Sale (Shlomo) Dese

Father's name: Dese Birchiko

Mother's name: Deseta Solomon

Year of birth: 1939

Place of birth: Mendariah in Micharka Michael, Janura region, Wegera

Region in Ethiopia: Wegera

Main occupation in Ethiopia: Shepherd, farmer and blacksmith

The language of the interview: Amharic

Sale (Shlomo) Dese, shepherd, farmer, blacksmith, agriculture, elders of the community, disputes, games, arranged marriage, wedding, epidemics, diseases, treatment, vaccination, infection, drought, health, traditional medicine, prayer, interpreters of dreams, festivals, community, Christians, coffee, Italians, Janura, Wegera, Mendariah, Micharka Michael.

Summary of the testimony:

Sale describes his family tree, his village, and its local history. His father was a resolver of disputes and a human rights activist. During the Italian occupation, his father and all the men of the village fought against them. When they returned, they hid in the forests around the village. His mother used to bring them food clandestinely.

Sale talks about games, such as koli and gana, which he used to play as a child while guarding the fields or the sheep. He also tells the story of the marriage his father arranged for him and describes the wedding celebrations. He explains the various customs, including accurately investigating and recording details about the bride and her family before the wedding and hosting the celebrants on their journey back to the groom’s house.

Sale reviews the different diseases that animals suffered from. He lists the symptoms and the physical and spiritual methods of treating diseases known as godoa, korba, kufa and watata that broke out approximately every four years. The watata disease was especially dangerous, as it could be passed on to people. Sale explains how it was vaccinated against and treated. He talks about an illness his father suffered from. He describes various illnesses and their traditional treatments such as tonsillitis or a retained placenta.

During droughts the community held the gina-walda ceremony. The older women led the entire community to a distant place, while singing, where they prayed for rain. When he was sick, Sale ascended an isolated mountain, prayed for his health and waited for a dream that would tell him what to do. This was traditional.

Sale talks about the mehaber custom, in which the village women would each make a feast in turn. He talks about other communal customs, such as celebrations on festivals and special occasions. He notes that many celebrations were held together with the Christian neighbors, while strictly observing the laws of kashrut.

Sale describes the seasons of the year, the types of seeds and soil, and explains the correct time to plant and in what type of soil.