Social Systems in the traditional Emirati Society

What was the UAE society like before oil?

A Bedouin society with a serene love for the desert.

Who had significant influence in shaping the nature and determining the character of social, cultural and the community of UAE?

The Bedouin society

What effects does the location of the tribe have?

It determines the kind of crafts the family would adopt.

What determines the kind of crafts the family would adopt?

The location of the tribe

Nomadism is in the process of____

Extinction.

Classification of Emirates Bedouins

1. Nomads: Always on the move – Represented by Alawamr and Manasir.

2. Semi-nomadic Bedouins: Vacillated (wave) between nomadic and stability – Often settle near an oasis – Represented by Bani Qatab and Alawame.

3. Nomadic Bedouin Quarterly: Moving between mountains in summer and adjacent plains in the winter - Represented by Al-Shuhouh in RAK and DIbba.

What traits are Bedouins renowned for?

• Courage

• Freedom

• Generosity

• Honesty

• Religious devotion

Define Nomads

Bedouins that are always on the move.

Nomads are represented by____

Alawamr and Manasir

Define Semi-nomadic Bedouins

Vacillated (wave) between nomadic and stability. Often settle near an oasis.

Semi-nomadic Bedouins are represented by____

Bani Qatab and Alawamer

Define Nomadic Bedouin Quarterly

Move between mountains in summer and adjacent plains in the winter.

Nomadic Bedouin Quarterly are represented by____

Al Shuhouh in RAK and Dibba

Al Shuhouh that represent Nomadic Bedouin Quarterly are in____?

RAK and Dibba

Alawamr and Manasir represent which classification of Emirati Bedouins?

Nomads

Bani Qatab and Alawamer represent which classification of Emirati Bedouins?

Semi-nomadic Bedouins

Al Shuhouh represent which classification of Emirati Bedouins?

Nomadic Bedouin Quarterly

The Bedouins are renowned for embodying traits such as courage, freedom, generosity, honesty, and religious devotion, which are shaped by____

the influence of the desert environment.

What is the Desert’s most prominent trait?

Generosity

The softer aspect of the desert is evident in expressions like____

music, songs, and dances, symbolizing themes of victory and bravery.

music, songs, and dances in the desert symbolize____

themes of victory and bravery.

Which environment lead to heavily trading?

The marine environment

How has the marine environment effected trading in the UAE?

The increase number of ships and the size of ships has contributed to heavy trade in the UAE.

What are the traditional activities of the marine environment of the UAE?

• Pearl diving

• Fishing

• Boat building

Pearl diving, fishing, and boat building are activities of which culture?

maritime culture/marine environment.

The 2 parts of the professional organization for the profession of diving

1. General financiers: they prepared fishing fleet and supported crew divers’ families during their diving trips.

2. General employees: included everyone who worked on a ship diving and their boss was the captain. 10-25 used to be on a ship.

What do general financiers do in diving?

They prepared fishing fleet and supported crew divers’ families during their diving trips.

General employees in diving include____

everyone who worked on a ship diving and  their boss was the captain. 

How many men used to be on a ship while diving?

10-15 men.

Categories of general employees in diving

1. Captains (Nokhatha): masters of vessels who were familiar with trade secrets and the area of the pearl.

2. Divers: the ones who took the depths to search for the shells.

3. Alciob: who carried on the ropes and lifted the divers from the sea floor.

4. Undergarment (Al-Tiban): the boys who accompanied the ship to learn the craft and gain experience. Also helped in serving and preparing food.

What was the captain’s role while diving?

They were masters of vessels who were familiar with trade secrets and the area of the pearl.

What was the role of the divers while diving?

took the depths to search for the shells

What is the role of the Alciob while diving?

They carried the ropes and lifted the divers from the sea floor.

What was the role of the undergarment (Al-Tiban) while diving?

• Learn the craft

• Gain experience

• Helped in serving and preparing food

Who were the masters of vessels who were familiar with trade secrets and the area of the pearl?

Captains (Nokhatha)

Who were the ones who took the depths of the marine to search for shells?

Divers

Who carried the roles and lifted divers from the sea floor?

Alciob

Who were the boys who accompanied the ship to learn the craft and gain experience and also helped in serving and preparing food?

Undergarment (Al-Tiban)

The effects of diving season in the Arab community

1. Provide housing and life support to the divers

2. Promoted trade after diving season

3. Word of Honor was practiced and created a sense of dependency on each other

4. Obey and respect the head of the family

5. Interdependence and cooperation between various members of the society during good and bad times.

6. Diving had a significant demand on the UAE Society

Peart trading complex is found____

• Dubai

• Bombay

• Bahrain

What did Pearl trading depend on?

