Asturian-American Migration Forum

The Festival Interceltique in An Oriant (Lorient) is a summer gathering of the Celtic nations of Europe’s Atlantic seaboard in southern Brittany’s region of Morbihan.

http://www.festival-interceltique.com/

You really need to book ahead if you plan to go. Not wing it, like I did. There was absolutely no place to stay in Lorient, so I ended up in Kemperle (Quimperle, 20km away). There too, all hotels were booked because of the Interceltique.

I was saved from vagrancy by Alain Vaillant and his buddies (Tony, Guiche, Fabrice--Tregourez bras!) at La Mouche qui Louche, a friendly local tavern. They not only put me up in their sofa for the night, but also introduced me to Breton drinking until 4am. I was still rather sopped when I woke up 4 hours later and made it back on the train to Lorient just on time for La Grande Parade des Nations Celtes. By the time the parade was over, the buzz was gone. But it was replaced by bagpipe drones (the parade lasted 2.5 hours).

Here is a clip from this year's parade, showing mostly Bagadous (piping and bombarde marching bands from Brittany). Just use keywords like 'Grande Parade Lorient 2009' in YouTube and you will find plenty more videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGU24SWeL64

This year (2009), Galicia, the neighbors of the Asturians, was the nation-of-honor. The Galician pavilion was the largest of all, together with the Acadians from Canada and the Espace Bretagne (Bretons). It was probably the most visited because they had a full program of music and a variety of tourist booths, a seafood/wine bar, bagpipe-making shops, a cheese corner and even women sewing fishing nets as an ethnographic display. I liked it for the Valdeorras (red wine from Ourense) and the huge map of Galicia they had at the entrance. At the hyper-organized Galician pavilion I saw Berroguetto

http://www.myspace.com/berroguetto

and the Anxo Lorenzo Band

http://www.myspace.com/anxolorenzo

Both were interesting, especially Berroguetto with its merging of musical traditions and instruments.

Asturias will be the nation of honor in 2011 and I seriously doubt the government of the Principality will be as good at marketing the region as the Galicians. With up to 700,000 visitors in 2009, the Festival Interceltique is a great tourism promotion opportunity. Asturias could showcase its folk culture, its archaeological sites and its lush landscapes. But as you may know, the Asturian government has a dysfunctional relationship with regional identity, so they will probably botch the job and showcase Easter Day pageants.

Anyway, at the Asturian pavilion, I ran into Diego Pangua. His band, Felpeyu

http://www.myspace.com/felpeyu

hadn’t arrived yet from Asturias, so we went to see a concert by Fred Morrison

http://www.myspace.com/fredmorrison

Morrison, a Scott who played at the Interceltique in many previous editions, is one of those musicians who live to play the uileann and shuttle pipes. It’s totally contagious. Diego told me he often plays in Mieres, in the mining districts of central Asturias. Felpeyu played two days later and it reminded me of the star-studded night in Samartin d’Ozcos when they played at La Marquesita (Art was there and can bear witness). I met a few of its members, including Ruma, Fernando, Lisardo and Xuan, which I guess qualifies me as a groupie at this point.

The most mind-blowing musical act at Lorient, during my 6 days there, was by Armel An Hejer (vocals), Malo Carvou (flute) and Bernard Bizien (guitar). Together, they are known as Ozan Trio

http://www.myspace.com/ozantrio

Theirs is a highly original mix of traditional Breton, Blues, Gypsy, Klezmer, Georges Brassens and Jacques Brel—all of it sung by Armel in the Breton dialect of Carhaix (west-central Brittany).

You can listen to their tunes on MySpace, there’s a funny song in French called ‘Le petit franc cinquante’ (a song about having or not having one franc and 50 centimes and how you may have three times 50 cents if you do some reverse engineering). The way Armel sings, with heavy hand gesturing, and the simplicity of the band itself (amazing flute playing by Malo Carvou), reminded me of Xose Anton Ambas and his folk band, Tuenda.

