Agriculture and Village Life

rezza arru ki-mashtivala. kharta b-ptana tarivala, azava atyava, ga-miyya, har ga-miyya kat-kulle akh halam aviva a upret daha.

Rice—they used to water the ground. Then they used to drive a plough through it, so that it goes back and forth, in the water, always in the water, so that all its soil was like slush.

ita bart gis treplun, arra tripalun, sodanta vila, kharta, etvale shetla shemmu, dule kat mara chaltuk. nachliva, men-duka khita mayyiva, shatlivale, har-ga-de-arra kat teryona, chun ay vitela rakekhta ham miyyantela, ham tinantela. har-shetla ga-matteta betpayele. dayet? avva atkha ana khezyen. ita balket kesmatte khineda viyyena ina atkha khezyen kat-zeryuna.

Then, after they mixed it well, they mixed the ground and it became good (for planting), it (the rice) had a seedling, which they call a rice-stalk. They used to uproot it, bring it from another place and plant it, in the field that they had ploughed, because it has become soft, both watery and muddy. The seedling takes root as soon as it is planted. You understand? This, I have seen it done like this. Well, perhaps there were other parts (to the process), but I have seen them plant it like this.

kamta arru teryona sodanta kat mushtiyyona ga-miyya plikhena ptane khishe tiyyena. adiyya trakture berrekhsha bitayena. betrapuna a upret da jis bekhvatele. kharta, mayena shatuluna.

Formerly they ploughed, watered it well and worked it with ploughs, going back and forth. Now tractors go back and forth. They beat the soil like this … and it is mixed well. Then they bring (the seedlings) and they plant it out.

avva k-odivale karde, gure karde. k-avivale marzebbane kat e-dan malile miyya, kul duka miyya la-avi gari PtaghribanP e-dan mashtuvvuna esri santime miyya avi gavu akh-gol.

They used to make this into plots, big plots. It used to have edges so that when they filled it with water, water would not be everywhere. When they fill it, there must be about twenty centimetres of water in it, like a pond.

ita, k-avivale koshane. akh-gudanane ki-makhivala. karda gurta k-oyava, tanakh alpa metre, tre-alpe metre. ina marzebbano dvike kat-malya miyya. chun raba maghghubele miyya. mlayona ay miyya kha-khcha. miyya-khina la-amsi azi l-a-yba l-o-yba gudanane ki-makhiva tanakh koshane garshiva marzebbano.

Now, it used to have ditches. They used to make for it (the plot) something like walls. A plot was big, let’s say one thousand metres, two thousand metres, but its sides were blocked so it would fill with water, because it (the rice) likes a lot of water. They fill it this much with water. The water cannot flow this way and that way. They used to build walls, let’s say, and surround it with ditches.

rezza mativa. bart mtivale, bi magesta khazdivale. khazdiva, daste daste ki-mattiva. ita kharta et dana k-asriva daste daste akh-darza k-odivale. shakliva, makhiva al-arabana, labliva ga-budrate khashlivale. dayet? khashli-vale kat-av tapekhva hi kat-tapekhva. ita-khina tama tammezzivale, darivale, shakliva, lablivale beta.

The rice used to ripen. After it ripened, they used to harvest it with a sickle. They would harvest and place (it on the ground) in handfuls. Then, at times they would tie the various handfuls. They made it like a sheaf (of corn). They took them and placed them on a wagon, took it and ground it on the threshing floors. You understand? They ground it so it would pour, yes so it would pour. Then they cleaned it there, they threshed it, and took it home.

tuynet rezza, hi avunda ki-maplekhkhivale ka-kenyane dayet? khina avun khshiluna tpikhele o gellu ka-kenyane k-ames tuynu ave.

The hay of the rice, yes, they use this too for cattle. You understand? Well, (when) they have pounded it and its plant (i.e. its grain) has poured out, its hay can be (used) for cattle.

arra kriva k-odakhvala e-dan bayyakhva spay khette mayyava. kha shita madmekhkhakhvala. tla-ga tarakhvala b-ptana damkhava kha-shita. shit-tre t-odakhvala koshane b-garshakhva gavo. bar teryalan, mushtiyyalan. kam mashte-ta, bar zeryukh koshane b-garshakhva kat-miyya la bazbekki, amsa lablalun a takhta ka-gano ayya ka-gano. ita gav danne takhte yessura ki-makhakhva kat-miyya la napli kha duka. a yessura k-aviva khachcha kerya kat-miyya rappivalun arallegh, a bava kulle shatyava a takhta.

