The Threshing Floor

The Littles and I made our way over to a neighbor’s has he told us that it was the day to thresh his teff (staple grain used to make injera).

We’ve watched the process from a distance, never up close and with a person explaining each step.

The farmer combines a team of horses (one horse from himself and then borrowed four from other farmers). The horses necks are tied together and they are driven in a circle. The extra men use a pitchfork (a sharpened Y shaped branch) and throw the grain into the hair and grow the circle. The horses are allowed out a bit more. 

When they have sufficiently threshed the wheat, it is thrown into the air when it is windy and the chaff is blown away.

This horse was throwing a fit, completely exhausted so she was removed.

The girls learn more about nursing mothers.

And then find a small child to tote around.

The circle is large now

Another horse is exhausted

The Littles leave and play in the pasture

We didn’t make it through the whole process. It can take a day and I had lunch to make. 

While Yeshuas was working, he asked, “So, if you don’t do it like this in America, how do you thresh your grain?”. I smiled. “Umm…big machines.” He thought that sounded like a good idea.

And then I have to drag the girls away from all the fun they are having. The kids told us that we could come back anytime.

We want to be a part of where we live. pray we could continue to faithfully pursue friendships and we would be welcomed and in authentic, reciprocal relationships.