Other bands I listened to included:

Dalla, from Cornwall: an energetic band that goes out of its way to rediscover Cornish music for which there were scores, but no musicians. Since the 1970s there has been a revival of Cornish music, especially of dance pieces known as Troyl and Nos lowen. The Troyl is similar to the Irish and Scottish Ceildidh, whereas the Nos lowen is closer to the dancing at a Breton Fest noz, a kind of Asturian romeria with dances akin to the Danza Prima. Their archival work again reminded me of Xose Anton Ambas:

http://www.dalla.co.uk/about.php

Fullset, from Ireland: a young band with a good sense of fun and, sometimes, the vocalist loses her voice but sings anyway, adding to the charm:

http://www.myspace.com/fullsetmusic

There was a Cuban connection at the Interceltique: The accordionist in the YouTube clip (below) was at a press conference by Galician piper Carlos Nunez, who this year brought a marching bagpiping band from Brazil. Lisardo Lombardia (Asturian director of the festival) pointed out the Cuban musician to reporters and said the Interceltic Festival of Lorient might soon host musicians like him—the descendants of Asturians and Galicians in Cuba, Chile or Argentina. Susana de la Cruz, a moderator of this forum and a member of the Asturian piping band in Havana, says his name is Arturo Perez.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HjS-8T9U0A

By the way, the first-ever CeltFest will take place in Havana in 2010, see this thread by Susana and Lisa:

http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=3258

Count on my being there in 2011, also next summer. I promised my granddaughters that I would take them to Asturias when they could speak a little Spanish. They see the usefulness of "Donde esta los servicios," but alas, not "Tengo dos ombligos." They think their grandfather is a little weird.

I used to sing semi-professionally in a folk group many years ago (1962-1965 or so), and got to do the stand-up comedy routine. If it werem't for learning how to work a crowd back then, I never would have thought of teaching at a university. I still do stand-up comedy in my classes. Talk Like a Chicken Day and Potty Mouth Day have become increasingly popular, and the kids even invite guests in recent years.

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Trans. Is

Contai conmigo pa tar alli nel 2011, igual tamien el branu que vien. Prometiera-yos a les mios nietes dir a Asturies de la que falen una migayina mas de castellan. Decatense de la utilida de saber como entrugar "Donde estan los servicios?", pero seique non "Tengo dos ombligos". Toes maneres, creen que el so guelu ye un poco raru.

Yo cantara semi-profesionalmente nun grupu folk va munchos anos (1962-1965). Tamien fixera comedia nun escenariu. Si daquella hubiera deprendio a controlar a los espectadores igual nun taba de catedraticu anguanu. Dame igual, inda faigo muncha comedia na clase. El Dia pa Falar como Les Pites y el Dia de los Cagamentos paez que-yos presta a los estudiantes. Dacuandu traen hasta a xente invitao.

Arturo of Havana was my roommate this summer at the Escuela d'Asturianía. In addition to his gaita, he brought a sax. I didn't know he plays the accordion, too. He's a great roommate but, more importantly, he's an amazing musician. I think he said that he's been playing the pipes since he was nine. I believe he played in a concert at Lorient with Carlos Nuñez.

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Arturo de La Habana fue mi compañero de cuarto este verano en la Escuela d'Asturianía. Ademas de su gaita, trajo un saxo. No sabía que toca el acordeón, también. Es un gran compañero pero, más importante, es un músico increíble. Creo que me dijo que ha estado tocando la gaita desde que tuvo nueve años. Creo que tocó con Carlos Nuñez en un concierto de Lorient.

Coime, Is, que pena nun saber que tabes per ehí. Yo tamién tuve cola Delegacion asturiana faciendo un blog con toles actuaciones.
Equí podéis atopar too la información sobre'l tema n'inglés, castellán, asturianu y francés.
www.festivaldelorient.com


What a pitty, Is, I didn't know you also where in Lorient. I was there with the Asturian delegation to make a blog with all the information. Here you can find that blog in english, castillian, asturian and french.
www.festivaldelotient.com

Home, ensin la tua picona nun yera quien a reconocete, Llames. Pero ties razon, ia una pena que nun falaramos no tendayu asturianu. Aparte Diego nun conocia a naide porque del.los amigos de Paris dixenon que nun podian dir al final. Asina que pol chiringuitu asturianu nun paraba muitu (namai que pa mercar bocadillos de chourizo).

