Amendeuix-Oneix

Amendeuix-Oneix (French pronunciation: [amɛ̃døʃ ɔnɛʃ]; Basque: Amendüze-Unaso; Occitan: Fineuix) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region in southwestern France.

Amendeuix-Oneix Amendüze-Unaso
Commune
The road into Amendeuix
Coat of arms
Location of Amendeuix-Oneix
Amendeuix-Oneix Show map of France Amendeuix-Oneix Show map of Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Coordinates: 43°21′17″N 1°02′34″W
Country	France
Region	Nouvelle-Aquitaine
Department	Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Arrondissement	Bayonne
Canton	Pays de Bidache, Amikuze et Ostibarre
Intercommunality	Pays Basque
Government
• Mayor (2024–2026)	Stéphane Poisson[1]
Area 1	7.66 km2 (2.96 sq mi)
Population  (2022)[2]	466
• Density	60.8/km2 (158/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+01:00 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+02:00 (CEST)
INSEE/Postal code	64018 /64120
Elevation	32–168 m (105–551 ft) (avg. 60 m or 200 ft)
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries.

The inhabitants of the commune are known as Amendüztar.^[3][4]

Geography

Houses in Amedeuix-Oneix

Amendeuix-Oneix is located some 50 km east by southeast of Bayonne and 40 km south-west of Orthez in the Mixe country in the former Basque province of Lower Navarre. The village can be accessed by the D124 road from Garris in the west passing northeast to the village then continuing north to join the D29. The D11 road also passes through the south of the commune from Garris to Saint-Palais. The small D511 road links the D11 to the D124 within the commune.^[5]

Hydrography

Located in the Drainage divide of the Adour, the northern part of the eastern border of the commune is the Bidouze which flows north to join the Adour west of Peyrehorade. The southern part of the eastern border consists of the Joyeuse with many tributaries rising in the commune including the Algueruko erreka, the Sallarteko erreka, and the Soubiaga erreka. The Aitzeguerris rises just south of the village and flows into the Bidouze.

Localities and hamlets

• Amendeuix
• Arkausia
• Arlania
• Arrosteguia
• Autrichia
• Berhabia
• Bidainia
• Bordaberria
• Candelenia
• Errecartia
• Etcheberria
• Etchetto
• Eyheraetcheberry
• Gaponteguia
• Goitia
• Guillenteguia
• Hiriberry
• Inchaursague
• Iribarnia
• Jauberria
• Jauhenia
• Landaçaharia
• Larregoyen
• Lauhiteya
• Mantunia
• Oneix
• Oyhamburia
• Peco-Berthoua
• Postateya
• Sabrenia
• Salla
• Vivienborda

^[6]

Toponymy

The current Basque name is Amendüze-Unaso.^[7] Jean-Baptiste Orpustan^[8] suggested that Oneix means the 'place of abundant hills'. Brigitte Jobbé-Duval^[3] however suggested that Oneix came from the Basque Unanu which means the Asphodelus (plant) and signifies a "place where the asphodelus is abundant. She also suggested that the origin of Amendeuix was Aquitane-Roman to designate a noble domain.

The following table details the origins of the commune name and other names in the commune.

Name	Spelling	Date	Source	Page	Origin	Description
Amendeuix	Sanctus Joannes de Mindus	1160	Orpustan			Village
	Amindux	1316	Orpustan
	Aminduch	1350	Orpustan
	Aminduz	1413	Orpustan
	Mendux	1413	Orpustan
	Sent-Johan de Mendux	1472	Raymond	5	Notaries
	Armendux	1513	Raymond	5	Pamplona
	Amenduxs	1600	Raymond	5	Pau
	Amendux	1621	Raymond	5	Biscay
Oneix	Sanctus Petrus de Onas	1160	Orpustan			Village
	Onnaçu	1249	Orpustan
	Oneyx	1316	Orpustan
	Honeis	1350	Orpustan
	Onasso	1394	Orpustan
	Onex	1472	Raymond	125	Notaries
	Onecx	1513	Raymond	125	Pamplona
	Oniz	1621	Raymond	125	Biscay
	Onazo	1863	Raymond	125		Basque
Hiriberry	Hiriberry	1863	Raymond	78		Hamlet
Jauréguy	Jauréguy	1863	Raymond	85		Fief, Vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre
Lanevieille	La noble salle de Lanevielhe d'Amenduxs	1600	Raymond	91	Pau	Fief, Vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre
	Lanavieja	1621	Raymond	92	Biscay
	Lanevieille	1863	Raymond	91
Salla	La Salle	1863	Raymond	154		Fief, Vassal of the Kingdom of Navarre

Sources:

• Orpustan: Jean-Baptiste Orpustan, New Basque Toponymy^[8]
• Raymond: Topographic Dictionary of the Department of Basses-Pyrenees, 1863, on the page numbers indicated in the table. (in French)^[9]
• Cassini: Cassini Map from 1750^[10]

Origins:

