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Photo credit: Joxe Mallea-Olaetxe. Source: Euskal Museoa Bilbao Basque Museum.

As we know, thousands of Basques emigrated to the west coast of the United States at the end of the 19th century and during much of the 20th century. Men, women, young people, entire families… followed in the footsteps of relatives and friends who were already established there. Encouraged to join their predecessors, they embarked on a journey in search of a more prosperous future full of hope. Among the Basques who arrived and settled in North America, the largest group would be made up of men who worked as shepherds.

Far from their families and villages of origin, the Basque shepherds travelled long distances for their sheep to graze peacefully in the vast meadows. Days passed very slowly, and while they kept watch to ensure that the flock was properly fed, they would carve their names, thoughts and fantasies into the bark of the trees. Most of them wrote their name and the date, and the more daring engraved texts or drawings on other subjects, such as their political or religious beliefs, the Basque homeland, or their deep-felt desire for a woman.

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