Few people in the U.S. still maintain the contact with their mother lands.
For many, their American home has become a permanent one. But Yemenis,
unlike many, have remained loving and loyal to their motherland. Almost
every Yemeni in the U.S. still maintains ties with the motherland. _
What has kept this unique bond is Yemenis' deep affection for their
country, and strong attachment to one of oldest inhabited regions in the
world. It is this bond which has kept Yemenis returning to their country
from their places of emigration. Many Yemenis leave the country in search
of work and better opportunities, but plan to return one day. _Many who
can't make it alive often return in their coffins to a country they loved
dearly, and a place they strove all their lives to return to. Yemenis have
remained sojourners going back and forth between Yemen and the countries
they emigrated to. The country itself has depended on these emigrant workers,
and migration has always been associated with the history of Yemen.
HISTORY OF YEMENI MIGRATION
Migration
is a word that is well known to most Yemenis. Many become familiar with
the word early on, in their lives, _as they grow up in the absence of _their
parents (forefathers, and other relatives such as uncles and cousins).
The word itself is synonymous with the history of the Yemeni people. Natural,
economic, political and other factors have driven the Yemeni people out
of their country. Seeking a refuge sometimes, and often the betterment
of the living of their families, Yemenis found themselves working all over
the world.
The collapse of the legendary dam of Marib around twenty four hundred
B.C. was the cause behind one of the earliest and largest waves of emigration
of Yemenis. _The relatively new episodes of emigration to the West began
when "the British coal station at Aden steadily increased labor demand...
after 1839" (Swanson 12). Villagers hiked the mountains to reach the
coastal plain and to meet for the first time the industrial revolution.
In the nineteenth century, Yemenis worked in the sea in different jobs,
in areas as far as Vietnam, Merseilles and Cardiff. As employment opportunities
declined in Aden, Yemenis started to search for new places, new opportunities.
They took different directions but they all had one goal. The goal was
to return one day with enough money to improve their lives.
They headed east toward Vietnam, Indonesia, India, and west to Britain,
France and the United States. _Today their goal remains the same, and their
search for better opportunities, and livelihood continues. __
YEMENIS IN THE U.S.
Researchers agree today that Yemenis started emigrating to the U.S. in
late nineteenth century. _According to Mary Bisharat, Yemenis "made
their appearance in the U.S. shortly after the opening of the Suez Canal
in 1860". Almost certainly, a handful had come by 1890" (Swanson
12). Exact figures are lacking because of several reasons. _Yemenis who
came then entered as illegal aliens, and mixed with the existing Arab community.
At any rate, during the following years, Yemenis continued to enter the
U.S. in small numbers. During World War I, some of them joined the army
and became citizens of the U.S.
Many more continued to enter illegally and remained illegal aliens
for sometime. Those who arrived on ships used the classical method of entering,
jumping off ships. _Interestingly, _many of them when riding these ships
didn't even know where the ship was going. "A would-be migrant might
board a ship in the harbor at Aden under the pretext of selling fruit,
or other commodities. _He would stow away and later ask for work."
(Swanson 12). When they arrived in New York, they blended into the local
Lebanese or Palestinians communities (Swanson 12).
After World War II, many changes began to take place globally. Military
and economic power began to shift to countries like the U.S. and the U.S.S.R.
Britain and France, weakened by the war and independence resistance movements,
began to withdraw their capital from the east. The effect was quickly felt
by those who benefited from their economic presence. Yemenis were part
of those who again found themselves forced to look for another source for
livelihood for them and their families.
America soon became familiar to Yemenis as the returnees painted the
classical picture of the land of immense wealth and opportunities. Many
of them sought visas through relatives and friends already in the U.S.
and in subsequent years arrived in the U.S. to offer others the same.
The number of Yemenis arriving in the 1950s and 60s remained small,
and began to increase in the mid-seventies. In the late seventies the number
declined as many decided to go to the Gulf countries where they worked
and made the money they needed to send or take back home with them. As
the economic situation of the gulf countries began to change and their
opportunities began to dwindle, it became more difficult for Yemenis to
find jobs and make as much money as they used to. The Gulf War drove more
than a million and a half Yemenis out of the Gulf countries.
Many of the returnees sought to return to the states and some of them
succeeded in going as visitors, and are still striving to adjust their
legal status.
POPULATION DISTRIBUTION
Yemeni communities in the U.S. are concentrated in three states; namely,
New York, Michigan, _and California. The past 7 years have witnessed an
increase in the number of Yemenis in Virginia, and North and South Carolina.
Their distribution has been influenced by the financial opportunities offered
by the respective states. _
Most of the _Yemenis who settled in Buffalo and the surrounding areas
did so when the steel industry was active there. New York city and the
surrounding areas attract Yemenis who open groceries, delicatessens, and
candy stores. In Michigan, car manufacturing lured Yemenis into settling
the Detroit area. Though California didn't have the type of factories Bufallo
and Detroit had, California offered Yemenis an occupation they were very
familiar with, farming. Until recently, most of the Yemenis who arrived
in California worked as farmers. Today, a growing number of them have established
their own grocery businesses in Fresno, San Francisco, Oakland, Bakersfield,
etc.
