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Basque Studies Program Newsletter · Issue 40, 1989





A Letter from the Sheepherders of Guipúzcoa...

... to the Sheepherders of Nevada, Idaho and California, presented on the occasion of the dedication of the monument "Solitude."

Reno, California, eta Idahoko artzainei Euskal Herritik:
Reno, California, eta Idaho aldeko artzainoi, Euskal Herritik, zuen edo zuen aurrekoen sorlekutik, agur!

Pozik jakin dugu artzantzaren festa haundia ospatzen duzuela hor, zuen artzantza-lana ari duzuen lur eder horretan. Eta festaren barruan, zuek landu eta azaldu duzuen artzainaren irudi ederra, monumentu bihurtua geratuko dela, geroko belaunaldiek ere jakin dezaten zuen lanaren eta gizatasunaren berri. Eta berri horrek asko poztu gaitu itsasoz alde honetan gure artzantza ari dugunok ere.

Eta gure pozaren ezaugarri, jaso ezazue gure esker onezko agurra. Zuen festa gure festa da, jakinik jatorriz Euskal Herrikoak zaretela. Eta zuei hor egiten dizueten omenaldi horretan zuen gertuan nahi dugu aurkitu, zuei eginiko omenaldia Euskal Herri osoari eta euskal artzantzari eginiko omenaldi bezala sentitzen bait dugu. Gorputzez urruti bada ere, bihotzez zuekin gaituzue.

Eta gure poza agertzearekin batera, harro senitzen garela esan nahi dizuegu.  Izan ere, ez dugu ahazten zuek munduz mundu eraman duzuela gure Herriaren izen ona eta gure artzain-lana burutzeko era jatorra. Ure askotako lanez, izerdiz, bakardadez eta jatortasunez, dotore eta bikain idatzi duzune gure Herriaren historia. Oso goin ipini duzue artzain guztion izena. Eta hori harrotzekoa da gure artzantza Euskal Herrian bizi dugunontzat. Gure herriko, gure odoleko, gure baserriko, gure mendietako seme txalogarrienak zarete, nahiz hemen jaioak izan, nahiz hemen jaiotakoen seme-alaba izan.

Besterik ez. Zuen festa eguna pozik eta alai igaro dezazuela. Gu zuekin izango gara gogoz eta bihotzez. Eta eutsi jatortasunari eta zuen artzantza zintzoari. Mila esker eta ez adiorik!

Euskal Herriko artzainek
1989ko Abuztua


Translation:
To the sheepherders of Idaho; California; and Reno, Nevada:

Greetings to the sheepherders of Idaho, California, and Reno from the Basque Country, your birthplace or that of your ancestors!

We were pleased to learn that you are celebrating a big sheepherder's festival there, in the lovely land where you work. And as part of the festival, there will be a presentation of a monument, a beautiful image of a sheepherder worked for and brought about by yourselves, and it will allow future generations to hear the news of your work and your humanity. And that news has made those of us who are sheepherders on this side of the ocean very happy also.

Receive this greeting of thanks as a sign of our pleasure. Your festival is our festival, knowing that you are Basque in origin. And we want to be with you in this homage to what you do, because we feel that this tribute to you is a tribute to all Basque sheepherders and to the entire Basque Country. Even though we are far apart, our hearts are with you.

And we want to tell you that we feel pride along with the joy. In fact, we will not forget the sincere way that you have carried the good name of our country and our sheepherding throughout the world. You have elegantly written our country's history with your authenticity, loneliness, sweat, and years of work. You have elevated the name of sheepherder for all of us. And that is a matter of pride for those of us who live as sheepherders in the Basque Country. You are the praiseworthy sons of our mountains, our farms, our blood and our country, whether you were born here or are the children of those born here.

That is all. Enjoy your festival. We will be with you in spirit and in heart. Maintain your authenticity and your honest trade. Many thanks, but never goodbye!

The sheepherders of the Basque Country
August 1989


  


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