inition, outlines six different criteria upon which one can define ethnicity. Out of these points the one that apply to the Basque, as an ethnic group are the following:Assumed Blood Ties. – One of the way in which the Basque are unique is in their blood serology. They are primarily type O blood with an occasional B type A is extremely rare and AB is non-existent. One of the curious things is that the majority of Basque are RH negative, unlike most of the rest of the world's population Language. – Euskera is their and it has been the vehicle that fostered and maintained their culture. It is unique in the world and may very well be the oldest living European language. Linguistically, it is not related to any Indo-European Language; it has 13 vowels. 6 diphthong vowels and 38 consonants. It is considered a difficult language to master consisting of primarily nouns and suffixes Region. – The Basques have inhabited this region prior to Roman conquest of the Iberic Peninsula. The earliest account of the Basques, as a people are found in the works of Greek and Roman geographers who described four tribes who spoke various dialects of Basque. Custom. – Although many of their costumes are common to the other ethnic groups in the area, they have kept different traditions that are based on myth and legend typical to the Basque which continue to be transmitted orally as it was done many centuries ago. There are other more subjective factors that also unify the Basques in their quest for autonomy from the governments of Spain and France. Perhaps the strongest factor that prompts the Basque people to seek independence, or at least autonomy, lies in the psychological make up of the people. In other words, the feeling of cohesiveness when coupled with all the objective factors have as a result the drive, desire, and vision of a nation in which Basques are not just an ethnic minority, but rather a nation that feels free to make...
