Village Life

tleblokhun but-zruta katokhun khakma mendyane tanen men-Mushava, ina aha mendit ana bayyen tanenne bedvakele men-kulle matvatet diyyan kat-etvalan gu-deshtet Urmi, gu deshtet Salamas.

You have asked me to tell you a few things about agriculture with regard to +Mušava, but what I want to say holds for all our villages that are in the plain of Urmi and the plain of Salamas.

akhnan gu … deshtet Urmi Salamas al-uydale etvalan emmo tlay tla matvate, matvatet akhchi t-aturayeva. ita etvalan khakma … khvite men-aremnay. kulle ana shemmane etli, hi, lakhkha etli shemmane.

We, in the plain of Urmi and Salamas, we had altogether a hundred and thirty-three villages, villages that were only (those) of Assyrians. We had some that were mixed with Armenians. I have all their names, yes I have their names here.

ita gu-danne matvate zruta kulle akh uydaleva. leva preshta. gu-matvate etvalan kul beta et-kul mata etvale kha-kettet karma kat gu-karmu anve, anvet khala ita men-anveze keshmisheze dokiva sabzaze. khayyute men-tammeva. sabza dariva lablivala al-mdita ki-zabnivala u-mendit lazemva kate ki-shakliva mayyivale.

Now, in these villages agriculture was all the same. It was not different. In villages that belonged to us, every house of every village had a section of a vineyard, vineyard and in his (the householder’s) vineyard there are grapes, grapes for eating, and so from the grapes they used to produce raisins, and (there were) vegetables. Their livelihood was from there. They used to lay out the vegetables and take them to the town and sell them, then they would buy what they needed, and bring it back.

ina khina men-karmane, nipukhta ki-bashliva. anve mayyivalun gu-charaze machchivalun, shira ita gu-tiyane dariva. khute malliva nuyra nipukhta bashliva. keshmishe mabrezziva ay makhzuyela ka-diyyi kat-tanen keshmishe. al varazane dariva keshmishe ka-setva. ani khurraget setveva. tluvve, tluvve ki-tarsiva. anve har-hada taza chambellivalun gu … chukhyate chukhta k-avivalun gu-kheshka. ki-chambellivalun ka-setva. ki-yatviva marzanet tanuyra men-danne tluvve ki-mayyiva ki-masliva arkhe darivalun k-akhliva.

Also from the (produce of) the vineyards they would cook molasses. They used to bring the grapes in water-jugs, they used to press them and then they used to pour the must into cauldrons. They used to light a fire beneath them and cook molasses. They used to dry raisins—she is pointing to me so that I mention raisins. They used to lay out raisins on the slopes (of the rooftops) for the winter. These were food for winter. They used to make preserved grape-clusters, preserved grape-clusters. They used to hang up grapes, exactly as they were fresh (from the vineyards) in cellars—they used to have a cellar—in the dark. They used to hang them up for winter. They used to sit around an oven and used to bring some of those preserved grape-clusters. They used to take them down and serve them to guests and they would eat them.

khamra tarsiva raba rishaya khamra gu-line. aha gu-kulle matvateva, leva akhchi gu-matet diyyan. gu-kulle matvatet deshtet Urmi a-mendi-etva. etvalan matvate khachcha sure etvalan matvate gure ina kulle a-mendi.

They used to make wine, very good quality wine in jars. This was in all the villages, not just in our village. In all the villages of the plain of Urmi this was the custom. We had some small villages, we had large villages but they all had this custom.

a-sapar etvalun arrate shuk men-karmane. ina a-mendida tanenne. gu-karmane ki-tarsiva cholate bi … kese arpa hache atkha ki-mattiva chardak chardake ita b-yuma bnate ki-yatviva gu-cholate kat-ginave la-aviva al-karmane shule. khadervanan meshshelmaneva meshshelmaneze … hech-kha menne letvalun karmane. la karmane etvalun la bakhchanet yemesh. kulle et-diyyan aturaye u-aremnayda. etva khakma matvatet aremnaye gu-deshtet Urmi.

Now, other than vineyards they had fields, but (first) I’ll say one other thing, in the vineyards they used to make huts with wood, they used to place four supports like this, a hut, huts, so during the day girls used to sit in the huts so that there would not be any thieves (breaking) into the vineyards and so forth. Around us were Muslims. None of the Muslims had any vineyards. They had no vineyards or fruit orchards. They all belonged to us, the Assyrians and also the Armenians. There were few Armenian villages in the plain of Urmi.

ita b-yuma bnate ki-yatviva. baghvane k-aviva kat ginave shule la-ativa. tereda k-ativa kat-anve akhlivalun ki-maprekhkhivalun. b-leleda gvanke k-aziva. ana ganize gu kha shita am gvanke m-uydale a-shula vidukh. ginave k-ativa dokakhvalun shule.

