Table of Contents
The Heritage and Importance of Pearl Diving in the UAE.. 4
The Process of Pearl Diving. 5
Executive Summary
While pearl diving is seen as a leisure activity in the modern life, one should understand its importance and how it has changed the culture and history of the Gulf region. Pearl diving was a risky activity that involved spending a lot of time in the waters. However, it was an economic activity that left many people rich since it facilitated the development of business people who traded the pearl or lend money to the individuals who engaged in the pear diving.
It changed the history of the people in the Gulf because it attracted foreigners who led to the settlement of foreigners along the ocean. This enabled them to benefit from the activity. It was the foundation for the towns in Gulf region. This is because people settled in places they would engage in trade activities. The pearl diving changed the culture of the people in the Gulf region since they had to settle and engage in pearl diving instead of herding. This change in lifestyle facilitated permanent settlements.
Artists emerged who came up with songs that were sung during the pearl diving activity. Many poems were composed to describe the Pearl activities. Since men were the people who engaged in the pearl activity, it means that their women had to take over their domestic roles in back at home. This was a change in culture since the women had to play the father role effectively. The paper generally describes the fact that pearl diving has a rich history that has attracted the attention of the world, as many people engage in diving activities. It changed the lives of many people but at the same time, there were many risks involved.
The Heritage and Importance of Pearl Diving in the UAE
Introduction
UAE is one of the countries in the world that became famous due to the pearl diving (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). A pearl is an object that has hard and smooth coating. These pearls are usually found inside the shell of mollusks especially the oysters. They occur in various shapes, but a round, smooth pearl has been considered the most valuable.
Pearls are usually likened to precious or gem stones (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). In the history of the Gulf region, pearls were used as money and fulfilled several monetary purposes. The UAE was one of the countries in the Gulf region that keenly valued the pearls (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). The paper will critically analyze the heritage and importance of pearl diving in the UAE.
Picture that shows a peal on a oyster shell. (Source: https://smccudubai.wordpress.com/)
Background
There is a famous legend in the UAE that indicate that the pearl are the drops of rain filled with the light of the moon (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). These drops of rain fall into the sea and are swallowed by the sea mollusks. The drops that are swallowed by the oysters form quality and beautiful pearls (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). The establishment of such legend in the UAE indicates how the people of the UAE regard the pearls as important commodity. Pearls in the culture of the people of the UAE are symbols of prestige, beauty, perfection and long life (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46). The importance of the pearl is further fueled by the dominant religion of Islam in the country.
Islam has been a dominant religion in the UAE for thousands of years. According to Quran a Holy Book in the religion of Islam, pearl is a symbol of purity. In the history of the UAE pearls have not only been a symbol of purity as the Holy Book of Quran recognize it, it became a source of life. The country was sufficiently blessed with warm waters of the Arabian Gulf, which provided the optimal conditions that favored the breeding of oysters (Exell, & Rico, 2014, p. 46).
The waters in the Gulf provided the mollusks optimal conditions to produce the most colorful and quality pears. According to the historical statistics, UAE produced the most beautiful and quality pearls for more than 7000 years (Prager, 2015, p. 93). Many men at the time resulted in pearl diving activities which thrived during that era (Prager, 2015, p. 93). According to the author pearl diving proved to be a meaningful and profitable venture to many communities in the UAE. The author mentions that more than 70% of households in the early 20th Century relied on the pearl diving for the source of income (Prager, 2015, p. 93).
The Process of Pearl Diving
The pearl diving in the UAE involved a lot of planning and preparation (Prager, 2015, p. 93). The first preparation before people went for pearl diving was the preparation of the boats and getting the diving crew. The diving crew consisted of the captain, his assistant, the singer, and the divers (Prager, 2015, p. 93). The pearl diving was the most respected activity in the UAE in the early 20th Century. A normal boat that was involved in the pearl diving accommodated a maximum number of eighteen crew members. The pearl diving usually occurred during the April to September season. The April and September season entailed the maximum period when the oysters were readily available. Since the pearl diving was a sacred affair, the divers usually took loans which consisted of rice and other foodstuffs on which there families would survive on when they are away (Prager, 2015, p. 93).
