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History Of Basque Whaling
The Basques were among the first people to catch whales commercially, as opposed to aboriginal whaling, and dominated the trade for five centuries, spreading to the far corners of the North Atlantic and even reaching the South Atlantic. The French explorer Samuel de Champlain, when writing about Basque whaling in Terranova (i.e. Newfoundland), described them as "the cleverest men at this fishing".Martijn, C.J., S. Barkham, and M.M. Barkham. 2003. Basques? Beothuk? Innu? Inuit? or St. Lawrence Iroquoians? The Whalers on the 1546 Desceliers Map, Seen Through the Eyes of Different Beholders. ''Newfoundland and Labrador Studies'', Vol. 19, No. 1: ''The New Early Modern Newfoundland'': Part 2. By the early 17th century, other nations entered the trade in earnest, seeking the Basques as tutors, "for heywere then the only people who understand whaling", lamented the English explorer Jonas Poole. Having learned the trade themselves, other nations adopted their techniques and soon dominate ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Basques
The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Basques are indigenous to, and primarily inhabit, an area traditionally known as the Basque Country ( eu, Euskal Herria) — a region that is located around the western end of the Pyrenees on the coast of the Bay of Biscay and straddles parts of north-central Spain and south-western France. Etymology The English word ''Basque'' may be pronounced or and derives from the French ''Basque'' (), itself derived from Gascon ''Basco'' (pronounced ), cognate with Spanish ''Vasco ''(pronounced ). Those, in turn, come from Latin ''Vascō'' (pronounced ; plural '' Vascōnes''—see history section below). The Latin generally evolved into the bilabials and in Gascon and Spanish, probably under the influence of Basque and the related Aquit ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
