Yvonne Sallaberry Granata

Interview conducted by Miel Anjel Elustondo

3/6/1995 – At Reno Basque club’s March potluck/Mus tournament

Interview conducted in English

Indexes by Kate Camino
Sound byte files by Pedro J. Oiarzabal

0:00     Born in Ely, Nevada May 29, 1957

1:33     Other Basque surnames Sallaberry Etchegarai (grandmother). Her mother is from the U.S.

2:11     Her ancestors are from Banca and her Grandpa came in 1939-40 before the WW II and was saving money to send for the family, for her grandma father and 3 aunts.

They came in 1946 to Eureka Nevada.  Her grandfather had a ranch (Willow Creek) and had the Colonade Hotel in Eureka, boarding house turned to regular hotel where her Grandma still resides.

3:44     Her gram is 93 years old at time of interview. 

When she was 8 she started dancing with the group when she was 14 she started to teach until she was 20 because there were no other teachers.  Always went to Basque picnics, mostly Ely with her family.

4:39     Has been in Reno for 33 years. Moved from Willow Creek ranch at age 4

Participated in club mostly with the kids of the Reno club, helped serve

Clinic aid – nurse’s helper

Would like to be a teacher and eventually a counselor.

Works with 2 Basque-American teachers.  One is the son of the lady that helped with the mus tournament.

6:17     Future of Basque community in her town?

Hopes that a younger people get more involved, older people are backing off, are tired.  Her generation wants to see the club go forward.  People from Euskal Herria want to join the Basque people.  Join everyone just as Basque people with no separations would be good.

7:00     Future of Basque community in the U.S.?

Basque community in the U.S. can only get stronger.  Especially due to the NABO activities like Music Camp etc. will make it better.

            Future of language?

Euskera is a very hard language to learn but not that many people speak Basque here (Reno) the more who learn Basque the better.  It will help unite us in the Basque community

8:35     What does it mean to be Basque for you?

Being Basque to me is a very proud thing.

My father married an American and there wasn’t that pressure to leave Basque culture behind but language was lost.  Father thinks that an American-born Basque can never learn Euskera.  She would like to prove him wrong because all of her activities have been around the Basque community and now that her children are old enough she is trying to get them involved as well. Let them go to Music camp and dance with the group.

She thinks that it’s important for everybody to be aware of their heritage and to become a part of it.

Being Basque is important to her because in the U.S. today more than anything we need a background it gives us a place to stand. 

She wants to know the Basque culture as well as she does the American.  But it’s hard in the U.S. since everything is so blended.

Will go to Euskadi for the first time in a month from time of interview.  Has a friend in Donostia that will tour her around.  Will visit Banca and Donostia, arrives in Bilbao and very excited for the trip.  Also will go to visit her Amatxi’s alaba (great aunt) in Banca.  It’ll be her first time in Europe.

12:51   Are you still involved in the Basque club?

She wasn’t involved for a time to raise her kids, but feels it’s important to become involved again now, especially that her kids are now grown.  The more support a young Basque-American can give to the club the better.

There are some really strong communities that teach singing, dancing and get together all of the time to keep the community strong, but in Reno the club numbers aren’t as big, we don’t teach Euskara like they do elsewhere.  Reno is lacking the cultural.

There are a lot of Basques in Reno but they’re not involved with the club.  Knows of some Basques but it’s not important to them, they are American.  She is American but Basque also.