Monday, October 19, 2009

Two nights ago I interviewed Mohammad Abdul Rahim, one of the Pearl diving musicians that came on the Pearl Diving shoot. He called the day before the interview and asked me to send him some questions via email so that he could come prepared with the information. He was so prepared, that he put my little notebook of questions to shame. Rahim and his band are the only pearl diving musicians in Qatar. My intent of this interview was to get an inside scoop on the music, its origins and meaning, and its significance to the Gulf people. This was very difficult information to attain. Pearl diving has been a trade here for thousands of years, and its origin is without history. The music is near impossible to translate. The Mawwal (pearl diving poetry) was 80-90% prayers to God and thanks to the Prophet. Some of the words are a mixture of African and Arabic words, resulting in sounds that have no literal meaning. I believe, from what I have learned about pearl diving, that the music developed out of
a) necessity, as the work was unbelievably difficult and probably impossible to perform without a high morale, and
b) the arabs' inherent ability to find ways to lighten their spirits during any dreary and difficult task.
The words of the music itself, I think, were not as significant as the feeling of the music. I asked Rahim what qualities a person had to possess to become a Nahaam (a marine entertainer). He says that when the music starts, he feels it coming on him like the snap of his fingers (he literally snapped to make this point). Being musically, and in other ways talented, is believed to be a gift from god as well as genetically inherited from the parents; one knew at a young age whether or not a talent for a particular trade was bestowed upon him by god. This is also true for the few pearl experts that were Tawwash (pearl traders). Five out of a thousand Tawwash were real pearl experts. These men would be called upon by the sheikhs to look at a pearl and determine the quality and price. A Dana pearl was often hidden under a layer of Nacre that had to be pealed off in order to reveal its true quality. A pearl expert had the ability to decipher that quality before the outer layer was removed. The process of removing that layer was extremely difficult and involved a steady hand and a knife. The pearl experts had to be trusted as they would start the bidding process of the pearl before pealing off this layer. The abilty to determine the real quality of pearls was believed to be a talent bestowed upon by god. It was a trade specialty that had to be learned and practiced with the help of a mentor, but first and foremost, it was a god given gift. The same is also true for the Hajamh, people who performed an age old traditional healing technique that has been practiced in the Arab world since the prophet gave it to his people. Al Hajamha is the practice of bloodletting. Many ailments were alleviated by poking holes on the top of the head and sucking out the 'bad blood' through a straw. Another healing technique is Kewee. This involved cauterizing the skin in certain places as a healing remedy. If the divers suffered from the bends, which they often did due to the incredible depths at which they dove, the Noukhatha (captain) would cauterize (with a fiery hot steel rod) the spot behind each ear lobe, after which the diver would get right back in the water and continue working. The people that performed (and still perform) these techniques posses a talent to do so which the people believe was given by god. These skills may have been learned and practiced, but they were only done so by people who were blessed by god with a gift to do so.

I think the word "Inshallah" (god willing) has taken on a new meaning for me.
Every one here uses this word after every phrase. I may say to a friend, 'would you like to get dinner tonight,' and I know that the answer will be either be 'no,' or 'Inshallah.' After Islam swept across the gulf, everything that happened, happened according to 'god's will'. The bedu and the coastal people of the gulf were constantly face to face with their own mortality. They faced this constant danger and destitution with dignity and without fear, and I believe they did so by placing their destiny in the hands of god. The old pearl diver that I interviewed, Sa'ad Ismaeel, told me that the sharks which roamed the waters of the pearl beds were not dangerous. He assured me that any diver that was attacked by a shark was meant to be attacked by the shark. It was god's will, not the will of the shark. And therefore, the sharks did not pose a danger to the divers. I was a bit confused by this statement, but after a few more interviews, and a little bit of reading, I think I am starting to understand this mentality, and I think it may indeed be justified due to the lifestyle that they had to withstand. The inhabitants of the gulf had almost no control over anything that happened to them, so it must have been pretty easy to absolve themselves of any control or responsibility of their fatalistic existence. But coming from a progressive western society where people are taking pride in having control of their own destiny, I can see how international relations between the West and the Middle East may be a bit rocky. Could you imagine being a western diplomat, sitting across a table from the King, Emir, or Sultan of a Gulf state, trying to come to an arrangement in regards to a very important international crisis, and the closest thing to a 'yes' that you will get is "Inshallah?" I think that would be frustrating to say the least - But I also believe that Westerners could work a bit harder to understand this mentality.

