Basque ethnography at a glance
Demolition and construction of a bowling alley by cooperative labour. Apodaka (Álava), 1984. Isidro Sáenz de Urturi.
In the villages of Álava neighbours must contribute to the maintenance of common property: buildings, paths and fields. Such provision of services to the community is locally known as vereda.
The chair of the Administrative Board would summon the commission with a peal of bells; nowadays a circular is mailed to all houses. Back in the old days the circular was passed on from house to house. The chair of the board took it to the nearest house, from there it was passed onto the next, and so on until the circle was completed. The circular announced the day and time of the gathering. Should it be a working day, bells were rung at the appointed time as a reminder, and matters of small concern were treated on Sundays after mass. (more…)
Rabid dog. Dioscórides, Madrid, 1566. Euskal Biblioteka. Labayru Fundazioa.
In the modern society we live the figure of the so-called saludador (literally, a healer or health-giver) has no place. The very meaning of the term is strange to Spanish speakers. The Royal Spanish Academy (Real Academia Española, abbreviated as RAE), in its second entry, defines it as a trickster dedicated to heal or forestall rabies and other virulent diseases with their breath, saliva and certain charms and formulas (“Embaucador que se dedica a curar o precaver la rabia u otros males, con el aliento, la saliva y ciertas deprecaciones y fórmulas”). It stands out and draws our attention that a saludador should be defined as a trickster (direct translation of embaucador, the word used in the definition) or fraudulent pretender. As we know, rabies is most commonly transmitted to humans by an infected dog. It was a widespread belief that dogs eating too little were prone to contract rabies, and let us not forget, in former times, people were more exposed to bites from rabid dogs. (more…)
Rubbing the loaves. Zeanuri (Bizkaia), 1983. Ander Manterola.
We buy and sell goods or provide and receive services by exchanging money. We do it every day. Trade and service delivery are part of the consumer society we live in and an essential driver for economic development.
In the traditional world, and particularly in rural areas where once in the past monetary transactions hardly ever occurred, bartering and provision of assistance among neighbours and relatives was customary. Human relationships were built upon mutual give and take. (more…)
Suckling wild pig. Pisco de Gaiso. www.piscodelgaiso.com.
The convenience of whether infants should be fed on maternal breast milk remains an issue for discussion nowadays. Experts seem to strongly recommend that mothers feed their children human milk because of the nutritional as well as immunological benefits it offers. In past times breast milk was in fact the only source of nutrition for babies during their first moments of life. (more…)
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