Basque ethnography at a glance
José Arteta, the last of the taloaska makers. Author: Felix Mugurutza.
Until about four decades ago, before the disappearance of traditional shepherding, one of the most prized possessions of the shepherds from Gorbeia was the taloaska. It was, together with the makila (walking stick), the element that shepherds were most proud to show off in their huts, the most highly valued asset.
The taloaska is basically a kind of rectangular kneading trough, with a handle at one end, and it was used to knead the talo (similar to a Mexican corn tortilla) that was eaten during those endless stays in the sheepfold, as a substitute for bread, as it was only eaten when strictly necessary. Bread could not be made in the mountains, but the versatile talo could.
Civil guards made by Zamacona bakery. Author: Jon Urutxurtu.
Until last year, whoever wanted to eat a guardia civil, so delightfully, had only to go to Areatza/Villaro. It is not a question of gobbling up one of the Civil Guard, but a baked sponge cake that was so named because it simulates the shape of a tricorn. In this case, it is not black and varnished, but immaculately white and exquisite. They are called guardia civiles of Areatza/Villaro. (more…)
Traditional shepherd’s hut in the town of Consuegra (Toledo). Photo: Julio César Valle Perulero.
Transhumance consists on changing place and home, from time to time, in the strict sense of the word. And in this itineration, transhumance and livestock form an inseparable pairing that has enabled the development of people for centuries. In this development, traditional knowledge has been essential for the maintenance of rural life linked to grazing and livestock farming for generations.
Closely related to the intangible cultural heritage, oral tradition tells us “Es la vida del pastor, la vida más arrastrada, que en el orbe de la tierra, por experiencia se halla” (“It is the life of the shepherd, the rudest life that can be found on earth, as experience shows”). Wretched, not only because of being compromised and tough, but also a nomadic and isolated life. Away from the people and the environment where, the shepherd has traditionally derived the necessary elements to build other “homes” outside his. Hence, the importance of the vernacular architecture which shelters shepherds and cattle from inclement weather and the scourges of nature, allowing them to move from north to south and from east to west.
Dance exhibition: Paloteado (dance of sticks and ribbons) in Novillas, a town from Zaragoza. Photo: E. X. Dueñas
It can be considered that any act that serves as entertainment, or in which other components come together —diverting, emotional, etc.— and that is performed in/with an audience is a spectacle. Moreover, clarifying that it is a folkloric one, we must make room for a wide list of celebrations that serve as a stimulus to those gathered.
The global, however, leads us to the specific. Therefore, it is essential to categorize by typology, trying to correctly manage the personal vision —albeit subjective to the signer—, and the collective, as well as the active and passive participation, existing in the event.
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