After my interview with Rahim, he invited me to go to a recording studio where he and some other musicians were recording a song for a Qatari wedding. I accepted the invitation and invited a friend of mine to come with me. On the way, Rahim told me about his best friend Rafael, a flamenco guitarist, and proceeded to give me a CD by him. It was pretty cool and absolutely random driving around the streets of Doha with a Qatari, accompanied by this Spanish ambiance. Doha is so much more enticing when Lola and Raphael are serenading in the background.



After we arrived at the recording studio, we were served sugar with a little bit of tea. If my cavities weren't bad before, they will be unseemly when I get back. The song was recorded layer by layer, the only instrument was the keyboard, the rest was done by the computer.
The men recorded each part of the song separately, including the female voices in the background (hilarious) which was fixed via computer technology after wards and made to sound like real women singing.



After the song was recorded, Rahim took my friend and I back to our houses and graced us with an interesting (to say the least) conversation about magic, spells and curses.
Rahim, believe it or not, is a liberal Muslim. His wife is unveiled and only wears the abbaya. And I think his fervent superstitious beliefs are a Gulf trait rather than a Muslim trait. I have heard some pretty wacky stories about superstitious practices amongst Qataris, but I didn't believe it until Rahim gave us his shpeel about immigrant magic.
He was explaining to us that he is trying to raise his children to be self sufficient, unlike most Qatari families that allow their maids to do everything for their children. He told us that he tries to keep the maids away from the children so that they will learn to do things for themselves. He went on to relay that he only hires Indian maids and drivers. "Indians have a very long history with Qatar that goes back for thousands of years" he said, which I know to be absolutely true due to the pearl trading industry. "We know how the Indians are, and they know how we are, but the other workers from the Philippines, Nepal, Indonesia etc... are new to this country and I do not trust them or their magic."
He elaborated to say that many of the immigrant workers bring magic from Africa and other countries into the houses of their employers and will often put spells on them. He said "I know you may not believe it" which I assured him that I did not, "but I have seen such things," he said.
"When you have an ailment, and the doctor cannot find out what it is, you know you must go to the Imam and have the Quran read to you to rid yourself of the curse. Every morning, I must read three passages from the Quran to protect myself from the magic that people bring to Qatar."
Whoa. Pretty wacky and pretty wild.
I am scheduled to have tea with him tomorrow afternoon and I hope to return with more knitty gritty info about Qatari beliefs and traditions.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009


Yesterday, I woke up at 3am and prepared to meet the morning after 1 hour of sleep. My taxi (Karwa company) was 15 minutes late and I was pissed. The film crew told me to be at the LaSigal Hotel by 4am if I wanted to come along on the Pearl Diving documentary shoot. My Karwa driver was nervous, and I can only imagine that it was because I was so flustered when I got in the car. He got lost for another fifteen minutes in Education City trying to find the exit gate. I couldn't help him because there are at least 3 different security gates and each driver has to use a different one depending on his company.
This wasn't the first time that Karwa tried to ruin me, and I'm sure it wont be the last.
It didn't matter that I scheduled my taxi 30 minutes earlier than I needed, I was still late... but luckily, so was the film crew.
we made it to the dock where four boats, 2 dhows and 2 speed boats, were hired for the shoot.
I met the 2 directors (Mark and Clare) and the 3 videographers (Ralph, Scott and John).
I almost peed my pants when I heard Ralph and John mention their previous work for Planet Earth.
I asked Mark about it, thinking that I may have heard wrong, and he assured me that the videographers on this shoot were some of the best in the world. After wards he added that the directors (Clare and himself) weren't so bad either.
Mark works for the National Geographic channel in New Zealand, and has worked extensively for the Discovery Channel, Animal Planet and more. John, in addition to filming for Planet Earth, mentioned that he filmed episodes of Meerkat Manor.
"Spectacular creatures," he called them.

Mark (left) Scott (right)


Ralph (left) John (right)
All the videographers had cool matching hats


Discovery Channel, National Geographic Channel, and Animal Planet are just about the only channels that I watch, and have watched since I was was 8.
The first time I saw an episode of Planet Earth, one of the deep see episodes, I all but changed my major to marine biology.
These people were impressive, to say the least, but I was more affected, and even envious, of their unbelievable patience which was tried over and over and over again by everyone and everything, from the beginning of the shoot until the very last take.
They had to manage a crew of about 20 Qatari pearl divers and ship operators, about eight pearl diving musicians, two speed boats (nobody in either of these categories spoke english), and each other.


