The Urazandi ("from overseas") project in a nutshell is an attempt to collect the stories of immigrant Basque communities--before many of those who can tell these early stories leave us!  The time is now for your community to get started on collecting these stories.

Basques have never been very good about noting their own history.  Since the time of the Romans, most all of the commentary was by outsiders until fairly recently.  While Basques are good about keeping traditions alive, this is one that we can set aside and instead get to work compiling our own community histories.  If we don't do this, no one else will do if for us. 

The Autonomous Basque Government of Euskadi began work on this years ago with their Urazandi ("from overseas") project.  The San Francisco Basque community has recently completed their successful oral history project and the results were published in Pedro J. Oiarzabal's Gardeners of Identity: Basques in the San Francisco Bay Area (too order) 

They have also made available for all (mil esker!) their organizing material if another Basque community want to get going with their own oral history project.  This material is available at  http://www.sfbasque.org/urazandi/status.htm.

There you will find an interviewer check list, data sheet, release form, interview questions, etc.  They have made it much easier to begin.  So now what is needed is for groups to form in our communities and get started!

Link to an overview of the Urazandi project sponsored by the Autonomous Basque Government: http://www.euskaletxeak.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=161&Itemid=274 

About the book Gardeners of Identity:
 http://www.eitb.com/en/basques-in-boise/detail/305867/gardeners-of-identity-pays-homage-to-basques-in-san-francisco/
http://www.euskosare.org/abangoardia/history_of_basques_san_francisco_oiarzabal
http://buber.net/Basque/?p=199