Public Speaking

Commemorative Speech (^281)
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Commemorative Speech
A Tribute: Jorge Oteiza (for use with Chapter 18)
By Ryan McGonigle
Ryan was assigned to pay tribute to a cultural hero. As a student of Basque descent, he praises the
life of a famous Basque artist who is revered in his culture.
The name Jorge Oteiza may not exactly raise any eyebrows or provoke any curiosity
among the American public, but to the Basque people and to me—an American of
Basque descent—he is a legend. Oteiza was arguably the greatest Basque artist and poet
of the twentieth century.
Jorge Oteiza was born in Guipuzcoa Province in Spain, near the famous coastal
Basque city of San Sebastian at the beginning of the twentieth century. As a child he was
raised according to Basque tradition: Honor your father and mother; persevere under
hardships; give generously to your neighbors; speak respectfully to others; and most of
all, keep your word—which is better than gold. These ideals, centuries old, were later
reflected in Oteiza’s poetry and art.
As the son of a sheepherder, Oteiza was accustomed to adversity. At home he
worked what seemed to be eternities every day. At school he struggled to learn Castilian
Spanish—which, by the way, no one in his family spoke. He had no choice in learning
it, however; it was either learn it or get whipped by the teachers. Later, he would write
poetry in this, his second language. Ironically, it was through that very same school
system that he became interested in art—his first love.
Following the death of his father, he was obliged to continue in his father’s footsteps
as a sheepherder. Traditionally, in Basque country, sons follow the family occupation.
If your father was a fisherman, most likely you will be one too. Breaking with tradition
is not only very hard to do, but it is also dishonorable. Fortunately for Jorge, his sister
soon married, and the sheep became part of the dowry given to his brother-in-law. This
released Oteiza to realize his true potential as an artist. His style of sculpture became
well known in the area, and soon his work was in demand. Oteiza made sculptures
for the city in which he lived, San Sebastian, as well as for other cities throughout the
Basque area.
In the mid-1930s during the Spanish Civil War, three major events occurred for
Oteiza. First, he married Itziar Carrieco Etxendia. Throughout his life, she was the
inspiration for much of his work. Not only did she support him, she encouraged him
to create both poetry and art. The second event happened when the Basque region
declared its independence from Spain. This resulted in a war, and his home came under
fire. In the conflict, he lost his best friend, the photographer Nicolas de Lekuona.
Finally, Oteiza was incarcerated in a mass roundup of Basque intellectuals, priests, and
artists. He spent almost two years in jail.
It was in one of Spain’s infamous prisons that Ortiza became a man worthy of his
surname. “Oteiza” in the Guipuzcoan dialect of Basque sounds very much like the
word that means “prickly bush,” and like a thorn—or a prickly bush in the side of the
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