Editing Basques (section)

===Land and inheritance===
[[File:ArangurenDorretxea.jpg|thumb|right|The Aranguren baserri in [[Orozko]], converted from a fortified tower]]
[[File:BaserriLizarralde.jpg|thumb|right|The Lizarralde baserri ([[Bergara]])]]

Basques have a close attachment to their home (''etxe(a)'' 'house, home'), especially when this consists of the traditional self-sufficient, family-run farm or ''[[baserri]](a)''. Home in this context is synonymous with family roots. Some [[Basque surnames]] were adapted from old ''baserri'' or [[habitation name]]s. They typically related to a geographical orientation or other locally meaningful identifying features. Such surnames provide even those Basques whose families may have left the land generations ago with an important link to their rural family origins: ''[[Bengoetxea]]'' "the house of further down", ''[[Goicoechea (disambiguation)|Goikoetxea]]'' "the house above", ''[[Landaburu]]'' "top of the field", ''[[Errekondo]]'' "next to the stream", ''[[Elizalde (disambiguation)|Elizalde]]'' "by the church", ''[[Mendizabal]]'' "wide hill", ''[[Usetxe]]'' "house of birds" ''[[Ibarretxe]]'' "house in the valley", ''[[Etxeberria]]'' "the new house", and so on.<ref>[[Koldo Mitxelena|MITXELENA, Koldo]], ''Apellidos vascos'' (fifth edition), San Sebastián: Txertoa, 1997.</ref>

In contrast to surrounding regions, ancient Basque inheritance patterns, recognised in the ''[[fueros]],'' favoured survival of the unity of inherited land holdings. In a kind of primogeniture, these usually were inherited by the eldest male or female child. As in other cultures, the fate of other family members depended on the assets of a family: wealthy Basque families tended to provide for all children in some way, while less-affluent families may have had only one asset to provide to one child. However, this heir often provided for the rest of the family (unlike in England, with strict primogeniture, where the eldest son inherited everything and often did not provide for others). Even though they were provided for in some way, younger siblings had to make much of their living by other means. Mostly after<ref>{{Cite journal|title=Pyrenean Marriage Strategies in the Nineteenth Century: The French Basque Case|first=Marie-Pierre|last=Arrizabalaga|date=21 December 2005|journal=International Review of Social History|volume=50|issue=S13|pages=93–122|doi=10.1017/S0020859005002087|doi-access=free}}</ref> the advent of industrialisation, this system resulted in the emigration of many rural Basques to Spain, France or the Americas. Harsh by modern standards, this custom resulted in a great many enterprising figures of Basque origin who went into the world to earn their way, from Spanish [[conquistador]]s such as [[Lope de Aguirre]] and [[Francisco Vásquez de Coronado]], to explorers, missionaries and saints of the Catholic Church, such as [[Francis Xavier]].

A widespread belief that Basque society was originally [[matriarchal]] is at odds with the current, clearly [[patrilineal]] kinship system and inheritance structures. Some scholars and commentators have attempted to reconcile these points by assuming that patrilineal kinship represents an innovation. In any case, the social position of women in both traditional and modern Basque society is somewhat better than in neighbouring cultures, and women have a substantial influence in decisions about the domestic economy. In the past, some women participated in collective magical ceremonies. They were key participants in a rich folklore, today largely forgotten.