Basques in Boise

An interview with Amuma Says No, a Basque-American band that plays traditional Basque music but with an original twist, forms the narrative of ''Basques in the West'', a full-length documentary film currently being shot in the United States by Brent Barras (Canyons Studio) and Amaya Oxarango-Ingram.

"The hybridity of American culture and Basque culture is very intriguing to me. This band is a perfect example of what I think Basque American culture is today: A little bit of tradition with a twist of Rock n'' Roll. It is vibrant, it''s exciting and its what''s happening now," says Amaya Oxarango-Ingram in an interview with eitb.com.

The documentary features the Basque people in the western states of the US, what they have done to add culture and vitality to the west, the sheep industry, and the changes they are having to make to keep tradition alive and their livelihoods sustainable.

According to Amaya, this film is different from previous ones on the same subject because it focuses more on what Basque culture in America is today.

"Other films I have seen have focused solely on the history of Basque immigration to the US and the Basque legacy in the sheep herding industry. Of course our film will touch on these things…you can''t have the present without of the past…but the truth is Basque culture here in the states is different than it was 30 years ago. I want to try to dispel this notion that we''re all a bunch of sheepherders."

"Basques are the only minority culture I can think of that is still so heavily associated with a particular occupation. Its part of our history here in the US but we have started another chapter…we''re lawyers, doctors, financiers, filmmakers…who also care about continuing certain traditions from the old country," she proudly explains of her heritage.

Adaptation Vs. Preservation

"With this film I am attempting to show the central tension that I think all Basques in the Diaspora struggle with, not just Basque Americans… the tension between keeping up with and preserving tradition and accepting innovation and moving forward. A theme we keep coming across during our interviews is the idea of adaptation vs preservation: What aspects of a culture do you preserve and what aspects do you adapt because of the lifestyle you''re living and more importantly…Why?" Amaya explains.

"Ultimately I would like to try and answer the question of what it means to be Basque in America…maybe it''s something that''s not even concretely definable since I think it is also very hard to define what it means so be Basque even in the Basque country. Every generation is redefining what it means so be Basque. So to try and define it is a bit of a daunting challenge…but it''s a challenge that''s too hard to resist," she adds.

So far, Brent and Amaya have interviewed more than 30 people in the space of about 10 months and already have over 50 hours of footage. They plan on getting more interviews in the upcoming months. For the moment, however, they have not set a date for completion. "The longer we can continue filming, the better. The longer we film…the more refined and beautiful the finished product will be," says Amaya.

"Brent and I are both fully committed to seeing this project through until we are satisfied with it enough to call it complete," she adds.

Most of the interviews have been in and around Idaho but they have also done interviews in Nevada, Oregon and Utah and plan on conducting a few film shoots in Washington, the Seattle area, New Mexico and California. "And if we get our ''dream funding'' we would like to take a trip back to New York and take a train back West…following my great grandfather''s tracks back to Battle Mountain, Nevada ," explains Amaya.

So far, Brent and Amaya have been paying out of their own pockets and are currently looking for outside funding or donations. "We will continue to work on this film with or without grants…but with (sic) would make things a lot easier. It is a labor of love, and for me that''s the most important," she explains.

Long-time dreams

Amaya had the idea for a documentary a long time ago. If asked, anyone of Amaya''s high school friends would mention her obsession with Basque culture and her locker filled with all the books she could find on the subject. She had always wanted to make a film that celebrated the American chapter in Basque history to further her "understanding of the such intense pride Basque-Americans (3 or 4 generations later) have for a country thousands of miles away."

However, maybe because of her young age, no one had taken her seriously until she found her partner Brent Barras, who had his own film studio and was looking to do a multi-part series on culture in the Snake River area, Idaho.

The majority of the major personalities from the area were Basque or of Basque decent and he contacted Amaya''s mother in the hopes of getting new leads on how to find out more about Basque culture. A couple phone calls later, Amaya and Brent were together in business. "We both bring something to the table. Brent brings an experienced film eye and has a great technical background. I bring a creative vision and help with the networking. We both need each others skills in order to make this project happen," Amaya explains.

Once ''Basques in the West'' is finished, Amaya hopes it opens doors to more cultural and historical documentary work. "I would like to do more films in the future on Basque culture but I also want to explore other walks of life, different from my own. I am constantly searching for new perspectives and ideologies, which is partly why documentary work is so appealing to me," she says.

Aside from her work, Amaya also knows the future will take her to the Basque Country. "Sadly, I have yet to visit the country of my forefathers. I have been dying to go…but for one reason or another the timing has been off," she says.

"But for me… a trip to the Basque country is as important as a trip to Mecca would be for a Muslim. Being Basque is so much of who I am that going back and seeing where my family is from and staying there for a year or two and learning Euskera fluently isn''t even a question of ''maybe'' in my mind… It''s just something that has to happen… And it will."

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