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BASQUE ORAL HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW TAPE INDEX
NAME:
María Auzokoa Legarreta TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS Side 10-4:30 María was born in Arrieta on 10 September 1914. Her parents were Sabina and Augustín. They both worked on the family baserri, called Baienta. She was one of 8 children: José Mari, Ciriaco, Juanita, Bernardo, Domingo, herself, Martina, and Dionisia (4 brothers and 4 sisters). She went to school from age 7 to 14. The school was divided into age groups (older children in one group, younger children in another) and by gender at first. After a while, the school decided to group boys and girls together. There were two schools, with at least 30 children in each school. They walked to school, 3 or 4 kilometers each way. 4:30-6:30 The children helped with chores around the farm, but the older children went off to work as maids and servants for other families. María’s first job was to work on the farm, harvesting crops for her family. A typical day began at dawn and would progress calmly. They sewed the grain in May; sewing in the spring and harvesting in the fall were the busiest times around the baserri. 6:30-11:45 María stayed on the baserri and worked there until she married at the age of 26 in 1941. She met her husband at a romería, an outdoor country dance and gathering, before the Spanish Civil War. There were romerías nearly every Sunday. He was from Fruniz. She remembers how difficult life was during the Civil War, recalling some of the misery. Her sister was just climbing the hills out of Guernica when the city was bombed. They could see the smoke rising from the city from their baserri. Some stray bombs landed near the baserri, killing a few of María’s neighbors. She remembers the period of rationing. 11:45-16:30 She met her husband, Severiano Legarreta, in 1935. He had fought in the Spanish Civil War. He returned in 1939 after the war and the two began to date. They date for about 2 years before marrying in Begoña, in Bilbao. After they married they moved to his baserri, called Puntxebarri, in Fruniz. Her three sons, Fulgencio, José Ramón, and Luís Mari (who is deceased), and her daughter Inés were all born in Fruniz. She started having children in 1942 and her youngest, Inés, was born in 1947. They were all born in the baserri; the doctor and some midwives came to the house to help deliver the children. They had a mill to grind corn, and there was always a great deal of work to be done on the farm. 16:34-19:00 Severiano came to the United States in 1954, after having been married for 14 years, to find work. He had an uncle and cousins in the US, and had written to them to inquire about life in America. While he was away he sent money back to his family. María remembers that there were no schools in Fruniz in the beginning; some teachers and priests were sent (she is not clear as to how or why they were sent). The children helped her run the farm, except for Luís Mari, who died of pneumonia when he was only 4 months old. 19:00-21:00 Severiano returned to his family after 12 years, in 1966. He sent for his two sons from the United States in 1961-62, but he did not return to Fruniz until 1966. He spent 5 years with his family in Fruniz before returning to the US in 1971. He sent for María in 1972. He was a US citizen by this time, as were his sons. 21:00-24:45 Her daughter Inés married in 1972, after everyone but her mother had gone to America. María did not have any idea what the United States would be like before she came. She says she came without any worries, making the trip as if it were no big deal. María flew from Madrid to New York to Denver to Boise. She traveled with a male acquaintance from the same town who spoke a little English. The two decided to travel together to make the trip easier on them. Her sons and husband were waiting for her in the Boise airport. Her oldest son, who had married by this point, brought his own family to greet her as well. 24:45-26:30 Boise did not make much of an impression on her. It was not very busy, so María was able to settle in fairly easily. She did not stay in a boarding house. Her husband had bought a little house for them already in downtown Boise. They lived in that house for a year, then moved to another house by the Basque Center for a year, then in Vicki Urresti’s house for 8 years, then to her current residence in Meridian. 26:30-30:00 María found work as a seamstress at a shop for a few months, then at Alexander’s for 2 years, then to another place for about 2 years. In total, she worked as a seamstress for about 5 years. She had learned to sew in Arrieta at the age of 17 in a house where they taught sewing. She enjoyed working. Side 2 0-7:00 María did not have much difficulty understanding English. She used to attend mass at Saint John’s regularly before health problems got in the way. She says that life in Boise is similar to life in the Basque country. She has her family to help her, so her life has been calm (tranquila). She goes to the Basque Center in Boise to play brisca and have dinner. She meets her friends, such as Trini Rementeria, Mari Carmen Totorica and others to play brisca. She mentions several other Basque friends by name. Her usual Sunday schedule was to go to mass, then have dinner at home, then meet friends at the Basque Center. She speaks Basque with all her friends, and enjoys helping with events at the Center. 7:00-9:30 Severiano passed away in April of 1997. He had worked until 1983, when he and his wife moved to Meridian. 9:30-12:30 María writes to friends and family in the Basque country. Her daughter has come to the United States with her family to visit, but María has not made a trip back to her homeland. She remembers the years her daughter has visited. María and her daughter talk on the phone regularly. She only has one living sibling, who lives in the Basque country. They call each other frequently. 12:30-14:00 María is not a US citizen. She has no desire to vote either in the United States or the Basque country, preferring to stay out of politics altogether.
NAMES AND PLACES NAMES: Auzokoa,
Augustín – María’s father. Alexander’s – name of a clothing store where María worked as a seamstress for 2 years. Arrieta – María’s hometown. Basque Center, Boise, Idaho – María has been actively involved in functions, events, and likes to meet friends at the Basque Center. Boise, Idaho – María’s destination when she came to the United States. Denver, Colorado – María’s second stop in the United States. Guernica – María and her family witnessed the bombing of Guernica. Madrid, Spain – María left from the airport in Madrid to come to the United States. Meridian, Idaho – María’s residence since 1983. New York, New York – María’s first stop in the United States. Our Lady of Begoña – the church in Bilbao in which María and Severiano married. Fruniz – Severiano Legarreta’s hometown. St. John’s Cathedral, Boise, Idaho – María attended mass at St. John’s for many years. THEMES: Basque
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