1
Summary
Ahmad: A Kuwaiti Pearl Diver
The first article discusses Ahmad, a Kuwait Pearl diver who depended on the job as a source of livelihood. Like many other people of the time, Ahmad specialized in art as it was among the ways of making a living and sustaining families. In ancient years in the Gulf, the economic activities included fishing and herding (Edmund & Yaghoubian, 2006). However, after the discovery of oil, the economy of the country changed, and numerous activities improved the lives of the residents. Ahmad found the new system corrupt and stated that the old days were better where people could rely on hard work. He did not take pleasure in the affluence that came with the new economy as he stuck to the old ways of life, including activities like boat building, diving, herding and fishing. Ahmad continued his diving career even though his three sons and wife lived modern life following his reasoning. The wife had a big modern kitchen while his sons even had an automobile apiece. Ahmad condemned them for not working hard for their lives currently and even made fun of his son, who has a chauffeur (Edmund & Yaghoubian, 2006). His family condemned him as he was a source of shame, following his old ways, including his occupation. Ahmad’s life as a pearl diver was a shameful past according to his family, and they did not want to be associated with it, yet he took pride in the moments. The modern economy with oil as the centre of the revolution offers a better life with minimal poverty levels and dangerous tasks, unlike ancient times. The diving and fishing career formed an essential part of the culture of ancient people but exposed them to various health hazards, and the process was endangering their lives (Edmund & Yaghoubian, 2006). From the interview, Ahmad’s life was similar to those of miners in some areas where it is dangerous and exploitative to the outside world but not to the victims. The exploitation was present in various ways, including depending on debts for survival, and the perpetrators were boat captains and entrepreneurs. However, the divers did not rebel and found their work fulfilling where some of them, like Ahmad, did not appreciate modernity and wished that times would rewind. The debts were passed to the next generation if the debtor died before paying and were used to the order of life sharing struggles and gambles. The divers found value in their occupation, and they derived their unity from a shared spirit of the nature of their job and various achievements (Edmund & Yaghoubian, 2006). The shared spirit is lost in modern society, and people only think of money even though life is smooth. From the interview, the culture of pearl fishing died after World War two following many reasons. However, the main factor was the growth of inexpensive pearls, which did not need a massive capital like those from the traditional ways. The Gulf waters also suffered pollution, which made the economic activity die slowly. The people who did the job included Egyptians, Afghans, Baluch and Kurds (Edmund & Yaghoubian, 2006). People from the Gulf could not participate in the tasks as they considered them low standard. However, Ahmad was part of the unpopular opinion in the Gulf as he did not condone the ways of modernity. The state also played a vital role in influencing affluent life through the welfare system. Citizens enjoyed subsidized education, food, housing, and it was easy to start businesses. Ahmad is an example of a person stuck to his traditions since they are characterized by humane ways instead of celebrating the modern life full of corruption.
How Pearls Made the Modern Emirates
The second reading discusses how the pearls made the modern Emirates. The main point is taking the audience through a journey of economic supremacy originating from the fishery economic activity. The economic activity determined the settlement patterns. Previously, the settlement patterns of the pearl centres were according to the ancient architectural designs. Pearling in the region existed for a long time, including during the Neolithic period. The economic activity made the Gulf among the oldest long-distance trading networks. Markets for the commodities were mainly in the Persian area since the Achaemenid period, and Greeks were also prominent consumers. In the Christian era, the Gulf started exporting the commodity to the Roman world and India. Pearl diving techniques existed a long time before their documentation by various scholars, including Idrisi, Masudi and Biruni. After the collapse of the centralized government system following invasion by the British, there was the rise of urban foundation and Emirates with Arab dynasties as rulers (Carter, 2009). The modern urban configuration developed in the 18th and 19th centuries (Carter, 2009). Urbanization became rampant in Emirates, and people used them for various activities like trading following their strategic decisions. The areas recording high growth rates included Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Kuwait, Sharjah, Doha, and Zubara (Carter, 2009). After urbanization, the settlement patterns changed, and there were smaller ephemeral sites than before. The design was mainly in Abu Dhabi, which was a coastal town. The period between 1701 to 1820 AD was characterized by the formation of new foundations and dynasties (Carter, 2009). Following the success of the pearl-fishing economy, Emirates maintained its independence, developed various institutions, and increased its population. The political and financial structures of the region depended hugely on pearl-fishing economic activity before the rise of the oil economy. Arabs exploited the growing demand for pearls globally as there were immense migrations to the coast following the lucrative opportunities from fishing (Carter, 2009). The other factor that led to tremendous growth was the absence of taxation and external control, and the only obstacle was rivalry from other Arabs. The British assisted in the growth by imposing the maritime truce in 1820 (Carter, 2009). European visitors estimated the growth of the Arab fleets and indicated that the change was tremendous during the 17th and 18th centuries. The pearl banks and the increased untaxed profits were the primary sources of money for the expansion. Apart from pearl-fishing, people of the Gulf also practised camel herding, maritime carrying trade, and agriculture, contributing to their economic supremacy. The profits from fishing were mainly untaxed, and the authorities distributed them to Arab Pearl fishers and their leaders (Carter, 2009). The Bedouin heritage assisted people of the Gulf in configuring the mental and social landscape of the area. The funds from pearl fishing assisted the economy largely by helping the rulers maintain and build their fleets and towns, hiring services from other people to protect their territories, and constructing fortifications (Carter, 2009). In all the expansions, the pearling economic activity dominated the industry. Pearl fishing is to take credit for the tremendous growth of urban centres in the Gulf.