So during the day girls would sit (there), they used to be vineyard-keepers so that thieves and so forth would not come. Birds too used to come to eat the grapes and they used to drive them away and at night the lads used to go. I myself together with the lads did this task one year. Thieves used to come and we used to catch them and so forth.

ita sabza ki-lablivala akh merri al-mdita ki-zabniva. raba mendyane, shakar yan khakma mendyane kat gu-matvate letva ki-zoniva, mayyiva kat-lazem k-aviva, parche, julle atkha mendyane. har de-dana k-avivalun kettatet arrate. gu-arrate zarriva khette zarriva sare. khette sare b-dana b-keta ki-khazdivalun. gu-matvate etva jarjare anne ki-lablivalun gu-budrate, b-jarjare b-kenyane yan tore yan khmare anne garshiva khette ki-paltivalun men-gu-bulet khette.

Now, they used to take the vegetables, as I said, to the town and sell them. They used to buy many things, sugar or things that did not exist in the villages, and bring (them) for they were necessary, textiles and clothing, such things. At the same time they used to have fields. In the fields they used to farm wheat, they used to farm barley. They used to harvest wheat and barley at (harvest) time in summer. In the villages there were threshing-machines. They used to take these to the threshing floors, and on the threshing-machines—they used to pull these with cattle, or oxen or asses—they used to extract the wheat from the ears of wheat.

ki-paltivalun lablivalun erkhe-etva. gu-erkhe ki-takhnivalun k-odivalun kamkha kat-mayyiva gu-bate lakhma yapiva. gu-matvate etva tanure tanure raba atkha amku gave lakhma ki-yapiva. ita ki-maplekhkhiva takhta … dorana men mazrak ot lakhma ki-mattivale allu ita b-davun ki-makhivale gu-tanuyra. ki-pashva kha arpa khamsha dakike jens ki-bashelva.

They used to extract it (the wheat) and take it to a watermill, which was (in the village). In the watermill they used to grind it and make it into flour, in order to take home and bake bread. In the villages there were ovens, many ovens, deep like this, in which they used to bake bread. So they used to use a board, a rolling pin together with a dough-cushion, on which they used to put the bread, then on this they used to place it in the oven. It stayed there for four or five minutes, and baked well.

raba shapira lakhma hech akh do-lakhmet matvateda PaslanP hech-dukta anne lakhkha b-anne dukane le-machkhet men-do-lakhma raba shapira. raba mendyane. hi men-kenyane, kenyaneze k-avivalun. masta i-dokiva karra i-dokiva khalva, kul kha-mendi k-avivalun men kenyaneze. ita gu-dan arrate shuk men-khette sheptiyye, bashile gure gure men-danne yemishe zarriva.

(It was) very fine bread. Nothing like the bread of the villages—nowhere in these places (here) will you find such fine bread. There are many things. Yes, with regard to cattle, they used to have also cattle. They used to produce yoghurt, they used to produce butter, milk, they used to have everything from the cattle. Now, in those fields other than wheat, they used to cultivate watermelons, muskmelons, different types of these fruits.

ki-zarriva anneze yan kha-sama en-raba aviva ki-zabniva kha-zuyza al-ida ki-mayyiva an-khine k-akhlivalun. raba yale jile bnate jile k-aziva gu-danne bustanane shule bezmara, tanuvve, berkada. ita kulle bateze k-avivalun, kul beta kettet arrada k-avivale karmaneze k-avivale.

They used to cultivate these or if a proportion (of them) were surplus, they used to sell (them) and earn a bit of money, the others they used to eat. Many young boys and young girls used to go to these orchards and so forth, singing, telling tales and dancing. So all homes used to have (these), every house used to have a piece of land, and used to have vineyards.

ita deshtet Urmi khina raba shaperteva. ana kha-ktava etli, tre meshshen-neret amrikaye an chem kamaye meshshennere kat tilun gu-deshtet Urmi kha-menne iva shemmu Mister Smith, o-khina iva Dwight, anne tre parsupe tilun, e-dan tilun, e-dana urkhateze asfalt leva viyye. urkhate PshusePva asfalt leva viyye ita letva mashineze kat b-mashine nashe aziva ativa. b-susavay b-kavedne b-khmare k-aziva.

Now the plain of Urmi was very beautiful. I have a book (of) two American missionaries, the very first missionaries who came tothe plain of Urmi. The name of one of them was Mr. Smith and the other one was Dwight. These two gentlemen came. When they came, at that time the roads had not (yet) been laid with asphalt the roads were surfaced (with sand), they had not (yet) been laid with asphalt. So there were no cars, so that people could come and go in cars, they used to travel by horses, mules and donkeys.

anne b-susavate e-dan mtilun al lap karkeptet tuyra iva kha … tamaetvalankha Epass raba ramta ki-karivalakuchiyye. gaduggetkuchiyye ki-karivala. e-dan mtilun tama men-tama m-al-susavate slilun gusheklun al-deshtet Urmi men-tama deshtet Urmi ki-mabyennava raba shaperta ita depnet de deshtada etlan kha-yama yamtet Urmi ki-karila, yamet melkha.

