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Basque Oral History Project Index Interview Tape Index
NAME: Lucia Lezamiz
TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Tape 1
Side 1
0-7:00 Lucia’s father was Tomas Arrien, from Renteria, Bizkaia, close to Gernika. He was from a small farm, but the family made most of its money with fruit orchards. Tomas made extra money as a carpenter in town, and when his business took off, he opened a little shop in downtown Gernika. He never went to the US. Lucia’s mother was Maria Monasterio, originally from Jangiz. Before she was married, she worked as a seamstress, and worked at her sister’s tavern. The couple was married about 1922. Lucia’s siblings are Carmela and Vitor; she is the middle child. She was born 8 April 1924.
7-10:00 Lucia describes her childhood. She was always a happy child, she had lots of friends, and everyone in town loved her because she helped everyone out. Her parents were wonderful, if firm, and they lived a comfortable life. Her father was very successful, because he offered the lowest prices and worked harder than the competition. Lucia’s parents didn’t come from wealthy families, but were self made. When she came home from school for lunch, she tended her mother’s little shop in front of the house while Maria prepared the meal for the family.
10-14:00 When she was about 4, Lucia began school. Classes were conducted in Spanish, and taught by nuns. Her father insisted that his children pursue higher education so they could make something of themselves as well. Education was very important in the Arrien family. The family went to church almost every morning. She describes the Masses at the time.
14-17:00 Lucia describes what she did for fun at the time. The town plaza was close by, and children went there to play. She went to Mass with her friends on Sundays, then walked around town. When she was a little older, Lucia went to dances and festivals as well. She prefers the lifestyle back then to that of today. All of that changed when she was about 12, and the war hit home. Lucia’s school was converted into a hospital, and the nunnery where she had studied grade school was converted into a jail.
17-23:00 The Monday Gernika was bombed, Lucia was very upset to her stomach. She heard he planes swoop over the town and the machine guns fire. Maria closed the shop (locking it, which she rarely did) and the family fled to the hills. The siren blasts were loud and continuous. Lucia relates a story about her father’s taste for tortillas. Tomas was heading to his shop in Gernika. The planes dropped nine bombs, and the first one hit right in front of the shop. Lucia’s father went to get his money from the lockbox in the shop. He paused to comfort a good friend whose house was destroyed, then headed to the shop. Later, townspeople pieced together what must have happened: Tomas was probably shot down near his shop
23-30:00 During this time, Lucia and her mother watched the smoke rise from the city, and heard the guns fire. An incendiary bomb landed near them, but didn’t explode. Lucia recalls that since it was market day, only women and children and merchants were really downtown, and received the full brunt of the bombing. Near where Lucia hid, her cousin was killed by a bomb directed at a police car; he was buried in a mass grave before his family could dig him out ten years later. Lucia describes the horror of seeing burnt and dismembered bodies. Maria suggested that she and Lucia go look for Tomas and Vitor. They never knew for sure what became of Tomas’ body.
Side 2
0-8:30 All in all, the bombing lasted three hours. Lucia describes the aftermath. At 11pm, she and her mother were escaping through the hills by Forua. She recalls that the pilots flew so close to the ground that she could see them. It was easy for them to pick off fleeing civilians with their guns. Somehow or another, Vitor and Carmela later joined them in a cave, from where they decided to go to Renteria. When they found Tomas’ mother, Lucia’s father was not there, so the family knew something was wrong. They went from place to place looking for Tomas, but everywhere they went they found only unidentifiable corpses. She describes the confusion of getting information about Tomas from various relatives and acquaintances. They never did find the body, but just assumed he was dead.
8:30-13:00 During the bombing, the school where Lucia was to study (which had been converted to a hospital in the initial stages of the war), was bombed. She decided to continue studying her favorite subject—accounting—with a tutor. For eight years, the family stayed with Lucia’s aunt, and Lucia worked in the tavern for three of them. Both her father’s and mother’s shops were destroyed, and so Maria had to start over again with the land that was left. When she wasn’t studying accounting, Lucia helped out her aunt.