• The size of pearls

• Classes and technical capacity of traders

• Supply and demand

What system did pearl traders use to trade?

The barter system (exchanging goods without using money).

What is the Barter system?

Exchanging goods without using money.

Pearl divers made 3 main journeys between____month each year

the 5th and the 9th

Pearl divers made____between the 5th and 9th month each year

3 main journeys

What is the tribal life of the extended family like?

married and unmarried living in the same house, run by one of the parents who gave advice and in return was obeyed

The life of pearl diving, traveling away from family to make a living was made possible because of____

the tribal system

What was the social life like in UAE before the union?

• They learn how to share good and bad times with joy and sorrow.

• In Ramadan, all the streets near the mosques are covered with meals that are served and available to everyone and even strangers.

• The neighboring houses send the best food to the mosques and to neighbors sharing food and joy.

• The Eid festivals highlight the phenomena of harmony and communication. Neighbors and relatives participated in decorating the area.

• Weddings are joyful occasions. These occasions were characterized with less spending.

• Families show their happiness by helping those who are getting married with food and ornaments.

Pre-oil social services and social aspects of development

• Pattern of optional social services:

  • provided for people who had a shipwreck, emergency, death, stolen, etc. Affected families would receive aid from the tribe. It’s often associated with a degree of kinship.

  • If the leader of the tribe faces political or social problems (war, son get married), every member helps according to his abilities.

• The pattern of obliged social services:

  • mandatory service imposed on members of the tribe by the head for various social services. It’s collected from those engaged with economic activities (pearl trading,..) it’s called “Al Taraz”

  • This money would go to provide defense and protection , salaries for those who work in the mosques, or people who are unable to work.

Pattern of optional social services (pre-oil)

• Services provided for people who had a shipwreck, emergency, death, stolen, etc. Affected families would receive aid from the tribe. It’s often associated with a degree of kinship

• If the leader of the tribe faces political or social problems (war, son getting married), every member helps according to his abilities.

Which type of services were provided for people people who had a shipwreck, emergency, death, stolen, etc.?

Pattern of optional social services

Pattern of obliged social services (pre-oil)

• a mandatory service, “Al Taraz”, imposed on members of the tribe by the head for various social services. It’s collected from those engaged with economic activities (pearl trading,..)

• This money would go to provide defense and protection , salaries for those who work in the mosques, or people who are unable to work.

What is Al Taraz?

a mandatory service imposed on members of the tribe by the head for various social services. It’s collected from those engaged with economic activities (pearl trading,..)

What is the money collected from Al Taraz go towards?

providing defense and protection , salaries for those who work in the mosques, or people who are unable to work.

Voluntary and Humanitarian services before the union (pre-oil)

• Owners of big houses in UAE would throw parties in public and private events.

• They lend each other money in order to start a business.

• They help a divorced women who was unjustly treated to take care of her children. They also claim her dowry from her husband in order to secure her family.

Voluntary work

• an activity done by motivated individuals without seeking wages or salaries.

• This activity is based on Islamic teachings and guaranteed by a system of social solidarity. (like employees of zakat, carrying water from the springs, building houses,…)

• Also volunteers help orphans, elderly, children and women which later progressed into governmental institutions.

Health services (pre-oil)

• Health services were very low.

• Patients were treated with traditional herbal medicine (myrrh, frankinscence,…etc) stinging with fire, and cupping.

• Religious families would read Quran and prayers on children who were thin and women who fail to nurse her child.

• Mortality rate was high especially among children.

an activity done by motivated individuals without seeking wages or salaries.

Voluntary work

Characteristics of social welfare before federation

• It had effect on maintaining social cohesion in the society.

• It is a moral duty and provided service without discrimination.

• Embodied the wealthy people with responsibility towards the society.

• Social solidarity with the tribe

• There were no specialized professional working in this area

• No written policies to guide direction of the social welfare program

Most popular arts found in the UAE society

• Music, singing, and dancing – relates to the lives in the sea and the life of civil Bedouins.

• Fine arts, and applied arts. Ex: construction of ships, architecture, and knitting of nets.

• The popular literature of poetry, stories, and proverbs.

Non-material culture before federation

religion, language, customs, traditions and values and different social systems.

Material before federation

Material (physical culture): civilization, includes building, clothing, ornaments, machinery and means of transportation

The beginning of the modern system in the Emirati society started with____

the union of the 7 Emirates and the discovery of oil.

The industrial environment: the beginning of modernity

• The emergence of large cities

• Mass migration of some Gulf, Arab, Islamic, and some foreign countries; thus emergence of non-Arab communities.

