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Basque Oral History Project Index Interview Tape Index
NAME: Lillian Zatica
Lequerica
TAPE MINUTE SUMMARY OF CONTENTS
Side 1
0-6:00 Lillian’s father, John Zatica, was born in Ispaster, Spain, and came to America when he was 17. Her mother, Delfina Coscorroza, was born in Paradise Valley, Nevada. The couple was married in Oregon Canyon, and lived there until 1941, when they bought a house in Paradise Valley to raise cattle. John came to the US to find a better life, and never went back to the Basque country. Lillian’s maternal grandmother, Martina Achabal, came from Ispaster as well, and grandfather Luciano Coscorroza was from Ea. Delfina’s father died when she was quite young, so Martina married Santiago Gabika. This couple moved to Paradise Valley with John and Delfina. Lillian describes her 4-bedroom rock house. Her mother and grandmother cooked for many cattle crews and sheepherders passing through, without the aid of indoor plumbing. She talks about the specifics of her father’s ranch, and the herders who used the nearby trails. The house was frequently used as a place to sleep by these men.
6-10:00 Lillian was born on November 13, 1925. She has two sisters, Emily and Gloria. Lillian remembers helping out on the ranch as a little girl: she marked lambs, and helped with domestic chores. Her cousins Evelina, Jesusa, and Adolfo Achabal shared a horse-drawn cart with Lillian and Emily to go to school until the second grade, at which point they began riding horses. The two kids would spend one week at one family’s house and the next week at the other’s during the school year. The Ansotegui family (which she lists) lived nearby, and 3 of the children went to school there as well. The Echave family lived a few miles away. Lillian’s school was very small, and there were never more than 13 students—all Basque. All the area Basques owned ranches, and some children came in from other towns to go to school there.
10-15:00 Lillian’s teacher’s name was Mr. Cox, whose was related to the original teacher, who had taught Lillian’s mom (and this woman had married an Echave boy). She went through sophomore year at the little school, then came to Jordan Valley with Emily and Jesusa Achabal. She met her husband John Lequerica there, at the high school there, and the two were married in 1943. While in high school, the girls lived in a little house in Jordan Valley with their grandmother. This school only had about 40 kids, and so Lillian didn’t feel out of place. She doesn’t remember going to many dances at the time, because most of the area boys were all away in the war. The few dances they did have did not feature Basque music. She spoke fluent Basque and English growing up. Lillian recalls playing basketball and volleyball in Jordan Valley, and visiting with the other kids (there wasn’t much else to do, and many men were leaving for the service). She compares the shock following the bombing of Pearl Harbor to the attack on the World Trade Center. As kids got cars and got older, Jordan Valley emptied out and dwindled in size.
15-24:30 Lillian was married in Winnemucca. Her parents had a cattle ranch in Paradise Valley until 1970. After her marriage, Lillian and John followed his sheep into South Mountain, until her kids Timothy and Joni were born. John also had two kids, Eleanor and Gerald, from previous messages. When John and his partner/brother Rufus went to the mountains, Lillian just followed along—she did no herding herself. In 1947, the couple bought a ranch in Arock, Oregon., She describes her husband’s sheep route, and says it was hard for her to adjust to being a housewife, since she had never really learned to cook or do chores. Lillian lists some of the Basques who worked for her family on the ranch and who lived in the bunk; there were about 8 men at any given time during lambing season, and 3 at other times.
24:30-30:00 Lillian spoke in Basque with the ranch hands, but not with her children. She describes her chores, and all the meals she had to make. Her kids learned to appreciate the Basque culture just by living around Basques, since there were no clubs in the area. She has taken many trips to the Basque country, and had to speak Euskera, since she knew no Spanish. Lillian found Euskadi to be beautiful when she saw it for the first time, and was well accepted by her extended family. People mistook her for an immigrant to the US. She still keeps in close contact with her family in the Basque country, some of whom have visited here. She considers herself to be “plain American, with the Basque language and heritage.”
Side 2
0-2:00 Lillian believes that the Basques in her area were well respected, and never suffered any prejudice. Her family hired many non-Basques through the years.
NAMES AND PLACES
NAMES:
Achabal, Evelina:
Lillian’s cousin
PLACES:
Arock, OR THEMES:
Education |
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