The Pearling industry can be accredited to the formation of many gulf nations. While our initial observation is that oil was the asset on which empires were built in the region, prior to its discovery and use, there was another treasure that was difficult to get that the gulf was rich with. The Pearling industry supported the nations up until is commercial cessation with the arrival of the Japanese cultured pearl. The industry declined in early decades of the 20th century and ultimately saw its demise at the closure of the Kuwait Pearl-Oyster market in 2000, ending a 7000-year period of pearl fishing in the gulf (Carter, 2005). While the practice is long dead, ending by the 1930’s for the most part, the trade networks and value of the pearl were imperative in shaping gulf nations that exist today. Moreover, the practice of pearling was deeply entrenched in the culture of gulf nations, supporting local economies and establishing trade routes and exchanges between the gulf and nations around the Indian Ocean as well as south east Asia and Colonial territories (Vora).
The social and economic impacts that the pearling industry and the pearling trade had affected life in the gulf on all scales. From dividing families during fishing seasons, to importing slaves to work, and trading with far away nations and receiving foreign investment. In this essay we will look at the historical references to pearling and some of the mythology around them. Then we will look at the economic impact that pearling gave the region (trade routes, slave imports, seasonal migrations and vast markets), and finally the lives of pearl fishers. This allows us to see the impact that the trade has had on the region in the narrow and individual level and also the wider and broader lens through which we will see the Dhow culture of the gulf and pearling’s place within that.
Pearling, pearl fishing and the human fascination with the pearl can be dated back to the 2nd millennia BCE and references to “fish eyes” in the Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the earliest known written texts found in Mesopotamia. Pearls and pearling are steeped in mythological references and the ‘romanticised’ effect of historical perspectives only adds to the wonder of the pearling practice. In addition to the mythical and magical allure the pearls hold, their economic impact was substantial, and is the first example of the gulf’s resource of natural products that the rest of the world so desired. The practice grew over hundreds of years, to be traded with at first the Mumbai markets (who would also buy dates and other goods from the gulf, the most valuable being pearls) and then due to Colonial intervention by the British in the 19th and 20th centuries, to the far east markets. In the early 20th century, the Japanese grown pearls saturated the pearling market so drastically that pearl fishing became unviable and businesses ceased, and by the year 2000, the final gulf pearl market closed in Kuwait (Kuwait Pearl-Oyster Market), ending a 7000 year practice that developed nations and was a cornerstone of life in the gulf.
Before the Japanese pearl farms became the majority holder in pearl assets, the gulf was one of the few places that could offer an abundance to foreign markets. The economic development in the gulf region developed hugely in the height of the pearl fishing industry (~ 18th-20th centuries). The impact that pearling had saw both exponential growth in the wealth of the nations such as Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE. It was more than just the financial assets that grew, the socio-economic impact was significant as well. The adjusted settlements and the seasonal migrations fo pearl fishers separated families for months at a time and diversified assets such as date farming, fishing and the addition of pearling. This diversification allowed for multiple revenues for the individual families and the governing bodies that existed at the time. Foreign investment came to the region as well, with wealthy financiers in places like Mumbai (Carter, 2005) as well as within the region itself. Moreover, to accommodate and facilitate the growth and economic possibilities of a good pearling harvest, all sorts of boats were incorporated to aid the efforts. “Even Jolly-boats” were used according to Lorimer, from 1818 to 1917 boats increased from 2300 to 4500, as stated by Captain Taylor (Hughes Thomas, 1985; Lorimer 1915). This dramatic increase signifies the importance of pearling to the local economies (as well as to the wider market). Dhows were an integral part of the pearling trade, with money lenders and financiers from wealthy families provided up-front cash for the captains to maintain their boats which they inevitable would use their pearl harvest to repay them with (Bayut). However, due to the economic gains that one could make during the pearling season, the increase in traffic around coastal areas is unsurprising. Boats, Dhows and Jollies, were all instrumental to the economic growth and demographic and sociographic changes in the Gulf region over several hundreds of years. Were it not for maritime trade and boats being used for pearling, then life in the gulf would have been extremely different. Dhow culture in this sense both existed and was vital to the region. Contrasting against the wider dhow culture focused on trade, the pearling areas of the gulf were open to many with small boats as the water was accessible by small water-craft rather than larger dhows that would be necessary to traverse the open ocean. The thousands of boats (as stated above) that were moored and rigged in the ports of Bahrain, Qatar, Kuwait and the UAE, served many different purposes, although largely they were used for pearling. The attraction of pearling and its financial viability inevitably meant that the more people diving would equate to a greater yield and therefore more financial gain to be had. As a result of this, the import of people as slaves to be used to fish for pearls was commonplace, and many people came to the region against their will to be used to help fish for pearls.
CAPTION: This table from Carter 2005, shows the estimates for the “men in pearling” from different scholars. Lorimer’s estimate is significantly higher than his predecessors and this illustrates the growth in the pearl trade and the human traffic that increased substantially.
Life on the pealing dhows was hardly a pleasant one. It was a lot of hard work in hot conditions and was considered a dangerous practice (Carter, 2005). Boats were often taking on as many people as they could and over-crowding and over capacity were issues for sailors and fishermen alike. The boats would take as many people as they could on board to maximize possible profits, and as a result people were taken against their will. This is not just slaves but it includes young children being separated from their families in order to work. Fisherman on these boats would work with one person going down and diving, with a bag around their neck to place the oysters they collect. The divers would also have weights attached to them to help them sink, and would have ropes tied to them so that someone on the boat could pull them back up. Divers would descend to about fifteen meters below the surface to reach the seabed, which is relatively shallow in terms of average sea depth. The water levels in the gulf are not too deep either, with an average depth of fifty meters and a max depth of ninety.
CAPTION: An image of pearl divers diving from their ship.
This process is repeated several times, until a significant enough amount of oysters were brought on board. The oysters collected were left on deck to soften and dry in the sun. This process allowed the oysters to be more easily opened to then have their pearls harvested. The oysters were prized open with small blades and knives and the pearls inside were collected into a cloth to be stored and protected. Everyone on board was part of this process and everyone would serve at least two purposes (to dive, to pull people out and to open up the oysters and collect the pearls inside). In many ways it can be described as quite an efficient operation.
Boats of all shapes and sizes were used for pearling, from individual smaller boats to the larger commercial craft used to carry multiple people. As it was such a lucrative business, people from all over the gulf would come to work there, some by choice, some not and some by financial necessity. Even in the off season, people around the islands of Abu Dhabi would wade through the shallow waters to see what oysters were washed in and could often be able to make some profit from that (Carter, 2005).
Life in the gulf nations would not be where it is today were it not for pearling. Before the oil was discovered the gulf had a substantial and valuable asset that it was able to utilise. Pearling in individual socio-economic development, state formation and financing as well as helping connect the gulf to wider trade routes with foreign markets as far as SE Asia. While the pearling industry ultimately died out in the gulf, it gave rise to some of the wealthiest nation states that exist (despite not being the contributor to this vast wealth). If only to give a snippet of life in the gulf before oil, this essay on pearling aimed to discuss the historical, social and economic impacts of pearling as well as the individual effects of the trade on people living in the surrounding nations. It is sad to see the death of such an industry through the romanticised lens we look upon it with now, but it was an era of growth, resting on the shoulders of slave labour and dangerous practices.
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