Basque sheepherders’ arborglyphs in the Far West are a heritage that is to be preserved

In this blog, we’ve written quite a bit about the Arborglyphs, engravings carved not into rocks but rather trees.

The quaking aspen is one of the most common trees in the US, and it has a massive presence in the western US.  They also have a very unique characteristic: they reproduce by cloning.  That means that what we often perceive as groves of separate trees are actually all united by the same root system and are actually one living being.  In Utah, where there is a significant Basque presence, we can find the largest living being on earth, a forest of 47,000 trees that are all connected by the same roots.  Known as Pando, which means “I extend” in Latin, this giant extends over 428,000 m² (106 acres, or 80 football fields) and its age is measured in millennia.

Basque sheepherders, alone with their flocks, their sheepdogs, and a small wagon as a home, used the aspens throughout the West as a canvas to leave behind their names, their dreams, or even their most intense desires, born of the months and months of solitude.

These thousands of engravings have become part of the cultural heritage of these western states, which, as we’ve brought you in our articles, have become the object of study and a heritage to be preserved: they are a part of the history of the Basques, engraved on the trunks of these trees, and are therefore a part of the history of our nation and of the United States.

The preservation of this heritage demands important field work, not only because the works of those Basque sheepherders are spread out over many thousands of square kilometers, but also because the nature of the chosen material is fragile.  Trees can be cut down, or burned, or simply grown, deforming the engravings found on them.

There are people and institutions that have spent years registering and preserving this heritage.  That’s why the news we bring you today is so important.

The National Archives’ National Historical Publications and Records Commission, part of the National Archives, the Federal organization in charge of preserving “the registers of the nation,” has been given a $24,000 grant to document the engravings found on ranches and public places in the western US.  This support is a joint initiative of three centers: the Basque Library at the University of Nevada, Reno (UNR), the Center for Basque Studies at Boise State University, and the Walter W. Stiern Library of California State University–Bakersfield.

The project seeks to document and preserve these engravings that are part of the history and culture of the Basque community in the United States.  As we’ve explained many times on the blog, the Basque community has had a significant presence in the western US since the 19th century, and these engravings have been an important means of self-expression for the Basques there at a time when most of them were sheepherders.

The project being carried out by these three university institutions includes the creation of a digital archive and the organization of public events, as well as carrying out interviews with members of the Basque community and other experts in order to get more information about this heritage and its cultural and historical importance.

The final goal is to compile all the engravings and complementary information so that future generations may understand and appreciate Basque culture in the United States.

As the National Archives explains in their press release about the research and preservation project:

!Documenting the arborglyphs opens a window into the lives of these immigrants while providing researchers, students, family members, artists, and the public access to these often-overlooked groups of people. The carvings cover a spectrum of topics: sports, politics, religion, love, work, and home. There are carvings of crosses, boats, well-known sayings, and short poems. Forming a collaborative exemplifies the Basque concept of auzolan (ow-so-lawn); auzo means neighborhood and lan means work. It is a traditional practice in Basque communities for neighbors to work together to accomplish a project that they could not complete individually.
The Basque sheepherders skillfully carved without injury to the living tree. Irresponsible carving can cause injury that can then reduce the lifespan of the tree. The Forest Service reminds us that it is illegal to carve on aspens in national forests and grasslands.”

We’ll leave you with the information from all three sources: the Jill Stockton article in Nevada Today, the article from 2News, also in Nevada, and the article from the Elko Daily, also in Nevada.

Nevada Today – 28/3/2023 – USA

Jon Bilbao Basque Library, part of The Arborglyph Collaborative, receives $24,000 grant

The National Archives’ National Historical Publications and Records Commission recently announced grants for 2023. Acting Archivist of the United States, Debra Steidel Wall, approved 31 proposals in 25 states and the District of Columbia, totaling $1,904,539, pending appropriations of a final FY2023 budget. This year’s awards include funding for an exciting Basque arborglyph project managed by The Arborglyph Collaborative.

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2News – 29/3/2023 – USA

Jon Bilbao Basque Library, part of The Arborglyph Collaborative, receives $24,000 grant

The National Archives’ National Historical Publications and Records Commission recently announced grants for 2023. Acting Archivist of the United States Debra Steidel Wall approved 31 proposals in 25 states and the District of Columbia, totaling $1,904,539 (pending appropriations of a final FY2023 budget). This year’s awards include funding for an exciting Basque arborglyph project managed by The Arborglyph Collaborative.

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Elko Daily – 2/4/2023 – USA

UNR Basque Library wins grant to document carvings

Header photo: an arborglyph of a deer in the trunk of a quaking aspen in the eastern Cascade Mountains in Lassen National Forest.  Photo by T. Rickman, US National Forest Service

Last Updated on Dec 3, 2023 by About Basque Country