Basque Tree Carvings in the American West

Dr. John Bieter, professor of History at Boise State University, and Iñaki Arrieta Baro, head of the Jon Bilbao Basque Library at the University of Nevada, Reno, will describe the lertxun-marrak or arborglyphs.

These unique cultural artifacts were etched by Basque sheepherders during the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the aspen groves of the Western mountains, a tradition later continued by Mexican and Peruvian herders.

Arborglyphs Virtual Reality Experience
(Enjoy this experience at the Folklife Fair on Saturday, October 11 from 10:00am to 4:00pm at Roberta McKercher Park in Hailey.)

Under the guidance of Daniel Fergus, director of @One, Digital Media Technology at the University of Nevada, Reno, visitors will walk in the shoes of a Basque sheepherder. From dawn to dusk, guests will experience a day in his life, the connection to the land, the homesickness, and the solitude in the open landscapes of the American West that inspired their tree carvings.