The old Qataris on board made the day very pleasant. They spent most of the time making jokes with each other and casually making music.



They did as the directors asked them, and often, they did it over and over and over again. When it came time to shoot the actual diving, there were some complications as the Qataris were too fat for the weights which were attached to their feet. They wouldn't sink. Fifty years ago, the real pearl divers who used the same weights to sink to the bottom, were not as well fed, and it would not have taken much to pull their lean, malnourished bodies down to the ocean's floor. I am quite sure that the majority of this Qatari crew had never actually gone pearl diving. Nonetheless, they knew how it was done, and were able to give a pretty accurate reenactment.


They didn't although, seem to understand that their movements were being filmed, and didn't wait for the cameras to start rolling before they played their parts. Once they knew what they were supposed to do, they did it immediately.


It was absolutely hilarious to see them jumping into the water over and over again, and each time they jumped, they didn't wait for the crew to get into position.



They just couldn't wrap their minds around the fact that there were more than just human eyes watching them.


The musicians performed different songs as each occasion arose. They performed a song when the sail was hoisted,



one during the rowing, one as the anchor was pulled,



and many for leisure.
The musicians as well wouldn't wait for the sound technicians before they started to play each song.



These traditional songs and dances have deep roots and traditions whose importance far exceeds that of the camera which they were expected to wait for.



It was apparent that the mood of the musicians, and their audience, were necessary elements of the song. I think that the restrictions placed by the cameras and directors made it somewhat impossible for the songs to have full effect. The whole point of pearl diving music was to enhance the spirit of the pearl divers. It was music that was created for its audience. Mark, wondering what he was going to tell his producer who paid 3,000$ for one day of these musicians, kept asking for a translation of each song. He wanted to know their meanings and he wanted to hear stories. The musicians kept replying "this song is about the sea," or "this song is about the desert." The director wanted more, but the musicians were getting impatient and didn't want to explain further.


I spoke to one of the musicians after wards and asked if I could meet with him sometime this week to try and get information about the stories and folklore that many of these songs were based upon. He was more than willing to assist me, and I hope to get some real translations of these songs and poems. A translation might be impossible, but at the least I want to find out what events were happening that inspired the words of the songs.


When noon rolled around, one of the Qatari men placed his right hand on the right side of his face and began to recite the call to prayer.



It was a bit surreal to see him standing amidst all the chaos singing so clearly and intently. Eventually, the majority of the men lined up in the middle of the boat like it was a mosque. One man lead the prayer, and the rest followed him.


The film crew didn't seem to pay much attention, but I know that everyone could feel the presence of religious dedication hovering over the boat. It was pretty incredible.
Later in the day, I watched the men, one by one, do a ritual washing of their hands, face and feet in preparation for another prayer.

There were a few scuba divers on the shoot, one of whom gathered baskets full of oysters which were opened on the boat as part of the shoot.


I got a little too excited at the prospect of finding treasures inside the oysters and had to contain myself so as not to get in front of the camera.


They found two little pearls.
Mark, Scott, Ralph, the stills photographer and I boarded the speed boat to race the setting sun and get some wide shots of the Dhow.

I was so excited that I waved at the Qataris on the other boat not realizing that they would probably wave back and ruin the take.
Thank god none of the crew noticed. Although I'm sure they will when they start the editing process.
As I was the only tag along on the shoot, I knew that they were worried and expecting that I would be a hassle.
I never would have been allowed on the shoot if it wasn't for my association with another film director here. He connected them with me because they were in need of some research on the subject which I had. In return, I asked to accompany the shoot.


By the time the filming was over, everyone had what they wanted, including myself.
I was pretty freaking overwhelmed with everything I saw and experienced on this shoot.
After leaving the dock I went to the beach at the Sheraton hotel and retired my tired self under the (almost) full moon. Pretty great.

Monday, September 28, 2009


I went to Souq Wagef again tonight... this may have been my 8th or 9th time.
It is, in fact, my favorite place in Doha.

It is far from original, as the authentic souq was torn down to be rebuilt (and made to look old, just like the original- wtf) about ten years ago.
But inside of the souq are still some of the same Qatari store owners whose austere presence and unbelievable kindness make me feel like I am in a real place, and not in a saran wrapped bubble.

Plastic cities and cultures are popping up all over the world, and I should know best, coming from the United States; but plastic is plastic and no matter where I am, I don't like it.
None have developed so fast and gregariously as they have in the Gulf.
As a result, the history and cultural traditions of Qatar are disappearing with a similar quickness.

