GREEN RIVER - It's a long trip from a boyhood under a fascist dictator who banned his native language to winning America's highest honor for folk and traditional arts in that same language.

But for 55-year old poet Martin Goicoechea of Rock Springs, being awarded a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) this week reflects more on his Basque culture than on his own talent.

"It's much more than I expected or deserve, but I'm very happy for the recognition of the art and the recognition of the language and our culture," Goicoechea said.

For nearly 40 years in Spain under the brutal dictatorship of Gen. Francisco Franco, the Basque provinces of Biscay and Gipuzkoa where Goicoechea grew up were considered treasonous.

The political, social and cultural repression of Basques was so widespread that even the use of the Basque language was banned.

But as a boy living in the small Basque town of Gorriti in north Spain, Goicoechea (pronounced Go-a-co-e-chea) said he was still able to learn the ancient Basque art of poetry known as bertsolari.

He came to love the traditional, impromptu oral poetry that Basques have sung for centuries to simple tunes and certain rhyming sequences. He entered contests at Basque gatherings and even won a provincial championship.

At 16, however, Goicoechea came to America, following his older brother to a sheep ranch near Rock Springs in southwest Wyoming.

There was little bertsolari to be found in American culture at that time and Basque appeared to be a fading language used mostly by sheepherders.

Today, in part thanks to the efforts of Goicoechea and others, the unusual Basque language is one of the world's few with an increasing number of speakers, said NEA spokeswoman Victoria Hutter.

Goicoechea is one of 16 Americans who will share the NEA fellowships, the country's highest award in folk and traditional arts, she said.

Eleven fellowships - which include a one-time award of $20,000 each - will be presented to honorees from nine states and one special jurisdiction during a special ceremony Sept. 17 in Washington, D.C.

Goicoechea's fellowship will be shared with fellow Basque poets Jesus Arriada and Johnny Curutchet of San Francisco and Jesus Goni of Reno, Nev.

"We are proud to honor these master artists whose compelling work demonstrates the extraordinary diversity and depth of our nation's cultural wealth," NEA Chairman Dana Gioia said in the award announcement.

"These talented individuals are not only renowned practitioners of their art forms, but also teachers and preservers of artistic heritage, passing on their skills and passions for future generations."

Impromptu poetry

There are about 60,000 American descendants of Basques. Immigrants from the mountainous northern Spain and southern France, the Basques were drawn to the West first by the California Gold Rush and later as shepherds.

Euskara - the Basque language - is rare because it is not related to any other language and because it's staging a comeback, according to the North American Basque Organization (NABO).

NABO officials say the resurgence is due in large part to a concentrated effort from various individuals like Goicoechea and organizations to formulate ways to encourage people to use the language.

One way has been Goicoechea's recent work with a department of the Basque government on a project to develop a computer-based Euskara learning technique for English speakers. Another way is through the art of bertsolari.

The art has been described as kind of a poetic and musical joust. At Basque gatherings, the performers improvise songs in traditional patterns on subjects picked just prior to the performance.

"The unique thing about this art is that we're not limited to anything and we don't know what subject they're going to give us," Goicoechea said in an interview. "Two weeks ago in Nevada, when I got there, I knew I'd be performing three or four different times, but I didn't know what topic they were going to give me."

He said the preparation for performances comes from "being aware" of what's going on in the world.

"If somebody asks (the topic be about) President Bush, I have to be aware of the Iraq war and the Middle East and what he's doing with the economy," Goicoechea said.

"I've got to say in my poems what he's doing and then sing to the tune from the melodies with the rhythm … and the syllables have to fit," he said.

"When they give us the topic, I've got about 10 seconds to begin. It takes huge preparation. When I'm performing, a week or two ahead of time I'll just go from book to book to book reading, reading, reading."

He said at most performances, three or four poets will perform once. The art emphasizes improvisation, but at the highest language levels.

"We do that because it's more fun … we debate with each other trying to get a better (line) and see who sings the best," he said. "That's how the public judges these. (It's) really hard to please myself … I'm the worst critic of my performances."

Goiceochea - who is a chairperson of NABO and a member of the Alkartasuna Southwest Wyoming Basque Club that includes members from Rock Springs and Green River - said bertsolari performances are mostly captured and collected on CD.

But Goiceochea and his collaborative partners recently completed a book on bertsolari that is currently at the publishers.

The book - which is titled "Bertsulariak en Par: Shooting from the Lip" - attempts to translate some of the art into written form. "The translation doesn't do it justice … but it at least gives an idea with a translation in English," he said.

Southwest Wyoming residents interested in seeing Goicoechea perform can do so tonight at the Alkartasuna Club's fourth annual Kultura Jaia, or Basque Cultural Festival, at the county fairgrounds in Rock Springs.