Bethann Stewart
Idaho Statesman
January 07, 2010

In the first room of the exhibit, the voice of Luciana Aboitiz Garatea, 105, greets visitors and recalls her experience at Ellis Island when she arrived in 1920.

"My parents have been really excited about the exhibit since they found out Luci was a part of it," said Boisean Tara Morgan, one of Garatea's great-grandchildren. Her parents plan to go to New York to see the exhibit.

"They want to experience her story first-hand," Morgan said. "We've all heard the story around the dinner table."

Garatea's recording is part of the six-room exhibit "Hidden in Plain Sight: The Basques," which opens at the Ellis Island Immigration Museum on Feb. 6.

Garatea will be at the preview in Boise, which begins at 6 p.m. Thursday.

On opening night, the Oinkari Basque dancers and the Biotzetik choir from Boise will perform.

Patty Miller, executive director of the Basque Museum and Cultural Center, hopes those who see the exhibit leave with a greater understanding of Basque culture and history.

"We feel they've made a great contribution to world history and the history of the American West, but they haven't been recognized," she said.

Bethann Stewart: 377-6393