Page 136 - UAE Truncal States

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
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