Basque Native Rights

Basque Separatism, Customary Rights To Land And Self-Determination

Oct 15, 2006

The Basques, the most invaded indigenous group on the planet, are fortunate enough to have gained true self-determination as a separatist state.

Basque Self-Determination Proclamation

On February 15 1990, by an absolute majority of 38 votes, the Basque Parliament proclaimed:

"The Basque People have the right to self-determination. This right resides in the lawful authority of its citizens to take decisions, freely and democratically, on their political, economic, social and cultural status, either by providing themselves with their own political framework or by sharing their sovereignty, totally or in part, with other peoples".

Basque Autonomy

The Basque Country has had its own Government and autonomous Parliament since the arrival of democracy in Spain in the late nineteen seventies. As indigenous people, they're much more fortunate in this regard than other aboriginal peoples. One might wonder when this democracy will arrive in Australia and America.

Basque History, Language and Culture

Inhabiting the Pyrenees for at least four thousand years, the Basques have survived ongoing invasion and colonisation by moving to the hills where it is difficult to attack and easy to defend, fighting ferocious and carefully chosen battles.

Eventually their territory was divided between France and Spain during the middle ages.

Now there are seven autonomous Basque territories, governed by bodies of law known as Fueros. These work well because they have the indigenous quality of flexibility and the ability to evolve with changes in society and the environment.

The Basque Homeland is called Euzkadi, and its language is Euskara, which survives from not only pre-Roman times, but pre-Celtic times as well. About 3 million Basques live in the Basque Homelands today.

Basque Terrorism

When most people think of Basque separatism, they think of the ETA - Euskadi Ta Askatasuma (Basque Homeland and Freedom) which was formed in the fifties during the fascist Franco dictatorship. At that time, Basque language was banned, Basque culture was suppressed and Basque thinkers were jailed and tortured. In the sixties the ETA was taken over by Marxists and became something of a terrorist organisation. Since then nearly 1000 people have been killed by the ETA in their fight for the right to self-determination in Spain.

In 1973 the ETA assassinated Admiral Luis Carrero Blanco, who was Franco's most likely successor, and whose death heralded the end of Spanish fascism. Following Franco’s death two years later, the autonomous Basque region was set up in Alava, Vizcaya and Guipuzcoa, but not Navarra, which is still considered to be a Basque territory. So the ETA abides.

It is difficult to see this as a good news story and an inspiration to the world’s indigenous peoples, when one considers the success of such violence in regaining self-determination in comparison with the widespread failure of peaceful protest and legal action in other colonised lands across the globe.

The copyright of the article Basque Native Rights in European Indigenous Peoples is owned by Tyson Woorama . Permission to republish Basque Native Rights in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.