argia.eus
INPRIMATU
Citizenship and nature, closer through the Basque Country
  • Eñaut Agirre Goia and Iñaki Sanz Azkue have published a book on the fauna and flora of the Urumea Valley, with the help of the Basque association Dobera de Hernani y Aranzadi. Through oral heritage and beliefs and customs, they want to show that Basque citizenship has lived “in full connection” with nature.
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Hontzuria kanpandorrean hegozabalik, liburuaren azalean ageri den irudi indartsua.

It's a book that describes 150 species of animals and plants in the Urumea Valley, looking at our fauna and flora. But to be more than that, the authors have created a vocation, as the reader will find “what is not in the books of science”, in which they have received an “immaterial” heritage related to language, legends and customs.

The book was produced by the philologist Eñaut Agirre and biologist Iñaki Sanz and was presented this Thursday in Donostia by Juantxo Agirre-Mauleon, representative of Dobera and secretary-general of Aranzadi, Nagore Zubitur.

In the 300-page book, tokens have been made by chips, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and mammals on the rich fauna and flora that can be found in the Urumea valley. In addition to the names or variants of the surroundings of Hernani and Ereñotzu, other dialects can be seen on these pages: a total of 600 names in Basque, related to nature, integrated in our linguistic heritage and documented from now on.

They have presented in San Sebastian the book 'Our Fauna and Flora Watching'. On the left side, Juantxo Agirre-Mauleon (Aranzadi), Iñaki Sanz -Azkue (author), Eñaut Agirre (author) and Nagore Zubitur (Dobera). Carried out with a scientific perspective, but beyond that, they have wanted to collect an immaterial heritage that "is not in the books of science" and that has as its axis the Basque. (photo: Aranzadi)

Book to understand in Basque

The book also collects the experiences, legends and beliefs of the people of the houses and neighborhoods that still live in the unknown riera of the Urumea. Through them, one can understand the way of life of citizenship in relation to nature, taking as its axis language.

For this reason, the authors have emphasized that this is a work that “must be understood in Basque”, since, in addition to the dictionary of the valley, the one of other counties and the one collected in the Basque historical literature has also been used, to, through a brush but in a more complete way, “visualize how the Basques have seen nature”.

The presentation, in addition to in Donostia-San Sebastián, will be held on Thursday afternoon in the Ereñotzu municipal district, in Hernani; and on Saturday will be held in Hernani the I Festival Internacional de Música Dobera. Book Fair.