L.lei tou blogue, tien muita coña eh? Prestoume eso de la migracion de las andaricas n'Indonesia. Pero nun entendi un comentariu que fixeras de 'Santoña', dalgo que ver cona bandera de los paises celtas que vieras en Bretana. Outra cousa: la Bretana nun ta tan l.lonxe d'Asturias cumo dices. De Xixon deica An Oriant / Lorient son 470km si garras el prau frente la costa. De Xixon a Mallorca, au vives, son 820km...

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I just didn't recognize you without your signature picona (Asturian hat), Llames. But you're right, it's a pity we didn't have a chance to talk in the Asturian pavilion. I didn't know anybody else there apart from Diego because some friends in Paris bailed out last-minute. So I didn't spend much time at the Asturian stand other than to buy chourizo sandwiches.

I've just read your blog, it's written with a lot of tongue in cheek, right? The red crab migration in Indonesia is amazing, by the way. But I didn't understand a reference you make to 'Santoña', something to do with the flag of the Celtic nations. Another query: Brittany is not that far away from Asturias as you imply. From Xixon to An Oriant / Lorient it's about 470km if you cut across the field off the coast. From Xixon to Mallorca, where you live, it's about 820km...

Una pena sí, escaecí que agora vives en París y que tas bien ceo. Yo tuve na Carpa d'Asturies tolos díes "esfrutando" con l'Elvis Astur.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cX8uxj54-Yw
Lo bien que nos habría venío a los periodistes (d'Asturies sólo fueron 2, ún de La Nueva España de Avilés que publicó 3 artículinos y ún de Les Noticies, Pablo Guardado), sobretoo a Pablín, collaciu mío dende fae años ún que supiera francés (ellí lo de l'inglés entovía nun ta mui estendíu). Tovía toi víendolu dicir n'una tienda: "Vú regalé une patatiné?" (torna: Regalasnos unes patatines?) pa dispidiese llueu diciendo "Tomorrow más". Un grande.

Lo de Santoña emplegelu como santu y seña de un pautu significativu n'Asturies. El mi güelu siempre falaba de cómo los vascos les habíen traicionao na caida del frente Norte al rendise pola su cuenta y si dalgún políticu salia pola tele falando de pactos dicía "Pa pautu el de Santoña" queriendo dicir que enxamas hai que fiase de nengún.
De la mesma manera, camiento que el pautu celta que representa la bandera nun ye lleal del too, o meyor dicho ye asimétricu. N'una Primera División toos menos los de Segunda que son Galicia y Asturies. Esto creo que ye más pola nuesa culpa que pola culpa de naide (y menos del Festival con un asturianu de director xeneral). Sólo hai que mirar el tema periodismo: Asturies 2 periodistes profesionales, folletos de turismo n'inglés y castellán (ni ún sólo en francés), un stand montao pola empresa que da les comides (no habrá naide que puea dicilos onde colocar cartelos pa que nun se enllenen de sidre la primera nuechi, como paso con los del Beltaine)....en fin, que te voi contar que nun sepas.

Y ye que tú ties munchos posibles, ho, yo tengo que dir en coche (Dexe'l trabayu pa dedicame de llenu a la mi tesis doctoral y hai que dir aforrando d'onde se puea). En coche de Xixón a Lorient son 1089 km (Via Michelín dixit) y de Mallorca a Xixón son sólo 934 km...

Pd. Per ciertu, falando de la montera. ¿Sintiste la última aportación asturiana al mercau de la innovación? Una lleyenda urbana retorná montó esta empresina y paez que va tirando (faen monteres de encargu dende fiestes como Les Piragües ta despedíes de solteru)
www.monterapicona.com


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It was a shame, I forgot that you are living in Paris and Lorient is near you. I was at the Asturias's stand every day enjoying the Elvis "Asturian version". Journalists would have appreciated having someone to speak French (in Lorient, not many people speak English)

I use the Santoña Pact
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Santo%C3%B1a_Agreement
because it is a significant event for asturians. My grandfather was always spoken of the treachery of the Basques in the defeat of the North in the Civil War. I tried to reflect that the alleged agreement between all the Celtic nations is something false or at least asymmetric.
All nations (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man) are first division least Galicia and Asturias. This is our fault. For example, only 2 asturian professional journalists went to Lorient, the brochures of Asturies were written in Spanish and English (and yes, we were in France), the decor was inexistent ...

