Most members of my Clan are located in The Negros Island in Central Philippines, a region called Visayas. This region is where Magellan (remember him?) got killed. The Aizpuru Clan numbered 150 persons and growing. Even as a child, my friends have been teasing me because of my family name. They call me ;pure Ice because of my family name.
Further as young adult, every time my name is called I am always queried as to where I come from or if I am a Filipino. So at an early age, curiosity about my family name started to bugged me. I asked my dad as to where & how we got our family name. All he can tell me that his grand father was a Basque, and his name is Don Antonio Aizpuru, an immigrant in the early 1900s, who married the daughter of a Provincial governor. Then they settled down in La Carlota and had four children. And after a decade, he left his family and returned to Spain and remarried there which I got to know during my quest.
In November 1998 as a legacy to my family & my Clan, I opened up a website as a quest to trace my great grand father. My objectives were;
1] To know what happened to my great grandfather.
2] To know more of him
3] To see and make contact with his other living descendants of him.
Then in October 2001, I accomplished objective #3. For #1 & # 2, I have partially attained them.
I enjoyed my quest, I met a lot of other Aizpuru. I was able to established that my Family name exist in four continents of the world (Asia, Europe, South and North America). Compared to other Filipinos, my family and I are now more proud to carry our Family name because it has a lot of history to it. Most Filipinos got their family name from the book of Surnames as instructed by the Spaniards during the colonial period.
Further in my quests I met a lot of good Basques in the Internet who guided me how to trace my family roots. And I also met a few bad ones who insulted me that am a son of a whore. And that tracing my roots will not ever make me a Basque. I pity this Basque, born from a proud race but has a mental defect.
I admit that I do not know much of the Basque culture, language & land. I do not dream to be a Basque or want to be one. I am proud to be a Filipino and to have a country of my own. And now, I definitely know, what my name means, Aiz is haitz which is Rock and puru is buru which mean summit or head. Nobody can deny, that my family name is Aizpuru, which is Basque.
Finally, I dedicate this Website to my dad, DOMINGO "NENE" AYOSO AIZPURU, who died last Feb. 13, 2004 at the age of 69 yrs.