When these men arrived with their horses to the very top of the mountain, there we had a very high pass which they used to call K̭učiyyə, they used to call it the K̭učiyyə pass. When they arrived there, they dismounted from their horses and looked at the plain of Urmi. From there the plain of Urmi looked very beautiful. Next to the plain we have a sea. They call it the lake of Urmi, the sea of salt.

ayen khezyalun gu-ktave bektavena o-ktavu kat-ktivuna ka EboardE-et diyye gu-Boston, lakhkha gu-EAmerika,E marena akhnan gu-raba atravatet dunye khdirevakh raba deshyate khezyevakh raba dukane khishevakh albatta b-nasheze kat-tpikena, b-parsupe anne mendyaneda tanuyena, mara deshta b-da shupra akhnan lekh khezye hech duka let deshta b-da shupra. kha gibo kulle tuyranena adiyya b-aralleghet keta kulle tuyrane ulluyle e-karkeptet tuyra talga makhvurele eltekh deshta kulle kentela. raba shaperta l-a-giba khita mabyunela kha-henna … abi melta e yama. akhnan raba bet-khadakh en yavvitun ka-diyyan persat ijaza yavvitunlan har peshakh lakhkha mashkheddakh gu-da dukta. berrekhshena albatta betfakena b-kma apeskupe kat-vayanle arpa khamsha apeskupe.

They saw it and write in their book, the book that they wrote to their board in Boston here in America, they say ‘We have travelled to many countries of the world, we have seen many plains, we have gone to many places’—of course they speak about the people they have met, the people, such things—they say ‘We have not seen a plain of such beauty. Nowhere is there a plain of such beauty. On one side of it it is all mountains, now in the middle of summer all the mountains, upon (each one of) them the mountain peak is white with snow. Below the whole plain is green. On the other side something blue is seen, that is the sea. We would be very happy if you gave us the opportunity, if you gave us permission to stay right here, and preach in this place.’ They, of course, go to meet some bishops that we had, four or five bishops.

gu-matvate shule bekhdarena biyye betpakena ktave atikeze kat-viyyanle berrekhshena kulle bekhzayena. matkhurena ika khishena, Kose yan dukane khine kat tpikena b-mar Avram, mar Yosep, mar Iliyya, mar Yukhannan, arpa-dane apeskupe ayya dana etvalan. b-danne kat betpakena muggurra b-khubba kabulena b-do khubbe. gu-ktave ktivena. ita. deshtet Urmi ana bekhshaven kha men … lela kat akhnan ganan viyyevakh gavo gurvessevakh, raba pshamevakh kat m-ida yuvvo.

They go around the villages and so forth and meet them. They also go and see all the old books that we had. They mention where they have gone, Kose, or other places where they have met Mar Abraham, Mar Joseph, Mar Elijah and Mar John—we had four bishops at that time. They have written in their book how they meet them, how warmly they receive them with love. So the plain of Urmi, I think it is one (of the most beautiful places). This is not because we ourselves were born and grew up in it. We are very sorry that we have now lost it.

deshtet Urmi kha dana vitela kullanait vitela et-aturay. hech meshshelmane shuleda lena viyye akhchi e-dan PNader-ShahP, kha men-malket Iran tile kha nasheva raba … raba fanatikaya raba zoda men-lazem men kresyane khoshu le-atyava aturayet diyyan beshkaleva men-deshtet Urmi labuleva la-do-rishet atra Kochan, Mashad, la-dan gibane men-tama mayeva afshariyye anne akhnan karakhlun adiyyada hoshare ka-kulle danne parsupe kat gu-de deshtet Urmi ki-khayyi kat meshshelmanena ki-karakh hoshare, hoshare yan afshariP.

The plain of Urmi was at one time completely Assyrian. There were no Muslims there. But at the time when Nadershah, one of the kings of Iran came—he was a very, very fanatic person, he hated the Christians more than was necessary—he took our Assyrians from the plain of Urmi and deported them to the far end of the country, Kochan, Mashhad, to those parts. From there he brought afšars, whom we now call +hošarə—we call all those people that live in the plain of Urmi who are Muslims +hošarə, +hošarə means afšari.

avun PNader-Shah afsharP ivada shemmu avun shakelvalun mayyivalun tama aturayet diyyan shakelva mabservalun men-tama. akhnan kha-dana deshtet Urmi kulle aslan yama … e yama tama shemmo ile yamet Urmi Urmiyya gano, Urmiyya, yane duktet miyya kennet miyya mabbuvvet miyya a khabra khabret aturayele et-diyyanle. Urmiyya.

