Malede Tesfahunie Esayas

Father's name: Tesfahunie Esayas
Mother's name: Sernei Teisa
Year of birth: 1953
Place of birth: Awara Edi Shokada, Welkait
Region in Ethiopia: Welkait
Main occupation in Ethiopia: Merchant and farmer
The language of the interview: Tigrinya

Malede Tesfahunie Esayas, nature, agriculture, herding sheep and cattle, blacksmithing, Christians, plough, produce, seasons of the years, convoy of camels, trade, commerce, teff, sesame, cotton, wedding, engagement, Sabbath, customs of ritual purification, customs and traditions, festivals, marketplace, Jerusalem, medications, tuberculosis, synagogue, population census, Awara Edi Shokada, Welkait, Humera, Tigray, Shire, Edi Remez, Sudan.

Summary of the testimony:

Malede describes his family tree. From a young age, he used to take care of the sheep and cattle. When he grew stronger, he helped his family with the farming work. His father taught him the work of blacksmithing and Malede used to help his father make farming tools such as ploughs and scythes. Malede explains the process of making the tools, which they sold to their Christian neighbors.

When he was 12, he began to plough alone. He describes how they harnessed the bull to the plough and how the fields were divided between the farmers. Malede lists the crops planted according to the seasons of the year, the climate, and the elevation of the area.

Malede explains step-by-step how they cultivated agricultural produce such as teff, cotton, sesame, and chickpeas. The process included clearing the soil from weeds or old crops, ploughing, planting, harvesting, drying, separating, gathering into sacks, storage, and sale.

They would load sesame onto trucks and sell it to traders in the city of Humera on the Sudanese border, or transport it on a convoy of camels to be sold in markets in the province of Tigray. Malede describes the experience of going to the central marketplace in Edi Remez in the province of Welkait and the merchandise sold there.

Malede talks about his engagement and wedding, the communal spirit and mutual assistance in preparing for events, the customs, ceremonies, gifts, and celebrations. He describes the way of life, honoring the festivals and Sabbath. He describes customs of ritual purity, women staying in the menstruation house, prayers, and meetings in the synagogue. In the summer months, he visited relatives who lived far away.

The spiritual leaders constantly encouraged the members of the community to learn about Jerusalem and Israel. When contact was made with the State of Israel, its representatives conducted a census of the Jews, donated to construction of the synagogue, and sent medication against tuberculosis.

Malede Tesfahunie Esayas