Basque Arborglyphs in the Forests of Nevada

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This episode explores the forgotten history of Basque shepherds in the American West and the tree carvings—known as arborglyphs—they left behind. Etched in the ancient Basque language, these inscriptions capture moments of solitude, longing, and identity from the 19th and 20th centuries. We highlight researchers’ efforts, led by Iñaki Arrieta Baro and the Jon Bilbao Basque Library, to document and preserve these fading cultural traces before time and nature erase them forever.