We would leave the ground fallow when we wanted it to produce good wheat. We would let it rest for a year. We would plough it three times and it would rest for a year. In the second year we would dig ditches in it. After we had ploughed it, we watered it. Before watering it, after we had sown it, we would build ditches, so that the water would not disperse and each basin in turn could absorb it. Now, in these basins we would make a connection so that the water would not fall in one place. This connection was rather short, so that it would distribute water in between and the whole section, the basin, would be watered.

ita atkha tlay arpi dane k-aviva bar-uydale. ina kha-dana kosha anne miyya men-ullul kulle ki-labelvalun kut takhta ka-gano. parakhva, ki-napliva ga-da takhta shatyava. dokakhvala, darakhva ga-de-khita. hi, kulle atkha mashtakhvala.

So, some thirty or forty (basins) would be (laid) one after the other, but one ditch would bring all the water, each basin (taking water) in turn. We would make an opening and the water would run into the basin and it would be watered. We closed it and poured (the water) into another. Yes, we irrigated it all in this way.

hi khina-aha k-avivalan dana tre-ga mashtakhvala miyya. mutrate raba aviva, hech-le mashtakhvala ay, chun en-mashtakhvala raba i-damkhava. kharta khazdakhvala daste daste khazdakhva bi … magesta. daste daste darze k-odakhvala. bar darze vidalan, geddishe ki-makhakhva, jammakhvala kukha kukha. kharta bi garduyne etvalan bi garduyne tore ki-makhakhva alle garshakhva mayyakhva ga-budrate, atkha dori. ham … makhakhva chambara, kato ki-tanakhva.

Yes, at times we would irrigate it twice with water. If the rains were abundant, we would not irrigate it at all, for if we watered it a lot, it would be flattened. Then we would harvest it bunch by bunch with a sickle. We would make bunches of it into sheaves. After we made it into sheaves, we made it into stacks and gathered it into heaps. Then with carts, which we had, with carts— we used to attach oxen to them—we would transport (the produce) and bring it to the threshing floors and they would thresh it. They placed it in a ring, as they called it.

kharta men-daha kha-kha darza ki-rappakhva. kha kesa yasrakhva al-do arallegh kat yattakhva arallegh da arra ikele. ita kha-kha darza darakhva akla i-darakhva tanakhva. bazbekkakhvale kharta jan-jar ki-mattakhva b-tore yasrakhva, khadriva hal aha odivala tuyna. khetto khina-tapkhiva. kharta anne sharakhvalun jammakhvala t-odakhvala khayyan. kulle a kulash b-da pesla kha-yarkha gashket esri yumane, arpi yumane e-dana atkha a kulle takhnakhvala hal-tuyna t-odakhva jammakhva. kharta yaskakhva, pokha aviva, darakhvala tuyna noshu azelva, khette napliva l-a-yba.

Then we would throw one sheaf at a time. We used to bind a stick to the middle, so we would know where the middle of the ground (of the threshing floor) was. Then we would throw one sheaf at a time, we said we threw a ‘leg.’ We used to scatter it, then we attached a threshing-machine to oxen, we tied it, and they walked around until they made it into hay. Its wheat grain would pour out. Then we would release them and we would gather it and make it into a pile. You would see all the straw in this way for a month, twenty days, forty days, we called it this (‘straw’) at that time until we made it into hay and gathered it together. Then we would go up, if there was wind, and winnowed it, the hay would go its own way, and the corn seed would fall to the side.

ita b-jammakhvalun kukha. et-ganan aviva, ki-mayyakhvalun. ina et-arbab aviva, gari ativa daj makhivala aha, kat la shaklakh menno hal en dan-dana avile ate pallila.

Then we gathered it into a heap. We would bring home what belonged to us. But as for what belonged to a landlord, he had to come and place a mark on it, so that we do not take from it until, when he has time to come, he divides it.

karmada har-atkha. zarrivale. k-avivale men-gepta. parmiva men-do karma. mayyiva nasvivala. k-oyavala chellale, ki-yavvava. kharta gari aviva bavate. shatlivala ayda PtaghribanP gav-bava. kha shita, tre shenne tayberrivala, kharta anve ki-yavvavalun. anve hi anne anve zoda aviva, e-danta gabiva savza k-odivalun. varazan etvalun. ki-machrakhvala varazan ita bi kalya-dash, kalya-dash e-dana etvalan. miyyet dav k-odivalun. mardekhkhivalun ga-do kalya-dashe en anve deshiva paltivalun. kharta b-shatkhivalun. ani akh shalkiva kat-jalde barzini. al-varazan shatkhivalun. ita baki shulaneda khamra ki-mayyiva dariva keshmishe k-odiva nipukhta i-bashliva men-den anve. tluvve k-odiva. raba mendiyyane estifada k-odiva menne.

