Page 74 - Records of Bahrain (3) (ii)_Neat

490 Records of Bahrain

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2J lbs. to 7\ lbs. the hundred, Zanni shells from 5 lbs. to 20 lbs. the
hundred, and Sadaifi shells from a few ounces to 7 lbs. each. The shells
of the Persian Gulf iyst ?• usually exhibit a dark colour like that of
(< smoked pearl 99 about the edges', and they arc said to be easily distin­
guishable from the “ silver-lipped99 tshclls of India.

Organisation and working of the pearl fisheries on the Arabian
side.

Having taken account of the physical data of the industry, we
proceed to enquire into the manner in which it is organised and
prosecuted. The persons actually connected with the fisheries may bo
divided into two classes, namely financiers and operatives.
The money required to equip the pearl fleet for sea and to maintain Financiers,
the crews while employed on boards is partly advanced from private
means by those interested in the operations and partly borrowed from a
special class called Musaqqams (plural, Musaqqamin’ —* ).
The Musaqqam is generally a man of substance, but some Musaqqams,
who have not sufficient capital of their own, conduct their business by
meant of loans which they obtain for the season from wealthy Arab or
Indian merchants at 10 to 25 per cent, interest. The manner in which
the debts of operatives to financiers and of financiers to capitalists aro
adjusted will be described further on, but the different forms of contract
prevalent among them aro too numerous and too complicated to bo
detailed. Formerly the hold of the Musaqqam class upon the industry
was very strong, and many boats were fitted out with their assistance ;
but their position is no longer what it was, and their numbers are
dwindling. In Bahrain, it is said, there are now only • 3 Musaqqams
(2 Baharinah and 1 a Sunni Arab), and not more than 10 per cent, of the
Bahrain fleet have dealings with them. Once even Indian merchants
did not despise the profession of Musaqqam.
The general term .for the pearl fishery is Gliaus (literally classes of
" diving ”), and all the classes that take part in the active operations operatives,
arc • included under the common denomination of Ghawdwls ul&f
(singular, Ghawwas <^lj« ).
Tho unit of organisation is the boat's crew, and within this unit the
chief personage is . the Nakhuda b^b (plural, Nawakhidah *^bJ) <>r
chief personage is . the Nakhuda b^b
captain, in whom full authority and entire responsibility arc vested.
The Nakhuda is, in 7 or 8 cases out of 10, tho owner of the boat which
he commands ; but sometimes he is the hirer of the boat, or again he
may be merely an employd of the boat owner. Next in importance to
the Nakhuda are the Ghasah (singular, Ghais or Divers,
followed by the SiyQb (singular, Sail) v^w ) or “ Haulm. One
or more ltadhafah (singular, Itadhlf ) or extra hands aro
generally carried to assist the haulers, and sometimes a wnlaul ^
(plural, AuJad otyl ) or apprentice is taken, -whoso duty it is to eaten
1 50a