Makhilas by Ainciart-Bergara

The Makhila (stick in the Basque language) is above all a walking stick.

It is also one of the symbols of the Basque Country. It appears in many watercolors from the early 19th century. This stick has an ancient history, but the origin of this tradition is not precisely known. During the 19th century, it was used to defend oneself. It now accompanies trekkers all over the world.

Each Makhila is unique, made to measure and personalized, according to the morphology of its owner. It consists of a chiseled loquat stem, a knob in horn or different metals, ferrules, braiding, a wrist strap and a metal tip.

The loquats grow in the forests of the Basque Country and Béarn. Shrubs are incised around their 9th to 10th year. The wood will then heal and is cut after one plant year. The wood is then fired and debarked. Following which, it is colored using an ancestral technique. The coloring is quite unpredictable, each wood reacts in an original way.

The craftsmen of the workshop cut out metal plates (brass, nickel silver or 1st grade solid silver) then decorate them by engraving, chiseling, punching. Each ferrule is unique. It is engraved by hand, with the signature of Maison Ainciart-Bergara, la Fougère, rather present in the moors of the Basque Country.

The leather comes from a tannery in the Basque Country. It is used in making the braid and the strap of the Makhila. Some pommels are made from zebu horns.