• Notaries: Notaries of Labastide-Villefranche^[11]
• Pamplona: Titles of Pamplona^[12]
• Pau: Titles of the Chamber of the Counts of Pau^[13]
• Biscay: Martin Biscay^[14]

History

In the 16th century (1594), evidence of witchcraft was reported by an admonition to the States of Navarre by the Prosecutor of Mixe (together with those of Arberoue, Ostabaret, Irissarry, Ossès, Baigorri, and La Bastide-Clairence), who complained of a lack of prosecution and requesting that each town or district of Lower Navarre elect "two men of good character who are not suspects to find and punish the perpetrators of these crimes of witchcraft, apostasy, and magic: to be joined with the people of Roy and all at the expense of those convicted or, in case of insolvency, to those countries and places which will be instructed". Part of this admonition followed a request from the inhabitants of Amendeuix dating from 1587 who claimed to have been victims of "spells that were manifested mainly by evil barking".^[15]

The village of Oneix joined with Amendeuix to form the commune of Amendeuix-Oneix on 27 August 1846.

Heraldry

Arms of Amendeuix-Oneix

Blazon: Quarterly, 1 and 4 of Or with an Oak vert debruised by a boar of sable at the foot of the tree; at 2 and 3 party per fesse wavy of argent and azure.

Administration

The Town Hall

List of Successive Mayors^[16]

From	To	Name
1837	1846	Jean Longy
1846	1848	Jean-Paul Larregoyen
1848	1871	Jean Longy
1871	1873	Franck d'Andurain
1873	1884	Gabriel Longy
1884	1885	Rémy Etcheto
1885	1909	Gabriel Longy
1909	1912	M Sabalette
1912	1938	Jean-Pierre Longy
1938	1945	Auguste de Castelbajac
1959	1974	Léon Longy
1995	2001	Arnaud Mandagaran
2001	2014	Armel Pierre Drouilhet
2014	2020	Arnaud Mandagaran
2020	2024	Jean-Marc Trenthomas
2024	2026	Stéphane Poisson

Inter-Communality

The commune belongs to seven inter-communal structures:

• the Communauté d'agglomération du Pays Basque
• the AEP Association for Mixe country
• the sanitation association for Saint-Palais - Luxe-Sumberraute
• the association for school buses of Amendeuix-Oneix and Gabat
• the energy association for Pyrénées-Atlantiques;
• the inter-communal association for the operation of schools in Amikuze
• the association supports Basque culture

Demography

In 1350 nine fires were reported in Oneix and 15-18 in Amendeuix.^[17]

The fiscal census of 1412-1413,^[18] made^[19] on the orders of Charles III of Navarre, compared with that of 1551 men and weapons that are in this kingdom of Navarre this side of the ports,^[20] reveals a demography with strong growth. The first census indicated the presence of 13 fires in Amendeuix with the second showing 40 (33 + 7 secondary fires). The same census reported 8 fires in Oneix in 1412-1413 against 17 (14 + 3 secondary fires) in 1551.

The census of the population of Lower Navarre in 1695^[21] counted 63 fires at Amendeuix and 20 at Oneix.

In 2017 the commune had 448 inhabitants. The population data given in the table and graph below include the former commune of Oneix.

Historical population
Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1793 341 —     1800 406 +2.52% 1806 416 +0.41% 1821 409 −0.11% 1831 446 +0.87% 1836 460 +0.62% 1841 433 −1.20% 1846 424 −0.42% 1851 412 −0.57% 1856 389 −1.14% 1861 372 −0.89% 1866 376 +0.21% 1872 391 +0.65% 1876 353 −2.52% 1881 363 +0.56% 1886 385 +1.18% 1891 335 −2.74% 1896 336 +0.06%	Year Pop. ±% p.a. 1901 342 +0.35% 1906 361 +1.09% 1911 360 −0.06% 1921 352 −0.22% 1926 321 −1.83% 1931 336 +0.92% 1936 295 −2.57% 1946 297 +0.07% 1954 294 −0.13% 1962 286 −0.34% 1968 289 +0.17% 1975 329 +1.87% 1982 327 −0.09% 1990 381 +1.93% 1999 367 −0.42% 2007 412 +1.46% 2012 428 +0.76% 2017 448 +0.92%
Source: EHESS[22][23] and INSEE[24]

Economy

The commune is part of the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) zone of Ossau-iraty.

Culture and Heritage

Languages

According to the Map of the Seven Basque Provinces published in 1863 by Prince Louis-Lucien Bonaparte the dialect of Basque spoken in Amendeuix-Oneix is eastern low Navarrese.

Religious heritage

The Church of Saint John the Baptist at Amendeuix

The Church of Saint Peter at Oneix

Two churches in the commune are registered as historical monuments:

• The Church of Saint Peter (1787)^[25] at Oneix.
• The Church of Saint John the Baptist (1903)^[26] at Amendeuix.

Amenities

Education

The commune has a kindergarten.

Amendeuix, Gabat, Ilharre, and Labets-Biscay have partnered to create an inter-educational grouping (RPI^[27]).

See also

• Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department