A vineyard also was just like this. They used to plant it. It used to have a vine. They used to cut from this vine. They used to bring and plant it. It had roots, which it developed. Then there had to be basins. They used to plant it (the vine) almost in a basin. They looked after it for one year, two years, then it yielded grapes. Grapes, yes, if there were surplus grapes, then they would gather them and make them into blanched grapes. We had a platform. We used to smear the platform with potash. We had potash at that time. They used to make it into a concoction. They would boil the grapes in the potash (concoction). They would press down the grapes and take them out. Then they would spread them out. They would almost cook them by boiling, so they would dry quickly. They spread them out on the platform. As for the remaining tasks, they produced wine, they made raisins, they cooked molasses from the grapes. They made preserved hanging grapes. They made a lot of use out of them.

kalya-dashe kha-gella etva. o-gella ki-makdivale. bar kedvale k-aviva akh-kipa kuma. ki-mayyiva mennu shamtiva khashliva. ga-zambul ki-mattivale ga-miyya, hal pasherva. bar pshervale avun, ga-kazancha b-dariva. khuto de kazancha sherivale anne miyya radkhiva. zambul anve malakhvalun tamshakhvalun ga-den miyya. lablakhva shatkhakhvalun chun ani u-avun k-avedvalun range zarda. hi, jaldeda shalkiva ga-den miyya jalde i-barziva. k-oyava sabza. hi, ayya men-kalya-dashe.

Potash—there was a plant. They used to burn that plant. After it had burned, it was like a black stone. They brought some of it, broke it up and pounded it. They put it in a metal basket in water, until it dissolved. After it had dissolved, they poured it into a pan. Under the pan they lit a fire and the water boiled. We filled the metal basket with the grapes, we plunged them in the boiling water. We took them out and spread them out, for it would colour them, yellow. Yes, they used to be blanched rapidly and they quickly dried after being in that water. They became blanched grapes. Yes, this is what pertains to potash.

tluvve kanune mayyakhva parshakhvalun en-shapire. tluvve kha-kma yumane akh-shatkhakhvalun al-varazan. khachcha akh-chamchiva. kharta ki-yasrivalun. bi e dana etvalan tanakh pessa shule kharta geddala b-geddala tandellivalun ga-chukhyate. peshiva setva menne k-akhliva. keshmisheva mabrezzivalun, k-akhliva.

As for preserved hanging grapes, their method (of preparation was that) we brought (grapes) and separated the good ones. We spread out the preserved grapes for a few days on the platform. They would wither slightly. Then we would tie them up with—at that time we had what we call a reed, then a string, we hung them with a string in basements. They were preserved and in winter they ate them. There were raisins, which they had dried and then ate.

khamreva khina avda khamra spay. shatkhivale en miyyu men-gavu aziva. kharta marchivale dari-vale ga-kadale. kha-kma yumane pashva kharta pummu ki-machrivale. hal em-dan bayyiva shativa k-ativa patkhivale b-tasa shakliva shativa.

As for wine, that too was a good quality wine. They spread it (the grape must) out in order for its water to reduce. Then they squashed it and put it into pots. It remained thus for a few days then they sealed its (the pot’s) mouth, until whenever they wanted to drink, they would come and open it, they would take it in a cup and drink it.

khina anne merri anve gabivalun, khachcha shatkhivalun, kharta marchivalun. miyyet dani jis o-pullush rappiva mayyiva etvalan line gure. ki-malivalun ga-den line. kma yumane pashva, kharta pumme ki-machrivale. pashva ka-setva kat mate a patkhi shati mennu. bi tasa shakliva, ga-vadre maliva, mayyiva mattiva ga-pi-palget majles. ita ki-makhderriva bi tasa. at b-shatetva, o-khina b-shativa atkha l-a-giba. men-do khamra estifada k-odiva.

Well, as I said, they would pick the grapes, they would spread them out, then they would press them. They would thoroughly extract the grape pulp and bring the juice—we had large jars. We filled the jars with it. It used to remain (like that) for a few days, then we sealed their mouth. It remained until winter, when it matured, they opened it and drank from it. They took it with a cup and filled buckets with it, which they brought in and placed in the middle of a gathering (of people) and handed it around in a cup. You would drink and pass it on to another person on one side, who would drink in turn. They drew benefit from the wine.

khette jammuvvena kukha chun anne et-arbabina daj mkhayena kat en-ida ketla, a daj kharev kat tane a nasha gnivele. ita b-lele b-yuma karavul k-avakhva katu kat a-daj ida la keta chun arbab t-ativa taniva at gnivet men … men-danne khette. ita daj ki-makhivale hal de-dan kat-ativa pallivalun. esra yumane, esri yumane dana oyava, t-ativa pallivalun. palge av shakelva palge akhnan mayyakhvale.