The Dhow
The third reading is on the dhow, a vessel that people used to circumnavigate, especially on the Indian Ocean. The vessel got its name from a Kiswahili word Dau as Zanzibar was one of the major destinations for the navigators around the Indian Ocean (“The Dhow ”, n.d.). The ship was important in the ancient days as it carried people, goods, and ideas from one area. One of the central ideas was the ornately carved transom or square stern. The dhow has undergone various modifications starting from the ones made by Periplus to those by baghalas, and then the Europeans intervened in the later years (“The Dhow ”, n.d.). Discovery of oil in the Gulf and the revolution in Zanzibar pioneered invention and modification of the dhow. British people popularized the vessel in their anti-slavery campaign in the Indian Ocean. Before the Europeans came to the Indian Ocean and improved the dhow, it was formed of sown planks. The dhow traffic consisted of a large floating population, and foreign ones were immense in the show of Zanzibar with almost 6000 sailors (“The Dhow ”, n.d.). The passengers mostly were long-term traders and permanent immigrants. The men came to mostly Zanzibar and Mombasa to seek lucrative jobs. They included being watchmen, water carriers, porters, petty hawkers, minor shopkeepers and coffee sellers. The passenger fleet also had boys who were moving from the Gulf to seek jobs in other areas. Egyptians pioneered the method in their ancient days and navigated the Indian Ocean with the vessels (“The Dhow ”, n.d.). Most researchers attribute the improvement of the vessel to the knowledge of Europeans and Portuguese, but also the Chinese technology played a vital role, according to Yajima. The Chinese had been using the Indian Ocean often and even settled in the Western parts of India. Dhows assume various names following the shapes of the stem, hull, and stern. They included the ocean-going and coastal dhows. In both categories, there are two types, including the square-sterned and double-ended ones. The oldest double-ended dhow in the Indian Ocean was the Omani dhow Sohar whose first trip was to China. Many people revolved around their formation and existence (“The Dhow”, n.d.). The people included the lumbermen, dhow builders, the sailors, and passengers. The passengers were mostly men who married local people of the areas they moved to at different times. As in most cultures, the women intruded on men’s affairs grudgingly. However, there were exceptions like Ibn Battuta, who constantly travelled with his slave wives and at a specific incidence where one of them drowned after a shipwreck, he mourned for days. Some prominent sailors did not want women in their journeys as they would segregate and shelter them. The women who were lucky to travel had to have an important cultural and social implication and racial integration (“The Dhow ”, n.d.). Following the culture of many Arab men travelling overseas, the maritime communities experienced huge racial intermingling. The technology surrounding the dhow has many people contributing to it.
References
Carter, R. (2009). New Perspective on Recording UAE History (pp. 265-281). Abu Dhabi: National Center for Documentation and research.
Edmund, B., & Yaghoubian, D. (2006). Struggle and survival in the modern Middle East (pp. 91-99). Berkeley: University of California Press.
The Dhow, 79-105.
The post 1 Summary Ahmad: A Kuwaiti Pearl Diver The first article discusses Ahmad, appeared first on PapersSpot.
