Page 136 - UAE Truncal States
P. 136

Administering a Tribal Society

         was an  employee of the Ruler, and therefore although it was a pre-
         stigious position it was different from that of a wali in Shamailiyah or
         of a headman or semi-independent shaikh in Hamriyah. The Ruler’s
         representative on Dalma was paid a salary; he was not entitled to a
         share of the taxes he collected, as was the case in some of the
         Qawasim ports where a wali was so frequently a local tribal shaikh
         or a political figure in his own right.
           During the later years of the rule of Zayid bin Khallfah, amirs on
         Dalma were Hamad bin Dismal, Ahmad bin Qumbar, and eventually
         the Ruler’s fourth son Sultan.00 In Hamdan bin Zayid’s time
         (1912-22) and that of his successors a permanent resident on the
         island, 'Abdul Rahman bin Hamad al Najdi, was amir on Dalma. He
         died in the summer of 1932 and the Ruler’s brother Shaikh Hazza' bin
         Sultan took over for the remainder of that season, assisted by a
         secretary of Iranian descent, 'Abbas bin 'Abdullah. Between 1933
         and 1937 'Abbas bin 'Abdullah shared the responsibility with 'Ali
          bin Shaiban al Khamiri. After that the latter went alone to the island
          for the following seasons until 1942 when Rashid bin Jabir al
          Suwaidi took over for two seasons. Then 'Ali bin Shaiban returned to
          Dalma again for the season of 1945 to 1949. 'Abbas bin 'Abdullah
          succeeded 'Ali and remained the amir for Dalma until his death in
          1951.
            An amir on Dalma usually had an assistant tax collector, muzakki,
          and throughout the year a customs official collected the 2\ per cent
          customs dues on behalf of the Ruler. The diving court67 for Abu
          Dhabi’s pearling community has in this century always consisted of
          just one man, appointed by the Ruler; he was concerned with all
          pearling-related disputes arising in Abu Dhabi waters, and com­
          muted between Abu Dhabi and Dalma. During the off-season the few
          permanent inhabitants on Dalma settled small disputes themselves.
          Important matters could be referred to a relative of the ruling family
          residing on the island for communication to the Ruler in Abu Dhabi.68
            The increase in oil company activities eventually diverted most of
          the manpower away from the pearling industry, which was already
          at a low ebb in the 1950s. With this the importance of Dalma also
          declined. In the later 1970s the small community of tribal fishermen
          was given new incentives to stay there by the establishment of
          government-financed houses, schools, new mosques, a market
          complex, and a small hospital; free transport to and from the island
          by helicopter was organised by the army; several construction
                                                                  111
   131   132   133   134   135   136   137   138   139   140   141