VIDEO
Alexander Howanksi, born April 16, 1923 in a family homestead near Fursove, Donetsk Oblast, describes the dispossession of his grandfather by the authorities.
AH – They taxed my grandfather, for example, on how much [grain] he had to turn over to the state.He paid the tax the first time. They saw this, and taxed him again. He bought some things, and delivered [the second tax]. The Bolsheviks saw that the “kulak” continues to live, and isn’t joining the collective farm. [They taxed him] a third time. By this time, my grandfather had [nothing left to pay], or saw that nothing would come of this. Then, they charged him with “non‐fulfillment of grain quotas,” and sold [his property] and exiled him to Siberia. My grandfather was deported, then a year or so went by, and by then my father was on the list [to be deported]. His acquaintances in the village administration and council, a relative or someone, warned him, “Shashko, you’re on the list in the second category.” The first category was those who were deported, like my grandfather. My father was in the second category. They came and looked for him,they wanted to take him away,to arrest him. But he fled, because he knew about this. So they came to our house,these activists,they were probably communists or their ‘helpers,’ – they often came looking for my father. My mother would tell them that he had gone somewhere, here, there. So they never caught him. They searched [the house] and my mother or somebody had buried [some food] in the garden. It came to it that women had to hide [food] because the [authorities] began to take everything away. In our [outdoor] oven, where we baked bread, we would put [grain] in pots, and brick up the oven, so that they couldn’t find it. But the [activists] were very smart; they found everything. They came to our garden, probably someone informed on us, and took it all away.
Interviewer – They took everything?
AH – Yes, of course. Wheat, or something, food that we were hiding. On top of that, you were guilty, because they had found out you were hiding [food].