They gather the wheat into a heap, because they mark what belongs to the landlord with a stamp, so that if somebody touches it, this seal mark is broken and he can tell that this person has stolen it. So, we guarded it day and night so that nobody would touch the mark, for the landlord would come and say that you have stolen some of the wheat. So they put a mark on it until the time that he came to divide it. In ten or twenty days, when the time came, he would come and divide it. He took half and we brought back half.

ina daj ki-makhivale. ina khettet ganan aviva, arranet ganan, daj le makhakhva. jammakhvalun kukha, berashe b-lablakhvalun. en et-arbab aviva, em-dan khoshu tivala, t-ativa pallivale. ita daj makhivalun anne kulle kat ida ketla, mahlum odani kat ati men-danne gnivet. etvale kha nasha berashe ativa makhivalun k-azelva. morisha, k-ativa, kulle khadervalun khazze em daj khrivele. en-ave khriva, taniva ati gnivet ad-lele men-daha.

So we used to put a mark on it. But if it was our wheat, from our lands, we did not put a mark on it. We gathered it into a heap and took it home in the evening. If it belonged to the landlord, whenever he wished, he would come and divide it. So, they put a mark on it, so that if somebody touched it, it would indicate that you have stolen some of it. He had a man who would come in the evening and mark it and go away. In the morning he would come back and go around all of them (i.e. the piles of wheat) and see whether any seal mark had been broken. If one were broken, he would say ‘You stole from this last night.’

khina kut karma ka-ganu kut karma ka ganu. ana mar-karmeven, zarzenva kha-dana chola. ita avenva mar-zuyza, kha chola banenvala b-karpech. t-odenvala beta ka-gani. ita letli, len mar-zuyza, b-kese kha-dana chola b-zarzenva. b-yaskenva yatvenva allo. a karma khamenvale. men-rekka iket ginava vervale khazzenvale. tanenva ay pellan kas a mendiyyi kam begnavut? hal de-danet anne anve mativa, gabakhva kat mayyakhvalun beta, k-avakhva tama. b-lele i-damkhakhva b-yuma … ki-yatvakhva. e-dana risha ki-makhakhva, ina b-lele akh-jam damkhakhva kame, al-de-chola i-damkhakhva hal-morisha kat-la lablivalun en-karmanan anvan.

Now, every vineyard stood by itself, every vineyard stood by itself. (Let’s say) I am the owner of a vineyard, I would build a booth. Now, if I were wealthy, I would build a booth with bricks,I wouldmake it intoa house for myself.But, ifI do not have (money) and am not rich, I would make a booth of wood. I would go up and sit on it. I would guard the vineyard. I would see from afar where a thief had entered. I would say ‘Hey, so-and-so, why are you stealing this property of mine?’ Until the time the grapes ripen and we picked them and brought them home, we were there. We slept at night and sat in the day, during which time we would snooze, but at night on the whole we slept in front of them (the grapes), we slept on the booth until morning so people did not loot our vineyards and grapes.

ga-budrate e-ga pokha raba khachcha k-aviva. adi anne khette kulle b-janjar videkh tuyna. mekhyekh khayyan. ita besparekh pokha atini kat darakhlun. pokha lele bitaya. ita e-dan bitayele, khina adi ike t-ivakh berkhatekh besyaka al-da khayyan daruvvekh.

In the threshing floors, at that time, there was very little wind. Now we have made all the wheat and hay by the threshing machine. We have put them in a heap. So we are waiting for the wind to come, so we can winnow them. The wind does not come. So, when it comes, wherever we are, we run and go up onto the heap and winnow.

ita adiyya alaha munyekhkhet mama Azez Yuliyya, henna shemmet khanimu, Layya, mayela kavutra. aha daruvvele ita rekka m-akhkha tvaletu bitayela. marele a khalta khreta la yavva, raba spayiva. lel bedda kavutra akhel yan-azel al-do-risha yan pokha dare, chun pokha kut dana le ate. ita raba har le manshakhle, kuya, ita budrate raba nashena a khabra tanuvvule.