The last name of Nadershah was also Afšar. He took them and brought them there. He took away our Assyrians and reduced (their numbers) there. At one time the whole of the plain of Urmi in fact (was Assyrian). The lake there, its name is the lake of Urmi. Urmiyya itself, Urmiyya means the place of water, the nest of water, the source of water. This word Urmiyya is an Assyrian word. It belongs to our (language).

(gk: betvate dakhiva? ) betvate sama zoda … gu-matvate etvalan bate prishe kliteva al-nashe mujjurra masalan kma a-iva kaseb yan dolatman. etvalan batet tre tla tabakeze b-karpech smukta karpech ketta muketta etvalan bate ina kullanait sama zodet batet mata ki-tarsivalun men … ki-paltiva al-vaddar men-mata kimane etvalan. ki-kattiva kime, akhnan ki-tanakhlun khina, ki-kattiva kime en kime b-tina ki-mayyiva mattiva al uydale atkha maskivale guyda beta tarsiva biyye. ita khina ulluyleda kulle k-aviva kese, parduvve, karyate. stuyna ki-mattiva.

The majority of the houses … in the villages we had various houses, it depended on the people, for example, how poor he was or how rich. We had houses of two, three storeys with red brick, burnt, baked brick. We had houses—generally, the majority of the houses of a village they used to make them from … They used to go outside the village, (where) we had sods of earth. They used to cut what we called sods, they used to cut sods. They used to bring back the sods with mud and place them on top of each other and in this way they used to build up the wall. They used to build a house with them. Now, on top of them everything was wood. They used to lay laths and beams.

khut dan karyate kat en-beta gura aviva garu setva talga raba ki-rayyiva. raba talga ki-rayyiva. setva ana betkhareven gani surevenva babida saveva ki-yaskakhva men-babi m-uydale kut-yum talga gari rappakhvale m-al-gare, kul yuma, kul yuma. ukhcha talga ki-rayyiva. adi khina akh kamta lela gare, akh merri khina, gare … kesa ki-mattiva khlima atkha men-da guyda al-do guyda. en beta ave gura kha-dana stuynada khut ki-makhiva men-arra hal tamma kat la talekhva. ita kma dane men-davun atkha ki-mattiva. kharta etva kesa sura atkha ki-parmivalun katkettivalun, ka-dani kariva parduvve. he ka-dani kariva parduvve. o-kesa yarikha karivale karita.

They used to lay pillars beneath the beams, if the roof of the house was big. In winter a lot of snow used to fall. A lot of snow used to fall in winter. I myself remember, I was young and my father was old, I used to go up together with my father and every day we had to throw off the snow from the roof, every day, every day, so much snow used to fall. Now it is not like before. The roofs—as I said, the roof, they used to place a piece of wood, thick like this, from this wall to that wall. If the house was big, they used toplace also a pillar underneath (coming up) from the ground up to there, so that it would not collapse. So they used to place a few pillars thus. Then there was a small stick. They used to cut them up. They used to chop them into small pieces. They called those laths. Yes they called those laths. They called the long piece of wood a beam.

ka-dani kariva parduvve. an-kese ki-mattivalun atkha shavye yan Eparallel, lishan englez, atkha m-uydale azi atkha, al dani ki-mattiva parduvve, men-da-risha. al dan parduvveda ki-mattiva pavanet ilane brize, charpuvve ki-tanakhvalun akhnan. ki-mattiva al-dani yanze hasire ki-mattiva.

They called those laths. They used to lay those sticks equal (i.e. parallel) like this, so that they fitted together like this. On those they put laths, from this side. On the laths they put dry branches of trees, which we used to call twigs, or they used to place on them (i.e. the laths) straw-mats.

ita al-dani dariva tina, tina la raba miyyana. tina ki-dariva dashdeshshivale. khartaze ki-machrivale. m-bar av brezvale, kha jura khina tina taresva, tuynada dariva gavu tuynada dariva gavu, dashdeshshivale atkha jens mamtivale.

Then on those they would pour mud, mud that was not very watery. They used to pour the mud and stamp on it. Then they used to smooth it. After it had dried, another type of mud used to be made. They used to put straw in it. They used to put straw in it, they used to stamp it very well and prepare it well.

maskivale al-gare machrivale garu biyyu, keta k-odivale a-shula, kat barezva. men-bar brezvale, khina miyya e-dan mutra talga shule rayyiva gu-beta le saliva.

They used to take it up to the roof and smear the roof with it. They used to do this in summer so that it would dry. After it dried, when it rained or snowed and so forth, water would not come down into the house.