Divers splitting oysters to retrieve the pearls. (Source: https://smccudubai.wordpress.com/)
Despite the benefits of the aftermath of the pearl diving, the activity is a risky affair (Prager, 2015, p. 110). The divers were used to dive for more than 60 seconds under water and they could do 40 dives in a day. In each succession of the dive, the divers could collect an average of 12 oysters (Prager, 2015, p. 110). The divers faced serious dangers of drowning, getting bitten up by the jelly fish or faced serious storms in the sea. After the collection of the oysters the divers would then split open the oysters.
If the pearls are found they are given to the captain who would negotiate the prices with the businessmen at the shores and diver would be given some share (Prager, 2015, p. 110). The trading of the pearl in the UAE was a serious and skilled profession. The trading called for negotiation skill since the traders would seat in a social coffee table and discuss the business (Hamza, 2015, p. 73). The value of the pearl was determined by the nature of the pearl. A colorful round pearl would cost more than the pearls of other shape and dull color (Prager, 2015, p. 110). The economy of the UAE quickly grew and the pearls saw the emergence of a group of elite social class. Pearl facilitated the spread and circulation of the money in the economy of the UAE (Prager, 2015, p. 110).
Individuals negotiating for pearl Price. (Source: https://smccudubai.wordpress.com/)
Many people benefited from the pearl business in the UAE. However, the fate of the people began to change. The discovery of oil in the 1960s proved to be a doom for the pearl business (Hightower, 2012, p. 113). The oil brought about the new dimension of business. From then, pearl diving began to decline gradually until it became a rear activity.
Currently the pearl diving is done for leisure by many people and tourists (Hightower, 2012, p. 113). The pearl diving has been preserved as a heritage for the people of the UAE. A museum has also been established in Dubai in a bid to preserve the pearl dive culture so the future generations could appreciate the heritage. Many people have cited the pearl diving as the reason behind the existence of the UAE (Hightower, 2012, p. 113).
Importance of the Topic
Many people do not know the history of the UAE. The reason being, many of them believe that the country became prosperous due to other economic factors such as oil businesses. However, pearl played a significant role in the emergence of the country (Hightower, 2012, p. 113). The study, therefore, aims to bring to light the importance of the pearl dive heritage and how the pearl dive has helped the economy of the UAE.
Literature Review
Before the oil was discovered in UAE the pearl was the main source of income for the people of the UAE. Pearls were the pride of the rich and any person who had pearls was considered an important person in the society (Pasandideh, 2015, p. 36). The pearl trade gave many people in the early 20th century a comfortable life (Pasandideh, 2015, p. 36). According to the author, the pearls were in high demand especially in the European world.
According to (Pasandideh, 2015, p. 36) the pearl trade attracted many traders from as far as Portugal during the time. The author further state that majority of the pearls were traded by the rich people of the UAE at the time. Despite the value of the pearl, the manner in which they were retrieved from the sea was very difficult (Alsharekh, & Springborg, 2012, p. 56). Many of the divers lost there lives in the diving process. According to (Kotarba-Morley, Morley, & Carter, 2012, p. 44) the divers risked their lives in a bid to get the pearls.
The pearl diving created a lot of inequalities in the UAE society during the period (Kotarba-Morley, Morley, & Carter, 2012, p. 44). Most of the divers remained poor as the traders became very rich. According the author the pearl diving involved a lot of process. The captain of the ship or boat earned more share from the pearl that were collected (Kotarba-Morley, Morley, & Carter, 2012, p. 44). That left the diver with little return from the activity.
