Lekuak: The Basque Places of Boise, Idaho

Lekuak is a cultural journey through Boise, Idaho from a unique perspective: that of the indelible mark Basque immigrants from Euskal Herria, the Basque Country, and their descendants, have made on the city. This journey is not only through parts of the city's landscape, but also through generations past, present, and future.

From the introduction: Lekuak means “places” in the Basque language. This book, Lekuak, traces how Basque places in Boise reflect the transformation of ethnic identity through successive generations. Today, the Basque places of Boise still remarkably represent Old World values that the first generation of immigrants from the Basque Country brought with them. These unique Basque places reveal at least one common thread: the Basque community or neighborhood, the auzoa. In the Old World, maintenance of an auzoa was highly dependent upon communal work, or auzolan. This principle helped Basque immigrants resettle their lives in new places, or “new soil,” and continues into today.

Includes historical Basque timeline, maps, photos, and more