In a very interesting talk, anthropologist and linguist Roslyn Frank introduces some aspects of the Basque world during a conference in the city of Iowa (United States). She is not afraid of commenting recent political events (the Altsasua case), and also presents briefly part of her own bear research.
Her research is very broad, from ethno- and archaeoastronomy and ancient Basque measuring systems, to the history of the Basque language and European folklore. I consider them one of the most fascinating and original contributions in the present academic world related with Basque, which has also to do with her knowledge of all the major European languages and her broad anthropologist view. Probably I need the rest of my life to grasp her extensive scientific production.
Her work is surely highly underestimated (and I confess that even I didn’t took advantage of it until recently). This underestimation has to do with her clear and intelligent opinions, which are not welcomed by the present generation of often uninteresting scholars of Basque who are in charge. She is one of those few scientists that prefer honesty above success, and is not afraid of being banned from academic circles.
She is a courageous fighter against simplistic views like the canonical Indo-European hypothesis, eccentric reconstructions of proto-Basque, and she places Basque in the broader history of European languages and myths that go back to the last glacial period. Above all she is a kind and patient person, always ready to explain and to listen, and change mind if necessary.
Enjoy her conference: