Bonnie Jo (Letemendi) Le Beau

See index summary below.

Tape 1

Side 1

0-6:00              Bonnie’s father, Bonifacio Letemendi, was born in Paradise, Nevada, and loved to fish and dance.  He was a star football player and track runner for Boise High School.  His family was most likely from Gernika, and his parents, Antonio and Leandra, both had their roots in Bizkaia.  The couple moved to Boise and bought the building that would soon make history as the Letemendi Boardinghouse.

 

5-8:00              The Letemendi Boardinghouse was a hub of Basque activity—chorizos were made there, and there were always dances and mus games.  Bonnie’s mother, Thelma Crammer, had a tough time acculturating to the Basque community because it was not, at that time, altogether receptive of non-Basques.

 

8-15:00            Bonnie was born on the 11^th of October, 1939, and originally lived with her mother, as her father was in the military at that time.  When she finally moved into the Letamendi Boardinghouse, she received a real culture shock:  she didn’t speak Basque, she wasn’t familiar with the food, and she didn’t know what to call people.  She had just turned seven when she moved to the boardinghouse.  Her sister, Valen, stayed with her father’s side of the family, and therefore grew up speaking Basque and living in the boardinghouse.  When their father went to the military, Valen stayed with her paternal grandparents in the boardinghouse, and Bonnie stayed with her mom and maternal grandparents. Valen was a superb student, an avid dancer, and even played the txistu and accordion.

 

15-20:00          Bonnie vividly recalls the day she packed her suitcase and moved to the boardinghouse.  She had to sleep with her grandmother, and would often sneak out and sit outside her sister’s door until she was brought back.  In the beginning, she felt very scared and alone.  She learned to work while she was there; everybody had a job and everybody had responsibilities.  She had to do the dishes, serve the food, clean off the tables, teach English to shepherds, and study.  Her grandmother expected boarders to learn some English, saying that they would need it some day.  She also sat at the head of the table—a veritable throne.

 

20-28:30          Bonnie’s maternal grandmother understood English very well, but didn’t speak any.  She was a very stern, disciplined, and kind-hearted woman.  She had a real maternal instinct:  she spoke no English, but she wanted her boarders to learn some because she knew they would need it.  She even encouraged them to take night classes.  Bonnie describes—in detail—the interior of the boardinghouse.  The dining room tables could accommodate as many as 30 boarders.  At peak times, all slots were full. For some months, there were even two Basque wrestlers.  Bonnie notes that it was amazing how gentle the two were at home, but how scratched up they would get while away.

 

28:30-31:00     Various regular boarders are discussed.  Most of the regulars were Basque shepherds, but some were also miners and construction workers.  Mus tournaments were wildly popular, as were horseshoe games.

 

Side 2

 

0-6:00              Bonnie notes that Basque men will make a competition out of anything, and cites a few examples.  It bled down to the children, and Bonnie says that even she makes competitions out of things.  “Basques will even bet on which way the wind will blow.”  In the 18 years the she spent at the boardinghouse, she doesn’t remember one single funeral, which is a testament to the youth of most of the regulars.  She got close to many of the herders, and says that Basque men are very nice to children.  She says they were wonderful men, and they would even “pass the hat” to come up with presents for graduation.  She never felt completely ‘in’ at the boardinghouse—she felt more like an observer—but it’s not because she was treated any differently.  Part of that feeling was self-defined, as she noticed differences that others didn’t—her blond hair, for example.

 

6-12:00            Bonnie explains how, in college, she had a Jesuit professor who exempted her from taking the final exam because she proved to him that Basque was not Latin-based.  She explains the daily routine, and her grandmother’s rules.  They had no TV, so they would sing, dance, and play.  One of her grandmother’s rules was that everybody had to learn how to play an instrument.  Bonnie took up piano from the 2^nd grade until she graduated from high school.  The family paid for these lessons, and a lot of time was spent dancing to the family 78-record jukebox.

 

12-19:00          On Fridays, spaghetti without meat, and fish was served.  Sundays always bore witness to tripe and pickled pig’s feet.  Cooking three meals a day was a full-time job, as was cleaning, washing dishes and linens, and other things.  Clothes were not washed at the Chinese laundry—for cultural reasons—but groceries were bought from the Chinese community.  Dinners were always eaten at home, though outsiders were occasionally invited in.  Basque was not to be spoken outside the boardinghouse, because if they said something ‘bad’ amongst themselves that was overheard, it would reflect poorly on the family.  She explains how this happened once!