Now, Uncle Aziz, may God grant him rest, Julia, I mean, the name of his wife, Layya, brings lunch. He is winnowing, then— pardon me—he needs to go to the toilet. He says ‘This food would have been very good if it did not make you defecate.’ He does not know whether to eat lunch, or go aside (to the toilet), or winnow in the wind, for the wind does not always blow. We shall never forget it, he says this aloud, while there were many people on the threshing floors.

tuttun ber-zarro raba daykele. raba daykele. ita aha adiyya zarrakhla k-odakh bava tarsakhla atkha ramta oyani. mashvakhla, tapteppakhla. o ber-zarra i-darakhle tama bazbekkakhle. kharta pan darakh allo. kharta yuma tre ga ki-mashtakhla aha. ga-susapan miyya maryessakh allo. arpi yumane miyya ki-yavvakhla. a k-oya shetla. arpi yumane miyya ki-darakh allo kat a yarma shetla.

Tobacco—its seed is very small. It is very small. So now (if) we plant it, we make a mound of a basin, we make it high like this. We flatten it, we beat it down. We put the seed there, we scatter it. Then we put fine animal droppings on it. Then, twice a day we water it. We sprinkle water on it with a wateringpot. We give it water for forty days. It becomes a shoot. We pour water onto it for forty days so that it will grow as a shoot.

kharta arret tuttun losane t-oyani. kulle b-tokhmak katkettakhla oya dakta. arra adi kha ektarela tre ektarela. kulle b-napla katkettakhla. kharta kulle karduvar garshakh. bavate sure sure t-odakhla. khob.

Then, the ground of tobacco turns into lumps, so we break it all up with a mallet, so it will be fine. The ground is a hectare or two hectares. It all falls apart and we break it up. Then we dig it with a spade and chain. We turn it into very small basins. ok?

kharta t-azakh m-den-karde b-nachlakh mayyakh al-danne bavate kulle shatlakhla. kulle shatlakhla. tla miyye b-yavvakhla. kharta kha-kma dana aha b-shokakhla, gano dokala. kharta mashtakhla var mattakhla. var mattakhla. ita a vila kha-khcha ramta. en edda avila ki-edakhla. hi edakhla.

Then we go and uproot (the tobacco) from the plots and bring it and plant it all in the basins. We plant them all. We give it three lots of water. Then we leave it for a certain time, so that it will take root. Then we water it, we hoe it. We hoe it. Now it has grown this high. If it has weeds, we weed it, yes, we weed it.

tilan tuttun vila kha komi tarpe yuvvella. tarpo gashkakh metyena men-eltekh. men-eltikho k-avakh kul dana tla tarpe gabuvve. morisha jalde k-azakh, ga-khemma la-avini. e-dan khemma oyani, le-oya, shanshella, la-amsakh gabakhla. ina morisha jalde, yuma la zraka, k-azakh gabakhen malakh ga-kertale, tenakh al-khasan mayyakhen beta.

We have come (to the point) where the tobacco has become my height and it has sprouted leaves. We see that its leaves have ripened from the bottom. Each time we pick three leaves from the bottom of it. We go early in the morning, when it is not hot. When it is hot, it is not possible, it would droop and we cannot pick it. But early in the morning, when the sun has not risen, we go and pick, and fill pannier baskets, which we place on our back and bring home.

b-yatvi anne tarpa tarpa b-khmata morila. a tuttun kut tarpa ka-ganu b-khmata morila. m-khmata b-darila al-geddala, garshila al-geddala. etlan kharrage tursekh mikhe mekhyekh a-yba o-yba. a geddala tre-metrele. kha rishu makkettakhle l-o-yba kha rishu l-a-yba. melyele tuttun. kharrage malakhla, mat-takhla kam-yuma. aha bet-barza.

They sit and pass a needle through it, leaf by leaf. They pass a needle through the tobacco, each leaf separately. With a needle they put it on a string. They thread it on a string. We have wooden frames, which we made and put nails on one side and the other side. The string is two metres long. We attach one end of it to this side and one end to the other side. It is full of tobacco. We fill the frames with tobacco, put it in the sun and it would dry.

bar brezla, jammakhen dasti daste mayyakh makhakhla ambar. bar mekhyalan ambar, bet-pesha cheriyye, setva tile. khina shula men-deshta jummokh, prektela. t-atakh men-ambar kerakh kha duka chale maksakhla kat tandellakhla tama, aha nammenna chun baruztela.

