people had no idea what a Basque person was. He remembers having to explain where the Basque country was, but most people forgot soon after he told them. Fermin was used to living around non-Basques, so it was not difficult for him to be separated from a Basque community. He describes the Signal Corps. 24:15-28:30 In 1945, just before he was discharged from the service, his brothers opened the Boulevard Market on 5th and Main Street in downtown Boise. He joined them when he returned to Boise. Fermin discusses how he and his brothers opened the Food King Grocery Stores in subsequent years [for more information, see Miren Zubizareta’s interview summary]. 28:30-30:00 Shortly after moving to Boise, Fermin joined the Basque community and became one of the first members of the Basque Center. By that time interest was mounting to preserve the Basque heritage, whereas it had not been a priority in previous years. He mentions Juanita Hormaechea. Tape 2, side 1 0-6:15 Mrs. Hormaechea did a great deal to stress the importance of maintaining and preserving Basque culture. Fermin remembers the building of the Center and the dances that were held there afterward. The Center became a place for Basques to meet, talk, and socialize. He also attended the annual picnics. Fermin says that by that time, he was “really aware” of the Basque people around him. He saw how the Center served to bring Basques together and wanted to be a part of it. He compares it to the lack of interest in organization that had been prevalent among Basques when he was herding sheep. In fact, he remembers that in the old days Basques were looked down upon. When they started “building the Basque Center and everything,” they started “rising above a lot of that stuff that people thought they were.” Fermin did not experience any prejudice in Boise, but when he looks back on his childhood, he remembers that many Basques were not well accepted when they first arrived. 6:15-14:00 Fermin met his wife, Miren Eiguren, at a Sheepherders’ Dance in Boise. They married in June 1947 at St. John’s Cathedral and settled in West Boise to raise in their family. They have two daughters, Virginia and Mary Anne. Fermin and his wife did not speak Basque at home, except when her parents were visiting. It was easier to speak English. Fermin had not planned to marry a Basque woman. His daughters danced with the Oinkari Basque Dancers when they were children, and are still involved with the Basque Center. Fermin, his wife, and their daughters still go to every monthly dinner. On their own initiative, his daughters have become very involved in Boise’s Basque community. While they were growing up, Fermin took his daughters to all the Basque picnics. Even though they did not marry Basque men, Fermin’s daughters have made sure that their children experience Basque culture. He says that even though Basques are intermarrying with non-Basques to an increasing extent, the amount of involvement in Basque activities is growing by leaps and bounds. 14:00-23:15 Fermin discusses how he and his partners started the Food King stores. They built the first store right across the street from one of his old elementary schools. He gives a history of the Food King franchise. Miren worked as the bookkeeper for two of the stores. After Fermin and Miren retired, they went into real estate [see Miren Zubizareta’s summary]. He talks about some of his property holdings. 23:15-26:15 Even though he has always wanted to visit the Basque country, he and his wife have not been able to make the trip. He talks about his desire to go. Miren phones cousins in the Basque country frequently. 26:15-28:30 Fermin has not noticed people speaking much Basque at the Basque Center. He remembers his years as a sheepherder, when the other herders resented the fact that he did not speak Basque with them, even though he did not speak their dialect. When asked to identify himself, he says that he is an American of Basque heritage. He is very proud of his heritage, but even though he loves his heritage, his life and culture have been that of an American. 28:30-29:30 Fermin talks about some of his travels.
NAMES AND PLACES NAMES: Echanis,
Jack – Fermin remembers his boarding house in Ontario, Oregon. Basque
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