The inequality status of the process led to the many of the families of the pearl divers to languish in the poverty (SAEID, Arifin, & Hasim 2012, p. 75). Most of the time when the divers went into the sea to look for the pearl they usually borrow items like food and household items from the merchants in form of loans with a promise that they will repay the value of the items from their earnings (SAEID, Arifin, & Hasim 2012, p. 75). However, some of the divers never made it and the debt is passed on to their families. That system led to debt being passed from one generation to the other thus creating a long chain of poverty (SAEID, Arifin, & Hasim 2012, p. 75).
Despite the negativity of the pearl diving process, the pearl generated a lot of income to majority of people in the UAE (Adham, 2008, p. 218). Hundreds of ships managed to go into the sea during the month of April to September during the peek season of the oysters (Adham, 2008, p. 218). When these ships returned from the pearl diving mission, they channeled millions of the pearls into the market.
That created sufficient money circulation in the UAE (Adham, 2008, p. 218). The increased in money circulation led to many of the residents to acquire adverse wealth and sustainable business (Adham, 2008, p. 218). During the time the people who possessed good negotiating skills had an added advantage over the other people (de Ruyter, 2014, p. 27). The reason being, these people were able to gain much from the trading of the pearl.
The pearl business gave the economy of the UAE a boost and the country became more effective economically when compared to the economies of the other countries in the Arabian Gulf (de Ruyter, 2014, p. 27). Despite the fading of the pearl diving in the country, the practice is still rife and is still being practiced. However the current practice is more of a leisure or adventurous activity rather than economic activity (de Ruyter, 2014, p. 27). The oil sector completely overshadowed the pearl industry (Thompson, 2012, p.12).
The people of the UAE have accepted and embraced the pearl diving as part of their history (Thompson, 2012, p.12). According to the author, many residents consider the pearl diving as an important event. Some even practice the activity as part of the history reflection (Thompson, 2012, p.12). The government has also strived to keep the culture alive and, therefore, the government has facilitated the foundation of a pearl diving museum (Thompson, 2012, p.12).
The museum strives to pass the pearl diving culture to the generations in the future (Thompson, 2012, p.12). Since not many people witnessed the process of the pearl diving and the factors that affected the people who went diving, it is therefore, important for the generations to come to be aware of how far the country has come to its current status (Shaw, 2009, p. 73). Despite the effort of many of the people the pearl diving is facing a serious threat of being an extinct heritage (Katsioloudes, & Jabeen, 2011, p. 15).
Methodology
To understand the heritage and importance of pearl diving in the UAE, qualitative methodology was employed towards the study. The reason for the qualitative methodology is that the qualitative method will take into account the behavioral and feelings that cannot be quantified (Szuchman, 2012, p. 44).
Participants
The participants for the study are five individuals. The two participants were random citizens. The random citizens offered the responses from their point of view. They gave their account of what they saw or heard about the pearl diving. The remaining three participants were a pearl trader and the family of the pearl diver. The family of the pearl diver gave their account on how the pearl changed their lives while the trader gave an account on how important the pearl was, during that time.
Collection of Information
The information collection method that was used was the interview method. A series of questions were formulated in regard to the respondent. The residents were asked questions of what they knew about the pearl diving. The business men and the family of the pearl diver were asked questions that were deeper since they had first hand experience on the lives of the pearl divers.
Results
The respondents gave the similar account on the pearl diving. Both respondents one and two stated that the pearl was an expensive commodity, that was in high demand all over the world at that time. They both agree that the pearl diving critically boosted the economy of the UAE. The respondents also had similar knowledge on how the pearl diving was conducted. They both agree that the pearl diving was not taken for granted and many men from the age of 20 to 40 participated actively in the pearl diving.
They both gave an account on how and when the pearl diving was conducted. According to the respondents, the pearl diving was conducted during the summer on April to September however; the peak periods were the second, third and forth months. They also agree that the pearl diving was able to change the lives of the people. Respondent 1 gave the idea that those who succeeded in the pearl diving were able to start up the business and thus they accumulated some wealth.