• The emergence of commercial markets

• Participation of women in employment

• The spread of means of culture, youth and community development, and institutions increasing public awareness.

• The spread of education and educational institutions

• The high level of people’s income and improved means of living

Social development and services after federation

• The Emirates adopted the concept of “welfare and care state”. It provides the needs of society in the areas of income, education, health, food, and housing.

• The social affairs sector is one of the key developed departments

Housing services:

• The material change of housing has resulted in rising standards of living.

• Almost all houses have refrigeration, microwave, water, electricity, etc. This contributed to the increase of leisure time and enabled citizens to find ample time to practice hobbies and complete postgraduate degrees.

What is the Welfare and Care state?

A concept that provides the needs of society in the areas of income, education, health, food, and housing.

Development of health services after the union

• In 1996,The World Health Organization chose Dubai and Abu-Dhabi to be among the top 3 health cities at the Arab and Middle East.

• UAE is the eighth in the Arab world in health care for the children.

• It succeeded to reduce the infant mortality rate to 19 in each 1000 births noting that the global average in 89 in 1000 births.

• succeeded in eradicating polio completely from the country

• The citizens are able now to have the most complex surgical operations in the hospitals in UAE

• The rate is one doctor per 1.8 doctors per bed

• The number of government hospitals is 40

• The number of health centers are over 1000

What year did The World Health Organization chose Dubai and Abu-Dhabi to be among the top 3 health cities at the Arab and Middle East?

1996

The World Health Organization chose which emirates to be among the top 3 health cities at the Arab and Middle East?

Dubai and Abu Dhabi

What is the rank of the UAE in Arab world in health care for children?

8th

UAE is the eighth in the Arab world in____

health care for children

What is the infant mortality rate in the UAE? What is the global average?

• 19 in each 1000 births in the UAE

• 89 in 1000 births avg

What is the rate of doctors per bed?

1-8 doctors per bed

What is the number of government hospitals?

40

What is the number of health care centers?

over 1000

Housing services after federation

• The material change of housing has resulted in rising standards of living.

• Almost all houses have refrigeration, microwave, water, electricity, etc. This contributed to the increase of leisure time and enabled citizens to find ample time to practice hobbies and complete postgraduate degrees.

Happiness in the UAE

• In 2016, the satisfaction of people in the UAE in terms of government services reached 64% on the American Customer Satisfaction, which was the lowest when compared to other sectors in the country.

• In February 2016, the UAE Government created the post of Minister of State for Happiness and appointed Her Excellency Ohood bint Khalfan Al Roumi as the Minister.

In 2016, what was the percentage of satisfaction of people in the UAE in terms of government services?

64%

Which year did the UAE’s percentage of satisfaction of people in terms of government services reach 64%?

2016

In 2016,  the satisfaction of people in the UAE in terms of government services reached 64% on____

the American Customer Satisfaction, which was the lowest when compared to other sectors in the country.

Which month and year did the UAE government create the post of Minister of State for Happiness?

February 2016

What did the UAE government create to increase the happiness of the people in terms of government services?

The post of Minister of State for Happiness

Who was appointed by the UAE government as the Minister of State for Happiness?

Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi

Who is Ohood Bint Khalfan Al Roumi?

The Minister of State for Happiness.

The objective behind the appointment of a Minister for Happiness is to____

strive towards making the UAE the happiest nation globally.

What does the Minister for Happiness do?

supervises the plans, programs, and policies of the UAE aimed at achieving a more joyful society

Who established The Dubai Happiness agenda?

Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashed

What does The Dubai Happiness Agenda do?

measures and impact people’s happiness through an iterative framework to discover, change, educate and measure people’s happiness

the National Program for Happiness and Wellbeing aims to____

• create policies that increase employees satisfaction and happiness

• promotes wellbeing and healthy lifestyles

• develop benchmarks to measure overall happiness nationally.

UAE ranked 1st place in the World Happiness Report for_____

the 6th consecutive year

What is the Cities Happiness Index?

A special indicator used in the World Happiness Report that captures the level of happiness in cities. The index ranks 186 cities around the world by assessing the level of happiness and lives of the cities’ inhabitants.

How many cities does the Cities Happiness Index rank?

186

Which 2 cities are the happiest in the Arab region?

Abu Dhabi and Dubai

How happiness in the UAE influences various sectors?

1. Enhancing Family Quality of Life

2. Impact on Employee Well-being through Flexible Working Hours

3. Improving Customer Experiences in Governmental Sectors and Banks

4. Streamlining Services with Online Options to Reduce Queues

5. Prioritizing Elderly Individuals in Queues, Particularly in Healthcare Visits