Gulf pearls (especially from Bahrain and Qatar) were valued more than any in the world. Some thing in the sea beds of Qatar and Bahrain made the pearl's brilliance, color, shape and size superior to that of any other pearls. The pearls were taken to pearl trading centers in Dubai and Bahrain after which they were shipped to India where they were in high demand by Maharajas for lavish decorations; and what was left was sent to Kings and Queens in Europe.

these are Tasas which pearls were sifted through and sorted by size



and this is a tiny little pearl scale

Pearling was much more than a livelihood in Qatar. It was the ONLY livelihood, and everything was centered around it. The Tawwash (pearl traders), when they weren't buying or selling pearls, they were gathered together at a coffee shop in Souq Wagef to discuss the pearl market inside and outside of their region.
During the off season, Pearl divers and marine entertainers would congregate at Duoor (specific houses) to practice different forms of Nahmah (marine entertainment). Nahmah was the most essential component of pearl diving which included the songs, poems (Mawwal), chants and other rituals that were performed on the boats to enhance and encourage the working spirts of the pearl divers. These artistic forms of expression were not taken lightly, and involved the entire community. The poets and singers were highly respected artists who were a foundational structure of Qatari coastal communities. Any action that was performed in relation to pearl diving, including ship building, the hoisting of the sails, the departure and return of the divers, and much more, was accompanied by a specific Nahmah ritual. This practice was cherished and loved to such a degree that it became a common practice even during the winter months when pearl diving was not in season.
It is worth noting that through out history, Arabs (city, coastal and Bedouin alike), have found ways to maintain a high morale, good humor and a ripe spirit even in the dimmest of circumstances.

In the 1940's two things happened which contributed to the demise of pearl diving. The Japanese Cultivated Pearl flooded the market with such force that a G1 Dhana pearl (best quality) went from 5,000 rupees a Shoo (like a Karat) to 50 rupees. the other contributing factor was India's independence in 1947. India in the 1900's (and much earlier) was Qatar's biggest pearl buyer as well as the largest pearl market in the world. After they gained independence, an abrupt halt was put on imports of luxury goods. Qatar underwent one of the most devastating recessions known to the Gulf. Pearl diving was replaced with destitution and poverty. The population in Qatar decreased from 25,000 to 10,000.

The transition from a life of extreme toil and hardship to a life of lavish luxury happened quickly and without deliberation.
Oil was discovered and money swept across the Gulf like a sandstorm.

Pearls soon became a luxury to the Gulf inhabitants instead of a livelihood. Woman of the Gulf began to acquire a taste for pearl jewelry which they had never worn until this point.
It was also around this time that the demand for the Gulf pearl rose again. It became evident to pearl collectors that the cultivated pearl lost its glister and shape while a natural pearl stayed true for many many years.
Diving although, was no longer practical in the Gulf, so the same people in the Gulf that sold the pearls (Tawwash) went back to their buyers in India and Europe to retrieve the same pearls that they sold.
Today, the Gulf pearl is high in value and demand, and low in quantity.
But maybe, just maybe, I can get my paws on one little pearl to take home with me.
That would be worth many hours of wandering around the Souq, which I will do regardless.
The shop owners at Souq Wagef are starting to recognize me. And each time I go I make a new friend. There is one old Qatari shop owner that invites me into his tiny little shop every time he sees me.
And each time I go I stay for long periods of time while he sits on the floor and tries to speak to me in broken english and serves me tea and coffee and gives me little trinkets. In two hours, I take away about 2 complete sentences. The rest is gibberish and I love it. His hospitality and surreal kindness communicate more than words could translate.







