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-
Soooo Gooood! It is facinating and I would like to see more about the pearls. Please keep doin interviews and posting stories!
ReplyDeleteThis is so interesting, Olivia! Well- written. When are you coming home? I am so glad you are finding your niche over there. Please call me when you return. We need more sushi!
ReplyDeleteThis ia s fascinating story. You've put us all in suspense -- wanting to learn more. It is interesting that the story of pearl diving has already emerged from a story to a legendary fable, with hard to believe stories and lessons about life. The other accounts I have seen about pearl diving have all been Disneyfied -- like a performance being put on just for the benefit of the outsider. It's fake, shallow, and seemingly contrived. You, on the other hand, as someone who cares passionately for the craft, may well give us that rare insider's view. This is tremendous! In fact, I think you may have invented a new journalistic genre -- an insider's look at the craft and art in jewelry. I can't wait to read more!!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. Next time you go find out who he is selling to. I'd be interested in the exact prices for these amazing treasures, and how this guy is able to price them. The pearls look exquisite, and I want them all!
ReplyDeleteGreat story. Keep it coming.