(1996 and March 2002 – March 2007)
Amerikanuak! Basques in the High Desert, an exhibit produced by the High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon, chronicled the history and contributions of Europe’s Basque people in the Intermountain West. With its contemporary photographs, artifacts, historic images, quotes and text, Amerikanuak! addressed a wide variety of significant aspects of Basque culture in the region, previously interpreted only in books and scholarly research. Among the themes explored are the immigration of Basques to the Americas from their homeland in France and Spain; their role in the livestock industry and other businesses in the High Desert; the success of the Basques in maintaining their distinctive culture and lifestyles; traditional music, dance, sports and games; and the experience of Basque women and families.
Amerikanuak! was produced with the cooperation of the North America Basque Organizations, Inc., the Basque Studies Program at the University of Nevada, Reno, and many individual Basque Americans throughout the High Desert. The exhibit was sponsored by The Oregon Community Foundation, Eva Chiles Meyer Fund #2, US West, Idaho Humanities Foundation, Oregon Council for the Humanities, Idaho Humanities Council, and the Nevada Humanities Committee.
Amerikanuak! Basques in the High Desert is available as a small traveling exhibit, visit the Traveling Exhibits page for more information.