Tuesday, September 15, 2009












I'm not sure how to go about describing tonight's interview.
It was awkward to say the least.
A friend of mine accompanying me said that it made her muscles tense. For whatever reason, Sa'ad Isma'el was not happy to be interviewed. He was very willing, but at the same time he seemed perturbed about it.
As a young boy, he dove for pearls with his father. He showed me the rock that he would attach with a rope to his foot to sink to the bottom. He also showed me the plug that he used for his nose when diving.
He put a basket net around his neck that he used to put the oysters and clams in.
For his family, he would bring back starfish shaped like camels and his mother would put little saddles on them.
He is the first genuine pearl diver (no scuba gear) that I have met. He was young when he dove, as pearling hasn't been practiced out of necessity for 50 or 60 years in the gulf.
He said he knew the songs of the pearl divers. He also said that he could sing them, as well as translate them.
But he would not.
He kept saying, "why does it matter," "who will care..."
I promptly said that I would care.
He responded with a long pause, during which I waited with my camera ready.
No songs for me.
not today anyways.
I asked him if he new any stories, legends or folklore told from pearl divers.
he said that he did, and then proceeded to tell me a TOTALLY unrelated story about his beard, a strand of hair, a box, and loaning someone some money.
I was perplexed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o6w9NwH0bSk
But I think that he was trying to convey something about trust, and that a man's word used to be worth something. -Today, in Qatar, trust and honor are not what they use to be.
I believe pearl diving represents something more than just a novel memory to Sa'ad Isma'el.
Oil and gas are fine and dandy, and everyone is fat and happy...but in the process of rapid development and money trees popping up everywhere, certain things were lost, and maybe there are some people that miss those things.
On November 15, 2005 the Doha Debates proposed this question to Qataris and Arabs from all over the Islamic world: was the oil a blessing or a curse?
the result: "This house believes that oil has been more of a curse than a blessing for the Middle East"
The motion was passed 63% - 38%.

Sunday, September 13, 2009

Today I spoke with a man named Majd Almeer.
He was exactly one hour late for the interview.
"The Emir was leaving his palace so they closed all the streets," he explained.
He arrived wearing a Thobe, making it all the more official.
He has written many articles on Qatari history and Pearling. They, along with any other related literature, are in Arabic; so he is having some of this literature translated for me. He is itching for someone to share his massive amounts of information with. After I emailed and asked for a time to set up an interview, he met with the Ministry of Culture and was given permission to access to anything he might need to help me with this article.
Whatever I wanted to get out of this interview, I got it, and much more (with the exception of a personal diving tour with underwater camera equipment- but don't think I didn't ask).
The history of Qatar, and most of the gulf, is incredibly complicated. And after 2 hours, I think I might have a little piece of the puzzle figured out.
Qatar, before the Al-Thanis (current Royal family), were ruled by a tribe called Al Khalifa until till the early 1900's (don't quote me on the dates just yet) before they were overtaken by the Al Thanis. The Al Thani tribe came from a tribe known as Tameem. The Tamimi tribes were quite possibly the biggest in Arabia. Their members numbered in the millions. About 100 years ago, the Tameem tribe, along with many other tribes, went to war with King Abdullah Azziz Ibn Saud (Saudi Arabia) under a man called bil Khathleen (this spelling is WRONG). The reason for this war is too complex to go into; (something about a Mohammad bin Abdul Wahab and the Wahabi teachings, which have since been renounced due to their speculated promptings of the jihad...) basically it was a religious dispute (shock) and I fear that some of you may have already lost interest.
Back to the war-
King Saud only had about 300 men, and his enemies knew this. The only reason that King Saud was so respected was because he had Islamic scholars behind him and therefore gained fear and respect from most of the Arabian Gulf. But the tribes went to war nonetheless, expecting an absolute victory while outnumbering the Saudi army by thousands upon thousands. What they didn't know was that King Saud had made a pact with the British, and was supplied with machine guns, while bil Khathleen's men had only swords. The tribes were massacred by King Saud's men. The tribesmen and warriors remaining (those that didn't surrender their allegiance to King Saud) scattered all over the middle east. The Tameem tribe went to Qatar, where they defeated the current ruling tribe, Al Khalifa, on Zubara fort. The Al Thani family was only called Al Thani after Jassim bin Mohammad Al-Thani (al Tamimi) fought and won al Wajba war against the Ottomans (1890's) and gave himself a new name to differentiate himself and his ruling tribe from the previous Tamimis. Wikipedia begins its history of Qatar with the Al-Thani tribe. (Although, Mr. alMeer said that he was going on Wikipedia tonight to fill in the gaps).
Still awake?
The Tameem tribe (now Al Thani) were an absolutely fierce people. There is an Arabic saying that goes, "if it wasn't for Islam, Tameem would have eaten all Arabic tribes."
Before Islam, the Tamimi defeated Persia 10,000 soldiers to 100,000.
Even the the Prophet spoke of the Tamimi tribes as very strong and feirce people.
If a member of a Tameem tribe has a son that is killed in battle, the parents would take the news with great honor and would celebrate the event.
"they killed for fun" says Mr. Almeer.
If they were thirsty they would kill their camels and take the water from their stomachs.
For energy, they would mix sand with water, AND THEY WOULD DRINK IT. (holy mother of all bad asses). Apparently there are some minerals in the sand that can provide some kind of sustenance.
The Tameem existance was a wretched one. Qatar is an absolutely dry country, and it took a certain kind of person just to try and survive here, let alone succeed. Pearling and fishing (and moving) were the only means of survival for many of the inhabitants here.