After it has dried, we gather it in bundles and bring it and put in a storeroom. After we have put it in the storeroom, it would stay there in autumn, and the winter came. Now the job of gathering it from the field is complete. We come and dig in the storeroom a hole in a certain place and cover it in order to hang it there and to become moist, because it was dry.

tama ga-de chale ga-arra kirokh, tandellakhla tama kulle aha kha lele pesha. kharta b-rakkha, mayyakhla, darakhla beta. geddala sapkakhle dana dana et-parshakhla smukta al-kha-yba e khrevta al-kha-yba, zarda al-kha-yba. kulle dasti daste t-odakhla. dayet?

There, in that hole, which we have dug in the ground, we hang it, and it all remains there for a night. Then it becomes soft and we bring it and put it in the house. We take off the string, one by one, in order to separate it, the red on one side, what is spoiled on another side, yellow on another side. We make it all into bundles. You understand?

bar daste daste b-kharzakhla tamma. kharta etlan sanduka, aha kulle anne daste mattakhlun ga-da sanduka atkha. kharta a sanduka jvala etle atkha. ga-da jvala kulle sektela ga-da sanduka. mangana b-khalsakhla a sanduka b-yasrakhle, jvala. tuttun pesha ga-gvala. ita kulle a tuttun b-da pesla tarpa tarpa mekhyokh b-khmata muyyokh mubrezzokh kharta tarpa tarpa bet-parshakhla, t-odakhla dasta, makhakhla ga-da sanduka. men-sanduka kharta b-lablakhla mdita, b-zabnakhla. tuttun kha-khcha shula etla. taryessar yarkhe shula etla kha-dana tuttun. shulo daykele raba ajjezzanele.

After we thread it together in bundles. Then we have a box. We put all the bundles in the box. Then, this box has a sack like this. In this sack it is all stacked in this box. We compress it with a press and tie the box, the sack. The tobacco remains in the sack. So all this tobacco—we have put it through a needle in this way, leaf by leaf, we have brought it and dried it. Then we separate it leaf by leaf and make a bundle. We put it into the box. We then take it from the box to the town and sell it. Tobacco involves this amount of work. One (crop of) tobacco involves twelve months of work. The task is fiddly and very taxing.

heyvane k-avivalan kut nasha tla arpa. etvalan paga. etvalun duket khalta atkha tursekhva lakhkha k-asrakhva, m-tamma khurrak darakhva, k-akhliva yonja tuyna. ita setva le paltiva. karta k-oyava. har ki-peshiva ga-paga. yuma tla-dane khute tammezzakhvale. khalta yavvakhvale b-vadra mayyakhva mashtakhvalun. ita etvalan kenyanet arra, masalan tore tanakhva kat ptana t-odakh biyye. etvalan kenyanet khlava. khalva ki-khalvivalun. shita kha-ga yadliva. ita khalvet danne maplekhkhakhvale meshkha k-odiva. khalva shativa. karra ki-paltiva men-do khalva. tla arpa mendiyyane zarziva men-den taveryay. khayyutet bar-nasha e-dana ga-mavay bi kenyaneva. letva kha-mendi. khalva k-odiva khalviva, karra paltiva, meshkha k-odiva kat kusarte bashlivala. keta, hava shkhenvala, k-aziva, morisha k-aziva, berashe khina k-ativa ga-paga kat khalvivalun.

We used to have animals, each person three or four. We had a stable. They had an eating place, which we made for them thus. We tied (them) up here and put food there. They ate clover and hay. So, they did not go out in winter. It was cold. They stayed in the stable all the time. We cleaned under them three times a day. We gave them food. We used to bring (water) in a bucket and give it to them to drink. Then, we had cattle (to work) the land, what we called oxen, with which we ploughed. We had dairy cattle. We milked them. They gave birth once a year. Now, we would use their milk. They used to make clarified butter. They drank milk. They produced butter from the milk. They made three or four things from the cows. A man’s livelihood at that time in the villages was by cattle. There was nothing else. They acquired milk by milking, they produced butter, they produced clarified butter, which they cooked in their cooking pot. In summer, when the weather became warm, they (the cows) used to go out, they went out in the morning, and in the evening they used to come back to the stable so that (people) would milk them.

betvate etvalan e-dana betvate gure etvalan. kulle kulpat khamsha-rishe, eshta-rishe kulle ga-kha beta ki-damkhakhva. tanuyra etvalan, tanuyra atkha. anne kenyane e shekhte ki-mabrezzakhvala k-oyava kamre. setva ay sherakhvala ga-da tanuyra. ita b-morisha sherivale a kulle ani patukhe kamre k-aviva ketma tama shakhina. hal do-morisha khina a tanuyra k-aviva shakhina. jammakhva atkha marzebbanu kha-dana janne garshakhva al-aklatan k-atvakhva.