On the negative side, the responded 1 stated that many divers lost their lives during the pearl diving session. The peal diving according to both respondents was a risky affair since the men were required to take dives into the water and make sure they collect at least some oysters. Some took too long inside the water and as a result they succumbed and drowned.
The respondent 2 gave an account and the point of view that pearl diving was able to help the people of the UAE and that the only disadvantage was that the men would leave their wives for a very long time. The respondent stated that the pearl divers went to the sea very late and also returned very late. That gave them minimal time to spend with their family, which resulted in mothers raising the children entirely on their own. Also the respondent acknowledges that the pearl diving was a risky affair and many people especially the pearl divers died during the pearl diving mission. On the matter of how the pearl changed the UAE society, the respondents 1 stated that the pearl diving stimulated settlements.
According to the respondent, there was an increase in settlement around the sea and thus, there was creation town. The town on the other hand enabled the residents to start up some businesses and accumulate wealth. The wealth creation according the respondent 1 was elevated by the increase of foreign interest on the pearl and many foreigners were able to make way to the UAE and with them they brought resources which benefited the UAE society.
The respondent 2 agreed with respondent 1 that the pearl diving helped the society economically. According the respondent many businesses emerged in the coastal areas and the lifestyle of the people of UAE changed. Also the respondent acknowledged that growth of town was stimulated by the pearl business and benefited the entire economy of the UAE.
The respondent 3 was a business man who was involved in the pearl business. The respondent stated that the main activity that he conducted was to give the pearl divers loans of which the divers would repay after the pearl diving expedition with an interest. That gave the business men an accrued wealth since they accumulated the profits.
The respondent acknowledged that the business benefited both him and the pearl divers. The reason being, they were able to get the loan that would help them maintain and help their families when they went for the pearl diving. The loan also gave them finances which they could use to travel to far areas in bid to collect more oysters. The respondent 3 (businessman) stated that the business was a turn over for him. The business changed his life for the better and was able to construct a more decent house.
The respondent also states that some of his business colleagues started some businesses that have seen saw tremendous growth over the years. The business man gave an account on why the pearl divers required loans on whenever they wanted to go to the sea. He states that the pearl divers knew that the pearl diving was not going to an easy activity. They knew they would stay in the sea for long period of time and their family would need some money to survive for at least the period they were gone. Also the pearl diving was an expensive affair.
Boats were needed and it involved a lot of travelling, therefore, the divers had to have money to pay for the boat and survive for the period they were away. Despite the high returns on the business, the respondent states that the business was very risky. The loans they offer the divers were taking a risk. Some of the divers either died on the mission and the family, therefore, could not afford to repay the loan. Some could also returned unsuccessful in the diving sessions.
The respondent also state that the pearl business brought many people together and thus, there was change of culture in the region due to constant interaction with people from different cultures. The people according to the businessmen became more religious since they had to pray before going into the sea as they asked for guidance and protection while they conduct their diving missions.
The respondent mentioned that with time people began to develop fear of water and that contributed to the reduction of the pearl activities in the country. Other factors that contributed to the decline of the pearl activity were the emergence of pearls from other areas and the discovery of oil. The oil discovery was a major concern since the activity was able generates more money than the pearl business and many left the pearl business to concentrate on the oil industry.
According to the business man, the pearl diving was an important activity that should be remembered by the future generations. According to him, the pearl diving changed the entire economy of the UAE and more effort should be put towards maintaining the culture. Such activity according to the respondent includes the establishment of museums.
The forth respondent was a son of the pearl diver. The respondent stated that his father was a member of the diving crew. According to him, his father spent most of his time on the sea searching for pearls. The pearl activity gave the family more income and for that reason they were able to access enough food, better shelter, and all other needs. The respondent also stated that he was able to study from the finances from the pearl business. According to the respondent the pearl activity reduced the migration activities and many people became settled.