Majd Almeer comes from generations of Pearlers. He comes from both the poor and the rich side of Pearling, making his information all the more objective. His father's father was a Tawash, a wealthy trades man and buyer of pearls. His mother's father, on the oposite side of the spectrum, was a poor pearl diver. The Tawash would meet the boats in the water as they sailed to shore from a season of pearling, and he would buy the pearls from the captain aboard the ship. The Tawash would buy the pearls while on board the ship so the that divers wouldn't get cut out of their share of the money.
The Tawash were born wealthy, and with this wealth they would buy pearls, and take them to India, or other places where they would trade them for other goods. To my surprise, pearls were traded, not sold. And the pearls themselves didn't make anyone wealthy (at least not in the gulf); they were bought by people who were already rich. The divers themselves would make little to nothing, living off of peanuts while working the hardest and facing the most danger.
Each man, while diving, was attached to a rope that was held by another man aboard the ship. Many ropes were cut during the dives either by rocks, sword fish, sharks, and other things. If the rope was cut, the diver had to swim his way (10- 20 meters) to the surface- a very difficult thing to do with no air in your lungs.
The last man that I interviewed (the pearl man) told me that giant clams (dr. doolitle style) would literally close on the divers and prohibit them from re-surfacing.
I didn't believe him.
But apparently this DID actually happen- Mr. Almeer told me of a man that died in the sea while diving for pearls because a giant clam closed on his arm, and he lost too much blood. He said they have tiny little teeth, and when they shut, they can't be opened.
There was at least one singer aboard each ship. The singers were also divers, and their renowned voices were attributed to their ability to hold their breath under water for so long.
By the end of the interview, Majd Almeer was telling me folklore and (get ready) literally singing me songs of the pearl divers.
He sang one that was about the mothers who would lament for their sons and husbands as they boarded the ships. He translated the song, which was truly heart wrenching- and told me that his mother (whose father was a pearl diver) used to cry every time she heard the song.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I got a little teary eyed.


Saturday, September 5, 2009






after hours of wandering around Bida park in Doha, Qatar, i finally found 'the pearl man.'
Abdulla Nassir (the spelling is questionable at best) comes from a family of pearl divers. he has gone pearl diving many times, mostly off the coast of Oman, but unlike his father and his grandfather, he had the luxury of diving gear.
his english made it difficult to ask specific questions, but on the whole, the interview was a success.
the man was about my height, and super spunky.
with a devious little smile.
he had an abundance of information about pearl diving than anyone in qatar, and was more than happy to share it.
once he knew that i was serious about my inquiries, and not just a passer-by,
he went to the back of his store and returned with pearls that were worth tens of thousands of dollars. pearls that were more than 50 years old, retrieved from the ocean floors of qatar, bahrain and kuwait.
according to him, men from all over the gulf (saudi, kuwait, bahrain, oman, qatar, abu dabi, dubai, etc...) would sail in small boats (that would comfortably fit 30 people) with 150 men per boat, and up to 1000 boats at a time. they would leave in may, and would not return to land until september or october depending on their success.
after hours of diving up to 20 meters meters to the ocean floor, the men were allotted three tiny tiny TINY little cups of water a day. one in the morning, afternoon and evening.
he showed me the cup-shaped corral that the divers would drink out of.

when i asked about the songs of the pearl divers, i was given more information than i knew what to do with. apparently, there were different songs that were sung for different actions. the divers would carry drums aboard the ships, and they would sing a certain song when the first sail went up, and another for the second, larger sail.
when they had to pull the anchor, there were men that would beat a drum and chant to boost morale. apparently the anchors were absolutely monstrous.
when i asked if i could hear any traditional songs like this, he promptly got on the phone with one of the most well known and respected musicians in the gulf (his name escapes me)
and is going to bring cd's for me next week.
in addition to massive amounts of pearls and sea-shells, Abdulla Nassir let me have a peak at his antique collection. he showed me opium pipes from China, silver castings from mongolia, jewelry boxes from the forbidden city, a pearl scale from 1720. how he acquired these treasures is 'forbidden information.'
next week, same time, same place- im bringing a camera corder this time and will report back with more of the same-

the pearl man