Oral Tradition Essay

Shamma and Rashid

I. Introduction
For my oral tradition essay, I have chosen two people I consider as elders whom I have
been looking up to since I was a kid. Shamma Abdullah is my grandmother’s best friend since
middle school. Ever since she was introduced to us by my grandmother, she has been like a
family to us. Rashid Hamdi is mother’s third cousin who has always been present in every family
gathering. I asked them online if I can interview them and they immediately said yes. The feeling
I had when I talked to them about family history and traditions in UAE are nothing but
wonderful trips down memory lane.
II. Shamma
Almost present in every family event, I have already learned a lot about the life of
Shamma even before the interview. She was born in Al-Hayer and was the only daughter to her
parents. She was born into a religious family and she said that being religious is like a traditional
Emirati family. Her mother died when she was still young so her father re-married. Her family
was Bedouin, also known as Bedu, that they are a group of Arab people whom she said lived as a
group of nomads inhabiting the desert. The word she said literally translates to “desert dwellers.”
Until she was 9 years old, they lived mainly through herding animals such as goats and camels.
At a young age, she was assigned to manage their livestock since her father is focused on raising
his stepbrothers. She managed to sell them to markets and caravans as meat and dairy products. I
asked Shamma what it was like to have big responsibilities at such a young age and she said that
nothing is difficult a job when it comes to helping the people you love. She was also grateful that
the elders in her community taught her to be responsible and independent at a young age.
Her family lived in an urbanized community near the desert. With that said, her father
organizes camel-riding as it has become a popular leisure activity. She said that their family life
was a happy and somewhat festive because when the pay was good, they would put up tents with
their close relatives joining them and celebrate. As part of these events, they would oftentimes
perform oral poetry. It was one of the most popular forms of arts in their community. It is not
only a means of conveying information but also for social control. Her father would sometimes
organize camel races especially during weddings.
Shamma got emotional when I asked her about the people she was living with. She said
that it was hard being a Bedouin but she respects that because it is their way of life. One of the
hardest decisions she has to make was to leave the family and to start studying in a distant city. I
was reflecting on her stories and I admired her as she seemed brave and strong to be able to live
an independent life and to sacrifice a lot of things such as being with her family. She also shared
about her cousin having to work abroad just because they did not have enough opportunities to
work around in their country as UAE, being a wealthy country as it is, did not need much
laborers. That situation can still be observed in the current status in the country wherein the
country gets richer because of the oil exportation but the workforce of teenagers is falling.
III. Rashid
My mother’s third cousin Rashid Hamdi, though a very distant relative, has become a
close one to us as he participates in every family gathering that we have. I also consider him as
very admirable because of the time he served in the military and the sacrifices that he made not
just for his family but also for his country. He described himself as a devout Muslim. After he
graduated from high school, he willingly enlisted himself in the military. He wanted to join
because he wanted to participate in humanitarian missions. He was offered a military scholarship
program that will allow him to study to continue his training in Yemen. However, he wanted to
continue his study in the country because he wants to serve his nation. He served in the military
for 10 years.
While I was interviewing Rashid, I h ave realized the hardships and sacrifices that he has
to undergo during the training and service. Moreover, I have come to the realization that the
current military armed forces are just for show and are not anymore fighting for the defense of
the country. They are just there as displays and for the money.
IV. On the Later Years
Since both of them shared their accounts on their sacrifices wherein Shamma studied far
away from her family and Rashid served in the military and sacrificed for the country, they were
able to develop traits that have shaped them as humans today. Shamma remained inspired by her
family as she excelled in her studies. In addition, Shamma always thinks about her life in the
desert with the livestock but she knows that they are still with her as part of her heritage. On the
other hand, Rashid received a higher rank in the military because of his determination and desire
to serve the country.
V. Conclusion
Through this interview, I was reminded that stories are vital to the society because they
teach us lessons about the past and provide us guidance for the future. Every time we look back
at history, the struggles that they have faced and the sacrifices that they took will teach us to
value more what we have today. Through the stories that Shamma and Rashid shared, it has
definitely inspired me to become more selfless in terms of my family and my country. It has
taught me important traits that I will teach future generations through my stories. Moreover, it is
also very admirable that both of them did not forget about their roots and families that they have.

Bibliography
Shamma Abdullah grandmother’s bestfriend. I spoke on phone by Oct 29, 2019 for 1 hour about
her family history and traditions.

Rashid Hamdi mother’s third cousin. I spoke on phone by Oct 29, 2019 for 50 minutes about his
family history and traditions.