Page 31 - The Origins of the United Arab Emirates_Neat

7
The Trucial Stales in 1919: Rllle bH Tradition

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and the introduction of the Japanese cultured pearl the pearling
industry was the pivot or the economic and social structure ot
the Trucial Coast. The industry was well organised and functioned
according to a regular and reliable pattern. The season lasted
from May to September, when the sea was calm and the water
a reasonable temperature, During this time, the fleets remained
at the pearling banks, rarely returning to shore until the diving
was over. Since pearling was such a vital source of income to
the Coast, the fleets were large, and the majority of the able-bodied
men in the towns were away from home working at the pearl
beds for the entire four-month period.
The division of labour aboard the pearling boats was clear-cut
and rigidly adhered to: captains, divers, haulers, cooks and appren­
tices all worked according to a well-defined plan that had evolved
over centuries of practice. The divers had a hard and dangerous
task: with wooden pegs closing their nostrils, to help them hold
their breath, and with the aid of a rope anchored to the sea-bed,
they dived into the sea and searched about for oysters. When
they had found them, it was a race against time to remove them,
and there were the added hazards of sharks and jelly-fish. If the
diger tugged at the rope, the hauler had to pull him up instantly,
or his life might be in danger. The entire crew later assisted
in opening the oysters; the pearls were extracted, and the rest
was put aside for mother-of-pearl. Merchants then carried the pearls,
among the most pcifect and beautiful in the world, to the rich
luxury markets of Europe and India.8
The pearl trade brought many Indian and Persian merchants
to live in the towns of the Trucial Coast, the majority settling
in Dubai, the rest in Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.9 These merchants
usually lent money to the owners of the pearling boats before
the pearling season started; the owners were then expected to repay
the amount at qajfal, the end of the season. The arrangements
were often complicated by the fact that the money had to be
returned in instalments, and in this regard many disagreements
arose. The situation had been regulated in 1879, when the rulers
of the 1 rucial shaykhdoms signed a mutual agreement under British
auspices to provide for the return of debtors or be held responsible
for their debts by payment of a fine. The agreement called for
the .establishment of a council of arbitration presided over by the
Residency Agent for cases ending in dispute; the decisions of the
council would be binding when confirmed by the Political Resident