Ethnographic collections in Gordailua: Work

This small exhibition focuses on work; specifically on the tools and implements that shaped Basque pre-industrial society.

By Gordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Gordailua, Centro de Colecciones Patrimoniales de Gipuzkoa

Soraluze Farm work in the Arritxa farmhouse (1949) by Indalecio OjangurenGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Lan eta jan, jan eta lan: the expression - which can be translated as “work and eat, eat and work" - refers to a world in which even getting the most basic of things, food, involved a great effort. It is understood whether working by hand or using the efforts of animals.

Saint-Jean de Luz (1852) by Helene FeilletGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Working by hand

Industry led to the gradual disappearance of craft activities in two ways, both related: the mass production of products previously made by hand and new economic activities thar replaced old trades.

Baskets (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Some trades barely kept going due to the fact that the products they offered were either no longer used or were manufactured industrially, often with other materials; basketry, for example.

Women carrying different goods in baskets, helped by two donkeys. (XIX-XX centuries) by Miguel Aguirre AristiguietaGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Baskets were widely used to keep and move products of all kinds in small villages, markets, bakeries, in selling fish on the street, etc.

Donkey panniers (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Not only the materials, but also the mechanisation of means of transport led to the virtual disappearance of some specific basketry products, such as specific baskets for each fish or those that were put on horses.

Loom (XIX - XX centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

In some cases, keeping trades going was an option as opposed to mass and serial production. Hand-woven fabric added value to unique and unrepeatable products due to the material used and the work done by hand.

Spinning wheels (XIX - XX centuries)Gordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

The textile industry was the first business activity to be industrialised in the 18th century. However, hand spinning lasted until the beginning of the 20th century because it was a complement to the scarce economic resources of women: “little is gained by spinning, but less by looking”.

Weaving wheel (XIX - XX centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

However, the thread wheel for the warp of the loom was such a specific instrument in the long and costly process of converting fibres into fabric that only a few examples remain.

Man spinning at the Exhibition held on the occasion of the 5th Congress of Basque Studies in Bergara in 1930, dedicated to Popular Art. (1930) by J. GarcíaGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

This was one of the few activities in the fabric world in which men were involved because it was a specific profession: weaver.

Dress (1st middle of XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

As happened with cooking, in the 20th century the traditionally feminine and anonymous profession of sewing became linked to big names which were almost always male, when sewing gave way to “fashion”.

Bellota, segalarien kuttuna (XX century)Gordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Working by hand with industrial products

Most hand tools did not disappear, but the materials and manufacturing techniques were now industrial. Perhaps the best example was the Bellota brand from the renowned “Patricio Echeverría” factory in Legazpi (Gipuzkoa).

Anchor (1st middle of XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Large anchors were one of the main products manufactured in Basque ironworks; however, most were very modest in appearance and the materials were simple but effective and used until very recently.

Kneading machine (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Other much more recent machines are still similar even now, the only difference being that they now have a motor and are made of more hygienic materials, such as stainless steel.

Lumberjacks in Goyaz (XX century) by Marqués de Santa María del VillarGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Forestry activities have been mechanised for decades in terms of cutting trees, transportation, wood processing, etc.

Ax (2nd middle of XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

The manufacture of axes was also industrial, although they kept the characteristic Basque typology and those used for aizkolaris competitions.

Lumberjacks in Goyaz (XX century) by Marqués de Santa María del VillarGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Unlike the axe, which is still used occasionally, two-man saws have almost disappeared.

Saw (2nd middle of XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Having been replaced by the chainsaw, they are hardly ever seen outside exhibitions or rural sports events.

Mirandaola. Old forge. Legazpia (1959) by Juan San MartinGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

The most versatile tool

Hitting something that you want to break, open, pierce... is probably the oldest transforming activity. Simple and effective, very old and still used, the hammer has adapted to every specific function by varying its material, size, shape, handle layout....  

Hammer (XX century)Gordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Every trade has its own hammer, and often several, because the manufacture of an object may require a number of actions applied to a specific material on an exact surface with a certain force. This example came from the company Platería Satostegui in San Sebastian.

Cobbler's hammer (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Shoemaking is another profession in which every hammer performs a specific task. Gordailua has kept all of the tools from two shoemaking workshops, one from San Sebastian and the other from Burunda in Navarre.

Bush-hammer (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Sometimes, the tool is kept, but the hammering surface is replaced if it has suffered a lot or if different effects are required; that is the case of this bush hammer for stone.

Axe / hammer (1st middle of XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

The tool may even have been for the exclusive use of one person; in those cases, apart from just being adapted to their needs and characteristics, it went beyond its mere use to become a prestigious instrument.

Layout designers (1915) by Indalecio OjangurenGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

From old junk to cultural heritage

As a result of the disappearance of some trades or ways of working, many objects have ended up being considered heritage, insofar as they help us to understand how important those jobs were.

Laias (pairs of foot ploughs) (XIX - XX centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Even in small gardens, the hard work of ploughing the land with a couple of forks has been replaced by mechanical instruments or more versatile tools.

Farmer with two carts pulled by oxen (XX century) by Gregorio González GalarzaGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Animal-drawn carts have practically disappeared from the rural landscape.

Cart wheels (XIX - XX centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

But long before that, pneumatic tyres had already been adopted, as the solid wheels of Basque carts damaged asphalted roads.

Cowbells (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Sometimes a craft trade has kept going, because demand for the product has continued, despite all the changes in the rural world. Cowbells, for example, continue to indicate the presence of cattle on the mountain.

Farmer from Alegi making cowbells for cattle (1915) by Indalecio OjangurenGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Although there are industrially manufactured bells, the need to adjust the specific sound of each cowbell to the tastes and needs of the clientele has allowed the trade to survive.

Cowbells (XX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Even wooden strap collars are still found next to leather ones or others made of other materials, these days synthetic materials.

Cattle herd before transfer to the Pyrenean pastures for the summer (2017) by Xabier KerexetaGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

However, decorations, or perhaps symbols that we do not know how to interpret nowadays, are hardly ever made of pyrography by the farmer himself, but are painted instead.

Spear and harpoon for whales (XIX century) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

There are trades that have not been mechanised; they simply disappeared long ago, at least in our environment. Their objects can be considered both ethnographic and historical; this is true of whale fishing.

Traps (XIX - XX centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

Others are, in theory, also not practised as they are illegal; but poaching with traps is still a reality today.

Boundary stones in Arburuko Gaina (Irun) (2017) by Xabier KerexetaGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

“Mugarri” literally means a boundary stone. As such they have not disappeared, as they continue to fulfil their function; but they have been made of cement for decades. Old examples are often found next to new models.

Stone marking a sel (XVII-XVIII centuries) by AnonymousGordailua, the Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre

The ones that are no longer made are “sel” boundary stones. The “sel” is a plot of circular terrain, with a central boundary stone and eight radial ones. This way of delimiting the terrain is no longer practised and the boundary stones have often been removed from their original location.

Credits: Story

GORDAILUA

The Gipuzkoa Heritage Collection Centre
Provincial Council of Gipuzkoa

Credits: All media
The story featured may in some cases have been created by an independent third party and may not always represent the views of the institutions, listed below, who have supplied the content.
Explore more
Related theme
Spain: A Crossroads of Culture
From sights to sounds to smells, experience Spanish culture in every sense
View theme
Home
Discover
Play
Nearby
Favorites