You have a lot of money while I have to go by car
Distances by road:
Lorient-Gijón 1089 km
Mallorca-Gijón 934 km ...

Pd. Incidentally, speaking of Asturian hats. Watch the latest contribution to innovation in Asturias. They personalize it for festivities
www.monterapicona.com

Llames wrote:Sólo hai que mirar el tema periodismo: Asturies 2 periodistes profesionales, folletos de turismo n'inglés y castellán (ni ún sólo en francés), un stand montao pola empresa que da les comides...en fin, que te voi contar que nun sepas.

All nations (Scotland, Ireland, Wales, Brittany, Cornwall, Isle of Man) are first division least Galicia and Asturias. This is our fault. For example, only 2 asturian professional journalists went to Lorient, the brochures of Asturies were written in Spanish and English (and yes, we were in France), the decor was inexistent ...

I see what you mean about a second league of countries that are considered culturally Celtic. That means Galicia and Asturias, of course. I noticed those flags you mentioned, some including Galicia and Asturias, and others excluding them. It has to do with the speakers of Celtic languages. Both Galician and Asturian are Latin-derived since the indigenous languages were wiped out by the Romans...

Anyway, the Festival Interceltique is a great opportunity for Asturias to market itself abroad. Again, there's a pool of 700,000 potential tourists who would travel to Santiago by way of Asturias on a southern Celtic itinerary. That alone is interesting for the Bretons, for example. My sister's Breton in-laws are traveling to Asturias in September and we're taking them on a a discovery trip.

Anecdotally, I once asked about visiting Celtic hillforts in West Asturias at the tourist office in the seaport in Xixon. I asked in English, in part to test how they respond to foreign tourists interested in that kind of stuff. The woman there (who was originally from Madrid) told me that I'd have to go to Galicia for Celtic hillforts because in Asturias they were all Roman. Incredible, but this is a true story.

Asturias has amazing landscapes and many of them are near-wild, both environmentally and culturally speaking. When I showed pictures of Asturias in Washington, people were awestruck. All it takes is smart marketing.

Sadly, the stodgy bureaucratic machine that is in charge of tourism promotion in Asturias can't deliver. I don't know if it's ignorance or lack of marketing skills. Tourism in Asturias is entirely focused on visitors from Madrid. It may sound odd to the rest of the world, but such is the mentality there.

And speaking of mentality, many of us are nominally Asturian (Art, Bob and myself included). But we lack Asturian mentality for things like these. I realized at the Asturian pavilion in Lorient that mentality is its own animal, aside from the love one may have for Asturian culture and the place itself. Meeting halfway would be constructive.

Oh, boy, by expanding on Paul's idea of different mentalities, I'm taking this way off-topic (Lorient). I'll move part of it to a new thread:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... 7051#17051

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Umm, por ampliar en la idea de Paul de mentalidades diferentes, estoy levando este tema muy fuera de Lorient. Voy a trasladar una parte del tema a un nuevo hilo:
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtop ... 7051#17051

I see what you mean about a second league of countries that are considered culturally Celtic. That means Galicia and Asturias, of course. I noticed those flags you mentioned, some including Galicia and Asturias, and others excluding them. It has to do with the speakers of Celtic languages. Both Galician and Asturian are Latin-derived since the indigenous languages were wiped out by the Romans...

The issue of flags is funny. Someone also explained it to me relationed with a linguistic issue.

That's debatable, because how many Gaelic-speaking nations speaks gaelic today?

The last speaker of Cornish died in 1777. The last native speaker of Manx died in 1974. The Welsh language is spoken by about 20% of its population, Breton is understand only for 10% of its population, the Irish and the Scots languages are spoken by 1% of its population ...