As for houses, at that time we had big houses. The whole family, five people, six people—we all slept in one house. We had an oven, an oven like this. We dried the excrement of the cattle and it became dried blocks of dung. In the winter we burnt it in the oven. So, in the morning we kindled it and all the dung blocks and dung cakes became warm. The oven remained warm until the next day. We used to gather around it, pull a quilt rug over our legs and sit there.

ita karta k-oyava raba khelanta. talme, miyya k-avivalan ga-danne talme. k-avakhva mutte ga-beta atkha khrize. morisha kemakhva gashkakh mugdelle. akhnan tamma dmikhekh anne lakhkha gdila, talme mugdelle. atkha karta k-oyava. letvalan raba shkhunta. akhchi o tanuyra. b-yuma b-dav shakhnakhva, b-leleda t-orakhva khut khlepa damkhakhva. karta raba k-oyava. ga-batvate merri miyya mattakhvalun tamma, morisha kemakhva gashkakh mugdellena. akhnan lakhkha dmikhekh, miyya tamma mugdellena. atkha karta k-oyava.

So, the cold was very intense. Jugs—we had water in these jugs. We placed them in the house. We lined them up like this. In the morning we got up and saw that they were frozen. We have slept here and they are ice here, the jars have frozen. Such was the cold. We did not have much heat apart from the oven. During the day we warmed up with this and at night we would go under a quilt and sleep. The cold was very intense. In the houses, I have said, we placed water there, and in the morning we got up and saw that it has frozen. We have slept here and the water has frozen there. This is how cold it was.

etvalan kha dana shakiyya k-atyava men mata. ita ayya ki-magdellava raba. alaha manekh motanukh babi kul-mata k-atyava tama malyava miyya, ita kul duk ki-magdelva gdila, shametvale. o-yuma bet-maliva b-lele khina mugdellele. khina b-shametva. kha danta a gdila kha-khcha pt-aviva talme le mativa al-miyya. bi khole ki-pashtivalun, maliva ita garshivalun, chun kut yum gdila kha-khcha mugdellele b-shamtakhvale, kudme khina mugdellele. a khlimuytu kha-khcha gdila k-oyava.

We had a stream that came from the village. Now, this used to freeze a lot. My father—may God grant rest to your deceased and to him— the whole village came there and filled (jars) with water, now every place that froze he would break. During the day they would fill (jars) and at night it froze. So, he broke it. Once the ice was such that the jugs did not reach the water. They let them down by ropes, filled them, and pulled them in, because every day the ice had frozen so much, we used to break it, but the next day it was frozen again. The thickness of the ice was so great.

khayyuta raba ajjez-zanta khayyuteva. letva khalta. kha danta khette letva. raba basureva. khalte lakhmet sareva, dekhneva. kharta kharta nashe kheshlun Rusya shule muyyilun zuyza shule. shkellun arrane khette zrilun. de de de de, tilun, khina, khette zedlun. alma shurile khettekhina sarela khelle, tanakhen, dekhnala khelle. har khette khelle.

It was a very difficult life. There was no food. Once there was no wheat. It was very scarce. Their food was bread made from barley or millet. Much later people went to Russia and the like and brought back money and so forth. They acquired land and sowed wheat. Gradually they progressed and wheat increased. People began (eating) wheat and did not eat barley, we may say, they did not eat millet. They only ate wheat.

di nikha nikha alma kenyane zvenne de. khlevle khalve khelle, meshkhe khelle. dayet? anne kulle kharta kharta, ina en-shenne raba akhnan kat-surekhva mennan kam-dana atyanet Rusya urusnaye tilun Iran, raba kasebbuyteva, raba. et nashe lakhma le machkhi akhliva. anne meshshelmane etva kurbet mat-diyyan akhnan charuykhe, geldet kenyane k-odivale charuykhe sole. ita k-aviva prite, rappivalun al-ketma. ketma sapkiva, etvalan kukha atkha ketmet tanuyra sapkivale tama. en charukhe b-lele k-ativa machkhivalun t-aziva markekhkhivalun khallivalun ani t-akhlivalun. atkha kepna iva.