13-19:00 The bombing changed life completely. There was no more money, and Lucia didn’t have time for fun. Food was hard to come by, and the family had to eat many unpleasant things. For ten years, there was only black bread! She describes the experience. Maria built a new house; she was so trustworthy that people lent her money to buy the things she needed. The family lived there in Gernika, and the house is still in the family today. Carmela became a teacher. Lucia lived in the house until after she was married and her first son was 2 years old. It was built in 1945, and she came to America in 1951.
19-23:30 When she lived in Gernika, Lucia gave all her wages from sewing to her mother. Lucia’s husband is Ciriaco Lezamiz. He had come to the US by boat when he was 18, jumping ship in New York. Valentin Aguirre offered him work there, but New York didn’t suit him, so he came to Idaho to work as a sheepherder. He worked for Simplot, and eventually bought some of his own sheep. In 1946, Ciriaco came to Gernika to visit his ailing mother, where he met Lucia. He stayed in the Basque Country for 2 years, but had to return because he didn’t want to lose his green card. When she moved to the US and the couple bought a ranch, Lucia became a citizen right away to facilitate their finances.
23:30-30:00 Lucia describes meeting her husband in a tavern. He came back the next day, and asked her out that afternoon, but she told him to wait until evening. Lucia’s father was older than her mother, and she always knew she wanted to marry a man older than she, because the younger ones didn’t respect women. The couple was married in Gernika, and stayed there together for 8 months before he had to return. He had already sold his sheep by this time. Lucia stayed in Gernika for a few years until her paperwork was sorted out and her child was old enough to travel. Ciriaco gave her the option of staying in Gernika, but she didn’t want to be separated from her husband. Her father had told her what his brother had told him about life in the US—it was hard. But by this time, hard times didn’t seem to be a major issue for Lucia.
Tape 2
Side 1
0-7:00 Lucia’s mother had definitely not spoiled them when they were growing up; she recalls being denied a blue dress she wanted once. She relates an incident when her husband worked for Bruneau Sheep. Lucia came to the US in July of 1951, traveling via Bilbao, Madrid, New York and Elko. The trip wasn’t too hard, but she spoke no English. Lucia recalls meeting her husband at the Elko airport. They spent three years working for Bruneau Sheep, then worked with Simplot. Lucia kept the books and cooked throughout this time. At one point, she had to cook for more than 20 men, including Simplot himself.
7-12:00 Lucia and her husband spent 9 years working with sheep before buying a ranch in 1960. Her husband worked his way from camp tender to foreman, and Lucia spent a lot of time by herself at the ranch (she relates a scare she had with an escaped prisoner on the loose). There were no Basque neighbors, but most of the ranch hands and herders were Basque. Lucia has lived on three ranches since 1960, and explains the succession. She wanted to make a good living so all her kids could go to college.
12-21:00 At home, the Lezamiz family always spoke Spanish. The kids spoke Basque when they were very little, but Lucia wanted her kids to have the advantages of fluency in a world language. She talks about a maternity stay in the hospital in which she could communicate her desire for real food, and was determined that her kids would be multilingual. Today, she hangs up on her children if they talk to her in English! Her kids are Mary Lou (a teacher with several successful kids of her own), John (a successful Twin Falls lawyer), Margaret, Seth, Robbie and Linda.
21-30:00 There are few Basque activities in Twin Falls, but the children always loved to accompany Lucia and her husband to picnics and dances. It is difficult for them to be in touch with their Basque roots because they are far away from bustling cultural centers like Boise. Most of her friends are still Basque, and she speaks Basque with her husband. Lucia is in constant contact with her family in the Basque Country. In the first 25 years she was in the US, she was too busy to go to her homeland, but after 1976, she has gone several times. She describes being back there after the death of Franco. Lucia says that the life in the Basque Country is so different that going there is initially quite a shock, and she doesn’t know whether it is she who has changed or her homeland, but she doesn’t feel as comfortable there as she used to. Lucia elaborates on this sentiment. Nevertheless, she always feels happy in Gernika, and she goes about every other year. Lucia has been an American citizen since around 1960.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES: Arrien, Tomas: Lucia’s father PLACES: Renteria, Bizkaia
THEMES: Bombing of Gernika |
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