Euskera (Basque) is the Basque people's native language. It is a remote language of Indo-European origin, and therefore it is considered a real cultural relic.
Lea-Artibai is one of the Basque regions where Euskera remains strongest: more than 85 percent of its inhabitants speak Basque.
Throughout most of its history, Euskera has been transmitted orally. The first book printed in Basque dates back to 1545.
Basque literary production in Lea-Artibai practically commenced with Juan A. Mogel (1755-1804), the author of “Peru Abarca” (Peru Covers), a work written in the Euskera spoken in Markina, a Basque town. It is considered to be the first attempt to produce a Basque novel.
That first work was followed by works by Bartolomé Madariaga (1768-1835); Resurrección Mª de Azkue (1864-1951), founder of the Academy of the Basque Language; novelist Txomin Agirre (1864-1920), writer Eusebio Erkiaga (1912-1993) from Lekeitio; and the prolific journalist and playwright from Ondarroa, Augustin Zubikarai (1914-2004).
The current generation of acclaimed authors is represented by names such as Agur Meabe, Ana Urkiza, Yolanda Arrieta and versatile Kirmen Uribe.
However, the best proof that Euskera is a cultural tool are popular expressions such as Bertsolarism (the improvised art of singing verses) and folk songs whose origins are lost in the mists of time, sung by choruses that fill the streets of our towns on Saint Agueda's Day.
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