 

19-24:00          Bonnie affirms that a boardinghouse was a very interesting way to be raised.  She and her 17-year-old grandson quiz one another on Basque words.  Christmas was one time when everyone—Basque or not—was invited for dinner.  She describes some of the common Christmas traditions, including dances.  Christmas was a predominantly religious experience, though presents were given.  Her grandmother was in mourning for 14 years—she didn’t leave the house for anything, including Mass—so the priest had to come to the house to give her Communion.  Bonnie mentions what kinds of records were played in the jukebox.

 

24-30:00          There were lots of Basque kids at St. Theresa’s—a nun-run school—largely because Basques in general support education.  There were lots of Basques at Boise High School, too.  If there was a question of whether to spend an afternoon with Basques or non-Basques, there was not option:  Sundays were spent at home, and Basque events (aka ‘family events’) took precedence.

 

Tape 2

Side 1

 

0-5:00              Bonnie was involved with the original Oinkaris that went to Spain in 1962, though she didn’t attend.  She started when she was about eight or nine.  They even got paid to do what they loved!  Dancing was a very fun social outlet, and they were all very proud to do it.  They would practice every Sunday with Jay Hormaechea.  After moving to the boardinghouse, Bonnie never really had much contact with her maternal family.

 

5-10:00            Bonnie met her future husband, Joseph LeBeau, with a group that was going to a dancing club.  He was really nice, really quiet, and a great dancer.  They were married in 1960.  Bonnie was the first one of the boardinghouse girls to marry out of the Basque community.  She discusses his introduction to the boardinghouse family.  Her grandmother liked him, mostly because he loved her food and ate it ravenously.

 

10-14:00          Bonnie and Joseph had dated for six months before their marriage, and her father liked Joseph very much.  He is of French-Canadian descent, but was born in Ontario, California.  At the time, he was attending UCLA.  So, Bonnie was brought into the Basque fold rather rudely at the age of 7, and a few years later she was pulled completely out of it.  She describes herself has the “most homesick person you’ll ever meet.”  She mentions a Basque family they met in California.

 

14-21:00          Throughout their upbringing, Bonnie taught her three children Julia, Joseph, and Jon, to be individuals.  She also taught them about their heritage, which they were eager to learn about.  Unfortunately, it was just too difficult to teach them Basque.  Once a year they still order 50 lbs of chorizos from Gem Pack and have them shipped to her home in Cucamonga, California.  The three children spent a lot of time with Bonnie’s father.  He spoiled them, as Basque men tend to do.  She explains how the police were in cahoots with the Basque community, and together “parented” (chastised) the young Basques in the area.  “If you spit on Main Street, it was a felony by the time you got home.”

 

21-24:00          Bonnie discusses how her grandson is very interested in languages and the Basque culture.  Her cousin put together a bunch of 8 mm film that Bonnie’s uncle, Gus Urresti, had taken of sheep marking, the construction of the Boise Basque Center, and various episodes of Bonnie’s life in the boardinghouse.

 

24-26:00          Bonnie tries to stay involved with Basque culture to the extent that she can.  Most of the Basques in the Chino area are from the French side of the Pyrenees.  After all this time, Bonnie still defines herself as Basque.  In terms of roots, she says that her history is mixed.  In her mind, however, she grew up Basque, and her identity will always be strongly linked to this background.

 

NAMES AND PLACES

 

NAMES:

Crammer, Thelma; mother

Crammer, Tim; maternal grandfather

Gem Pack; local company which sells chorizos to Bonnie

Hormaechea, Jay; integral in starting the Oinkaris

LeBeau, Joseph; husband

Letemendi, Antonio; paternal grandfather

Letemendi, Bonifacio; father

Letemendi, Bonnie Jo

Letemendi, Leandra; paternal grandmother.

Oinkari Basque Dancers; she was part of this group

Urresti, Gus; uncle

 

PLACES:

Basque Center, Boise

Boise High School

Cucamonga, CA

Letemendi Boardinghouse

Ontario, CA

Paradise, NV

UCLA

 

THEMES:

Boardinghouse life

Boardinghouses

Catholicism, Roman

Cookery, Basque

Cultural Relations, Chinese-Basque

Culture, Basque

Dancing, Basque

Death and dying

Education

Friends and family

Language acquisition

Language and languages

Marriage

Music, American

Music, Basque

Religion

Sheepmen

Shepherds

Sports, American