They do not seem to give great importance to the issue and they have some schools that only teach in their language, also radio and television. In many cases a strong support of the National Government or Regional, the coofficiality .... what would do the Asturian language with half of it

I do not know, I do not think that's the reason. I think the underlying reason is not the language is that the Asturian and Galician, the vast majority, think that being Celtic and nationalist is the same. If you ask a Scot, an Irish, a Breton if he is celtic they will answer affirmatively. For them it is no more than a cultural issue and I think there are more similarities at this respect with an Irish or a Breton than with a Castilian (I'm talking about traditional culture and roots

In Asturies they have sold us otherwise. Just look huge discussions that occur, for example, in this forum when talking about whether or not Celtic Asturies is.
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=540

If you do not feel part of a community, is very difficult for that community to feel you like a part of it.

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I see what you mean about a second league of countries that are considered culturally Celtic. That means Galicia and Asturias, of course. I noticed those flags you mentioned, some including Galicia and Asturias, and others excluding them. It has to do with the speakers of Celtic languages. Both Galician and Asturian are Latin-derived since the indigenous languages were wiped out by the Romans...

La cuestión de les banderes ye pergraciosa. Tamién dalgún dedicose a esplicame que Asturies y Galicia nun tán na bandera col restu de Naciones Celtes por una cuestió llingúistica.

Eso ye daqué discutible, porque ¿cuanta xente fala gaélico neses naciones celtes güei?

L'últimu falante de córnicu morrió nel 1777. L'últimu falante nativu de Isla de Man morrió nel 1974. El galés fálalo namás que'l 20% de la su población, el bretón sólu lu entiende el 10% de los bretones, el irlandés y el escocés falenlo el 1% de la su población ...

No paez que ellos mesmos le den gran importancia al tema y eso que toos tienen escueles esclusivamente en su lengua, tamién radio y televisión. En muchos casos un decidiu sofitu del Gobierno Nacional o Rexional, una cooficialidá.....lo que fadría l'asturianu cola mitá de la mitá de too eso.

Nun sé, nun creo que esa seya la razón. Camiento que'l motivu subyacente nun ye la llingua sino que munchos asturianos y gallegos piensen que ser celta y nacionalista ye lo mesmo. Si-y entrugues a un escocés o a un bretón si ye celta, lo más probable ye que te respuenda que sí. Pa ellos nun ye más que una cuestión cultural y creo que tá bien nidio que hai más semejances entre nos y los irlandeses o los bretones que con los castellano (falo de cultura tradicional, del raigañu).


N'Asturies vendieronnos otra cosa (y munchos mercaronla). Nun hai más que dar una güeyada a los engarradielles que produz esti tema , por exemplu, nesti foru
http://www.asturianus.org/forum/viewtopic.php?t=540


Si ún no se siente parte de una comunidá ye perdificil que esa comunidad le sienta a ún comu propiu

I am reading this discussion with great interest. If someone could translate this post I would be very grateful.
I recently joined http://www.thecelticlink.com . People who identify with various celtic nations are joining this site. I communicated with one of the founders Andy who is a Cornish pipe player. He is interested in coming to CeltFest Cuba---. the caribbean celebration of the traditional music that has migrated to the western hemisphere from the various celtic nations of Europe. I don't know how many people of Asturian heritage know about the site, so I thought I would post the link on the forum.

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Trans. Is

Toi lleendo esti enllaz con gran interes. Si dalgun de vos fixera la torna d'esti post agradeceria-ylu.
Va poco metime na gueb www.thecelticlink.com. Hai xente asgaya de los paises celtes que tan apuntandose a esi foru y tuve charrando con un de los sos fundadores, un rapaz llamau Andy que ye de Cornouailles y toca la gaita. Ta interesao en dir al CeltFest Cuba---, la xuntanza de musica tradicional de xentes que migraron dica America dende delles naciones de cultura celta n'Europa. Nun toi segura de que tean aliellos munchos asturianos d'esta gueb, poro queria apurrivoslo.