The activity also enabled the people to learn some of the foreign languages. According to the pearl diver’s son many songs and poems were composed to praise the divers and that became part of the culture of the people of the UAE. The respondent mentioned the pearl diving gave him limited time to spend with his father which affected his personal relationship with his father. According to him, the modern pearl diving is more leisure activity and there is a lot of equipment that is available thus, the activity becomes a less risky.
The fifth respondent was the wife of the pearl diver. The major challenge for the respondent was the fact that her husband went into the sea for such a long time and she was left to take care of children all alone. Despite that, she was left with some money to take care of the family. She stated that the money the husband left her was used to pay for the children studies and also help in the cultivation of dates to supplement the husband’s earnings.
Discussion
According to the participants pearl diving was an important activity for the people of the UAE. The pearl diving gave people income and enable then to prosper. Many of the businessmen became wealthier by investing on the money received from the pearl diving. However, as the increase of awareness of the value of pearls in other countries, the business began to decline.
According to (Trimeche, Trimeche, & Wakabayashi, 2012, p. 23) before oil was discovered, pearls was the major source of income for many families. The discovery of oil became the beginning of the end of the pearl diving. The oil mining was less risky and many men began seeing their family more.
Conclusion
Before the 1940s pearl diving was a very important activity. During the time the UAE experienced the consistent growth in economy. However after oil discovery in the 1960s, the pearl diving was overshadowed. The oil fetched more money and was less risky. The oil had worldwide demand than the pearl. Despite that, the pearl activity is regarded a cultural heritage in the UAE and many people practice it as leisure activity and also as a reminder of the past economic activity.
References
Adham, K. (2008). Rediscovering the island: Doha’s urbanity from pearls to spectacle. The Evolving Arab City, 218-258.
Alsharekh, A., & Springborg, R. (Eds.). (2012). Popular culture and political identity in the Arab Gulf states (Vol. 6). Saqi.
de Ruyter, M. (2014). ‘Al Sinn’: Stone anchor of the Persian Gulf pearl fishery.
Exell, K., & Rico, T. (Eds.). (2014). Cultural heritage in the Arabian Peninsula: debates, discourses and practices. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd..
Hamza, S. (2015). Migrant Labor in the Arabian Gulf: A Case Study of Dubai, UAE. Pursuit-The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee, 6(1), 10.
Hightower, V. P. (2012). Pearls and the Southern Persian/Arabian Gulf: A Lesson in Sustainability. Environmental History, ems113.
Katsioloudes, M., & Jabeen, F. (2011). Al-Maha mobile shop. Emerald Emerging Markets Case Studies, 1(4), 1-15.
Kotarba-Morley, A. M., Morley, M., & Carter, R. (2012) Freshwater Submarine Springs of Bahrain: Threatened Heritage.
Pasandideh, S. (2015). History, Identity, and the Gulf Arab States. undergraduate journal of middle east studies, 36.
Prager, L. (2015). Displaying Origins: Heritage Museums, Cultural Festivals, and National Imageries in the UAE. Horizons in Humanities and Social Sciences: An International Refereed Journal, 1(1).
SAEID, A., Arifin, Z., & Hasim, M. S. (2012). The Cultural Tourism in Abu Dhabi. Journal of Applied Sciences Research, 8(6), 2888-2896.
Shaw, B. J. (2009). Historic port cities: Issues of heritage, politics and identity.
Szuchman, J. (2012). Archaeology, Identity, and Demographic Imbalance in the United Arab Emirates. Heritage & Society, 5(1), 35-52.
Thompson, S. (2012). Reclaiming Histories and the Virtual Museum: A Proposal to Preserve Al Jazeera Al Hamra. International Journal of the Arts in Society, 6(2).
Trimeche, O., Trimeche, M., & Wakabayashi, Y. (2012). Destination branding: managing uncertainties in the MENA region-the cases of Dubai and Tunisia. African Journal of Business and Economic Research, 7(1), 24-46.