Basque language, food, music and play for the whole family are all part of a very special event from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Nevada State Museum in Carson City.
The monthly Family Fun Saturdays series gets children involved in many aspects of the museum, from Nevada history to cultural and nature studies. October’s event features Xabier Irujo, co-director at the Center for Basque Studies at UNR, his five children and several guests who will entertain and share culture and heritage.
Irujo will be joined by Monika Madinabeitia, a professor of Mondragon University in the Basque Country who will teach some Basque. Iker Saitua will speak at 10:30 a.m. about Basques in Nevada and teach how to play the Basque poker “mus.” Family activities will be available in the upstairs auditorium throughout the day.
Irujo is also adjunct instructor of contemporary Basque politics at Boise State University and a PhD candidate at UNR. He will return to the Nevada State Museum at 6:30 p.m., Nov. 19, to give a lecture on “The Bombing of Gernika and its Impact on the U.S.,” for the museum’s Frances Humphrey Lecture Series.
The museum will share a trunk full of cultural objects including clothing, cooking items, shepherd’s crook, Basque flag and crest, historic photos, and passport and other immigrant documents. The hands-on learning event is free to ages 17 and younger. Adult admission is $8, free for members, and includes the programs. The museum is at 600 N. Carson St., in Carson City. For more information, call 775-687-4810, ext. 237, or email dstevenson@nevadaculture.org.