Historian and author Abdulla Omran is set to write a book about the dairy queens of the kingdom who mastered the role of one of the most lucrative occupations in yesteryear Bahrain.
For multi-tasking housewives were the legen-dairy proponents of the ‘lost art’ of caring for domesticated cows, the Bahraini expert revealed.
He explored the now-forgotten task in a recent lecture entitled ‘Women’s central role in traditional occupations: raising cows as a focus’ and delivered a lecture at the Abdelrahman Kanoo Cultural Centre, Buhair, where he serves as a board member.
“I researched women’s roles from a folklore, heritage and collective memory standpoint and not an academic one,” the acclaimed writer from Hoora told the GDN.
“Cows, which were essential in pre-modern Bahraini life, were primarily taken care of by women in their own homes.”
He explained that cow rearing was among the oldest occupations in the country, citing a traditional Bahraini saying: ‘there are three ways to make a living: the sea, the palm tree and the cow.’
They may not have needed a ‘cowculator’ to work out the profits but the benefits were clear to see.
“Cows provided an additional income to the family,” explained Mr Omran. “They fed the family with milk, laban, cheese, butter and eventually beef when they can no longer produce milk.
“They were kept in the courtyards of houses where tending to their needs was among the many tasks a mother had to fulfil alongside raising children, cooking and cleaning.”
He added that women worked just as hard as men during these times, literally putting food on the table and earning a living from within their homes.
Mr Omran believes that once cow farming moved outside of neighbourhoods and homes, the old knowledge and wisdom surrounding Bahraini cows were lost to many modern farmers.
He explained that the traditional Bahraini cow, known as ‘zebu’ (scientific name Bos indicus)’ originated from the Indian sub-continent.
However, he says, ‘profit-driven farms’ nowadays cross-breed them with several European breeds to increase milk yield and size.
“Although zebu cows did not make as much milk as European ones, their milk was high in fat content and considered to be of a higher quality,” he added.
“Most importantly, zebu cows could withstand Bahrain’s heat as they were bred for centuries to tolerate the regional climate, just like European ones are suited to cooler climes.”
He added that the beauty, productivity and sturdiness of the zebu had also been dismissed as the decades passed, replaced by rampant, haphazard cross-breeding carried out without a systemic or scientific basis, creating a generation of cows of unknown origin, he claimed.
“I have been frequenting cow farms for years and have witnessed the last two houses in Bahrain that raised cows in the traditional style,” said Mr Omran.
The Bahraini history and heritage published writer is particularly fascinated with cows as a result of his own family experiences and handed-down stories that didn’t go in one ear and out the udder.
His own late grandma’s life revolved around bovine chores. “The first thing Grandmother Ma’sooma did when she woke up in the morning, before the sun even came out and before dawn prayers, was go feed the cows,” he said.
Being a dairy queen kept her fit and well as she lived to the ripe old age of 103 before passing away 20 years ago.
Mr Omran added that his grandmother’s cows were held in much esteem and were often spoiled, given names and their carers’ most feared, more than anything else, was that their silly moos might get struck down by the ‘evil eye’ and not be as productive in the future.
“In the winter, women dressed their cows in sacks so they do not catch a cold and were even taken inside the house to sleep in the same room as their owners during winter downpours,” he added.
Mr Omran said that he hoped today’s farmers moo-ve over from destructive practices and come to realise the merits of Bahraini ‘zebu’ cows and stop bringing in breeds unfit to survive on the island.
His book about the topic is currently in its final editing stages and will be released as soon as a publisher is found.
zainab@gdnmedia.bh
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