B13 Vineyards

Victor Orshan of Zumallan in Los Angeles, California

xa danət bne-matət Zumallan c-odiva ⁺ʾaccaruyta ci-⁺zarriva ya-ʾə́tvalun baxčanə carmanə. ʾina k̭a-maštetət dannə baxčanə carmanə majbur꞊iva ⁺ṱalbiva miyya mən-šak̭iyyatə ⁺gurə. ʾita ⁺ʾarbabət dēn-mavatə gări ʾaziva xazzívalə ʾə́tvalə xa naša məštaʾlana ⁺ʾal-dá ⁺šula k̭at ci-⁺k̭arívalə ⁺mira. gări k̭a-⁺ʾarbab cmayutət xa zuyzə yavvívalun ʾita ʾo našət ⁺ʾaccarət ⁺dana yúvvuva gu-⁺fəllan yuma ya-⁺fəllan šabta gări mən-k̭ám-⁺dana ʾaviva zuyzu ⁺purriyyé. ʾita c-azəlva ʾo-⁺mira ci-xazzívalə, ci-taniva ʾana zuyzə yuvvḗn k̭a-⁺ʾarbab, ʾudyu nobət díyyila. ʾita mən-⁺tama barət miyya ci-patxívala. ʾa miyya balcət c-oya tanuyə xa cilométr, zoda ⁺basura, ʾannə miyya ci-mayyívalun b-šak̭ita hal de ducət ⁺mamṱívalun ⁺ʾal-do-carmət ⁺bayyi maštilə ya ⁺ʾal-dé ⁺mazrayət ⁺bayyi maštila. ʾita ⁺ʾal dá-hajat ʾət-⁺dana c-aviva ⁺p̂lašə. xazzətva xa ⁺ʾaccara xíšələ k̭a-mayetət miyya ʾina ⁺p̂líšələ mən-⁺mira ʾu-ʾadiyya gnayət may vítəla lela mahləm. bədmáyəla ⁺mira m-xa xina buš zoda zuyzə šk̭ílələ, ʾé-⁺danət k̭a-⁺fəllan-cas gări yavvə́lvala yúvvolə k̭a-xá xita. ʾatxa ⁺p̂lašə ⁺šulə c-aviva. ʾaha꞊zə xa txárələ k̭at ʾana bətxarun balcət xamší šənnə k̭am ʾadi gu-matət Zumallan ʾana ʾa ⁺šula xəzyun ʾu-⁺šəmyun.

At a time when the inhabitants of the village of Zumallan used practice agriculture, they used to cultivate (the land) or they used to have kitchen gardens and vineyards. Now in order to irrigate these kitchen gardens and vineyards it was necessary for them to ask for water from large irrigation channels. So, they had to go and see the landlord of those villages. He had a man who was responsible for this matter who was called the foreman. They had to give the landlord a certain sum of money. Now the man or the farmer to whom he had given (a deadline) on such-and-such a day or such-and-such a week had to have paid his money beforehand. So he used to go and see that foreman and say ‘I have paid the money to the landlord. Today it is my turn.’ Then, from there they would open the sluice gate of the water. The water—perhaps it may be said that they brought the water more or less a kilometre by irrigation channel and brought it up to that place, to the vineyard that they wanted to irrigate or to the cultivated land that they wanted to irrigate. Now, for this reason at times there were fights. You would see a farmer who has gone to bring water but he has argued with the foreman but now whose fault it was is not known. It seems the foreman has taken more money from another when he should have granted it (the water right) to so-and-so and he has given it for another (field). So there were fights and so forth. This is a memory I have, maybe fifty years ago in the village of Zumallan I say this and heard it.