Demsachew describes his family tree, his village, and the local history. He began to herd sheep and cattle and to help with agricultural work at the age of eight. When he was a little older, his father taught him blacksmithing. He divided his time between shepherding the flocks, farming, and blacksmithing. Demsachew relates that the relationship between the Jewish community and their Christian neighbors was usually good. The exception was an incident in 1970, in which the Christian neighbors harassed Beta Israel women who came to collect earth and soil for pottery in the Christians’ territory. The case reached the Supreme Court, which ruled in favor of the Beta Israel women.

Demsachew describes the blacksmithing work at length. He learned the trade and joined his father’s work in a workshop close to their house. They lit a coal fire and made different vessels, such as ploughing tools, knives, and weapons. They also sharpened knives and repaired tools. Demsachew and his father sometimes brought their equipment to distant villages, where relatives lived. They would set up a temporary workshop for the village residents and work there for a few months. If a customer could not afford to pay with money, he could pay with work in the family’s fields or by breeding the sheep and cattle.

They bought metals once a year at an iron trade area in Gondar, or from salt merchants who brought metals from Sudan. Demsachew describes the boat ride to buy metal. He also describes the process of selecting metals (primarily searching for iron from old cars from the period of Italian rule), haggling over the price, and transporting them from Gondor to the village. Demsachew also describes how he would bring various types of produce to sell in the markets close to his village.

Demsachew’s father wanted him to have as much knowledge as possible. He would tell Demsachew observe and learn from him how to extract teeth and perform various dental treatments. After a while, the father gave responsibility for carrying out the treatments to Demsachew. He describes the tools he worked with, how he maintained hygiene, how he stopped bleeding, and so forth. He also explains how he treated lip and gum infections.

In 1973, Emperor Haile Selassie was deposed and was replaced by the Derg party in a military coup. This regime presided over the “Red Terror”, during which all its opponents were eliminated and forced conscription was instituted. There were two major reforms instituted by the regime. One was a mandatory education law for first through sixth grade for all citizens, regardless of age. The second was re-allocation of lands to everyone. Under the new regime, the Jewish community had the right to own agricultural lands. The allocation was done according to the number of people in each family. Demsachew was selected as neighborhood chairman and participated in the village farmers’ council. In these roles, Demsachew participated in managing the land re-allocation and was responsible for collecting taxes. The farmers’ council used the taxes to grow various produce, which they sold at the market. They used the profits to fund their activities.

While chairman of the village, Demsachew received a letter from the authorities instructing him to select 15 people for immediate conscription to the army. Demsachew warned all the families in the village and ordered the children and young boys to go to other villages to avoid conscription. On the conscription day, the children and teenagers were nowhere to be found. Demsachew and his assistant were arrested and taken to the forced conscription camp. Because he was older, the head of a family, and the officer was an acquaintance of his father, Demsachew and his assistant were released and returned to their village.

Demsachew was also selected to be one of the founders of the school in the village. After its establishment, he was appointed as a member of the board of directors and as headmaster. However, he did not actually serve as headmaster. Demsachew left the village and moved with his family to another village, Sarkov, following the death of his son from a snakebite, and the death of his daughter from an epidemic. The family lived there, near to his wife’s brother, for five years, until they immigrated to Israel.