Gradually people bought cattle. They milked them and consumed their milk, they ate their clarified butter. You understand? All these things were much later, but the years when we were very young, before our time (during the time of) those (Assyrians) who came from Russian, when the Russians came to Iran, there was great poverty, very great. There were people who did not find bread to eat. There were Muslims there near our village, we (used to have) sandals, they would make sandals from the skin of cattle, shoes. Now, when they were torn, they used to throw them onto the ash. They used to empty out the ash. We had a heap. They emptied the ash of the oven there. At night they came and found the sandals, they went and softened them and washed them, then they ate them. There was such hunger.

ga-mata beteva etvalun chimane, chimane etvalun. bi mera parmiva chime akh peslet karpech. dokiva tina chima mattiva, tina mattiva, khina chima mattiva, tina. etten hada banivalun. etten kulle bi tina ki-banivalun. tina atkha ki-mamtivale kuya aviva. ki-makhiva atkha bennavra, b-yaskiva hal karyate tla metre.

In the village, as for what concerns the house, we had blocks of turf. With a spade we cut the turf in the form of a brick. They took some mud, they placed a turf, then placed mud, again they placed a turf, then mud. There were some who built like that. There were some who built them all with mud. They would process the mud so that it would be hard. They laid a foundation thus and would go up (with building) as far as the beams, three metres.

kharta etva kese parmakhva mayyakhva darakhva atkha. karyay ki-tanakhvalun. ita letva kha mendi alle, ki-rappakhva parduvve. al parduvve zile darakhva. zile etva, rabena. khazdakhva, mayyakhva darakhva kat-upra la-aviva. kharta maleta darakhva tapteppakhvale. kharta machrakhvale. PmakhsusP upra i-machkhakhva, machkhakhva upra, miyya darakhva dashdeshshakhvale. a tina k-odakhvale kuya. maleta tanakhvala. maskakhvala vadra vadra al ruyshan.

Then there were logs of wood, which we cut, brought and laid like this. We called them ‘beams.’ Now, there was nothing on top of them and we laid down laths. On the laths we put rushes. There were many rushes. We harvested and brought them, then laid them so that there would not be any soil. Then we put a layer of mud and pressed it down. Then we smeared it on it. We found a special soil, we found soil, we poured water (on it) and stamped it down. We made the mud hard. We called it +maleta (layer of mud). We took it up bucket by bucket on our shoulders.

tama darakhvala kat zila deryukh al-do zila kat la napel eltekh. khamivale en-parduvve en karyate, la kamta karyate darakhva, kharta parduvve darakhva, kharta zila darakhva, kharta e maleta b-darakhva. dashdeshshakhvala ki-mamtakhvala atkha spay akh k-oyava akh-data kat spay tapya. kharta kat barezva a sapar machriyyana dokakhva tuyna khotakhva gavu. jis mamtakhvale, machrakhva. o tuyna le shavekva a tina pakkini. k-aviva atkha dviku. gav machriyyana tuyna ki-khotakhva, machrakhvale.

We laid it there, where we have laid the rushes, onto the rushes, so it does not drop down. Those laths, those beams would hold it, but first we laid beams and then we laid laths, than we laid rushes, then we laid that layer of mud. We trod it down and processed it well so that it became like chewing gum, so that it would stick well. Then after it dried, at that point we applied mortar, in which we mixed straw. We processed it well and spread it. The straw did not allow the mud to crack. It used to hold it together. In the mortar we would mix straw and we spread it.

kha- dana tanuyra akrakhva. men-mdita zonakhva, mayyakhva, mattakhvale. udyu morisha sherakhva hal kudme morisha. bi shkhuntet davun jammakhva kha dana marzebbanu kha-julla garshakhva al-aklatan kat-shkhunta yavvelva. katan khayyuta atkheva.

We used todig an oven. We (also) bought one in the city, brought it (to the village) and installed it. We stoked it from today in the morning, until tomorrow morning. We gathered together in its heat, around it we pulled a cloth over our legs, so that it would provide warmth. For us life was like this.

e dana letvalan tre tabake, magar otaghe matressakhvalun tre tabake khute aviva masalan ambare odakhva. dayet? khuto ambar k-odakhva mendi jammakhva, keshmishe, goze. tuttun avivalan, al-den-karyay tuttun ki-makhakhva kharzakhvala, peshava tama. betada kha-dana k-ave. gashket esra rishe taryessar rishe ga-kha beta i-damkhakhva, kulle atkha shavakhva. kartada raba k-oyava, ina khina lipekhva al-do havet de-danta.

At that time we did not have two floors, unless we had them built as rooms on two floors and we would make the lower ones into, for example, storerooms. You understand? Underneath we would make a storeroom and gather things, raisins and walnuts. If we had tobacco, we would put tobacco on the beams, we strung it out, and it remained there. The house was a single unit. You would see we used to sleep ten people or twelve people in one house, all of us bedding down like that. The cold was very intense, but we were used to the weather of that season.