| Jose Miguel Barandiaran Aierbe | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 31, 1889 Ataun |
| Died | December 21, 1991 (aged 101) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Other names | Joxemiel Barandiaran Aierbe, Aita Barandiaran |
| Occupation | Anthropologist, ethnographer, priest |
Jose Miguel Barandiaran Aierbe was a Basque Spanish anthropologist, ethnographer and priest.
He was born in 1889 as the youngest of nine children to Francisco Antonio Barandiaran and María Antonia Ayerbe in the family baserri Perune-Zarre in Ataun.
Encouraged by his mother, he entered the priesthood aged 14 in Baliarrain and was ordained as a priest in 1914 in Burgos.
Soon after being ordained as a priest, he took up ethnographical studies of Basque culture and archeology around 1916 in the Aralar Mountains. He carried out invaluable research into folk traditions and collecting accounts and tales related to Basque mythology.