THE SETTLERS & SOJOURNERS IN THE U.S.
Yemenis are one of the new immigrant groups to arrive in the United States.
They distinguish themselves from other groups by their attitude toward
immigration, adaptation, and the host society. Yemenis in the U.S. are
classified into two groups - the settlers and sojourners. The Yemeni immigrants
are best described by Georgory Orfalea in his book "before the flames."
He stated:
There really is no Arab group comparable to the Yemenis, 90% of whom unaccompanied
young males, semi-literate or illiterate, with little knowledge of English
most have not taken root here and shuttle back and forth on jumbo planes
to Yemen, buying homes and land back there. _In _short, the Yemenis with
some exceptions constitute the most definitely 'Arab' of any migrating
group from the Arab World (Orfalea 181).
The settlers have usually been the educated, or they are well established
small businessmen. This group finds the opportunities promised by this
land and are usually able to take advantage of the various opportunities
present in this society._Their life experience in their new, modern society
takes away their adaptability to their old one. Over 90% of them resent
the American life and refuse to adapt it. _They struggle to remain Yemeni
and compromise the least they can. They _try to insulate their families
as much as they can, they strengthen their religious beliefs and practices.
They marry among themselves; their daughters seldom marry an outsider,
they often send their kids to Yemen to strengthen their bond with the homeland.
In the end they find themselves forced to compromise, creating their new
world for themselves and their families, a world many label as the Yemeni-American.
As more people are joining the settlers, the percentage of non-settlers
is decreasing._Today about 75% of the Yemenis are non-settlers, the so-called
sojourners who live a cyclic life of movement. They go to the US to work
for several years and return to Yemen to spend several months with their
families. Then they repeat the same cycle. They spend their lives going
back and forth between the U.S. and Yemen. Though most of the non-settlers
are married, they are often unaccompanied by their spouses. _They find
leaving their families in Yemen "a simple matter for Yemeni-Americans
to insulate their families from the profane world of their migrant experience."
(Swanson, 18) America to them is a temporary stop like Ethiopia, and Vietnam
were at one time. _They live their lives in the U.S. to go back to Yemen
_one day. They continue to "measure their success according to old
country values and with the physical context of Yemen itself." (Swanson,
15)
They buy real estate in Yemeni cities and build beautiful houses, some
of them build mansions, reflecting their ultimate desire to settle in the
land of their ancestors, a land they can call their own. The main goal
for many of them "is to make as much money as possible in the shortest
period of time" (Abraham, 121). _
To them immigration to the U.S. is defined as "a means to a livelihood,
while social mobility and material gratification is to take place in the
home country not in the U.S." (Abraham, 121). Their behavior is derived
from their belief in their inevitable, permanent return to the land to
which they are no strangers.
ADAPTATION _AND ACCULTURATION
The assimilation process in the case of Yemenis doesn't resemble that of
other groups, though similarities can be found. _Yemenis are more resistant
to the idea of assimilation and acculturation. _Yemenis like other groups
have resented fabricating a synthetic culture, denoted as Yemeni-American.
_They recognized that the acceptance of the new culture means the giving-up
of centuries-long Yemeni tradition and culture. A growing number of young
Yemenis today are advocating the idea of addressing the issue of living
the reality of the two cultures.
Today the number of Yemeni immigrants continue to increase, but the dominant
majority still shuttle back and forth. Several motives exist behind this
type of emigration. The main motive is the desire of Yemenis to live in
a revived, powerful, and prosperous Yemen. The unification of Yemen, the
discovery of oil, and recent government actions have re-enforced the hopes
and dreams the Yemenis have for their country of origin.
Another reason behind this unique type of emigration is that Yemenis
find it hard to adapt to the American way of life, since they're afraid
of compromising their identity as Muslims, and as Yemenis. Therefore, many
Yemenis limit their lives to work, apartment, and their local coffee house.
_There is a noticeable increase in the number of educated persons, but
those find it hard to pursue higher education because of socio-economic
factors. _Many Yemenis bear a great financial burden in having to support
their families. For many that has stood as an obstacle and prevented them
from achieving more in this society.
The resentment of assimilation springs from the differences in religion,
tradition, and values between the very conservative Yemenis and the liberal
host society. Since families are the true cornerstone of the Yemeni society
- wherever it exists - they remain the major concern for the immigrants.
_Many of them sacrifice their lives for the betterment of their families'.
It is hard to speculate on the future of the Yemeni-American community,
and the extent to which they will be able to adapt to the American way
of life. Many try to compare the Yemenis to other Arab groups. A lebanese
teacher asserted that:
Like Lebanese Muslims, the first generation which attempts to preserve
its religion and cultural heritage, is nearly certain to fail. _The inevitable
compromise with attitudes and values will not be accomplished easily, probably
until the third generation (Swanson 19).
ý
The validity of this statement is yet to be proven. Today one can still
see third generation Yemeni-Americans whose children still speak Arabic,
and can hardly be recognized as 100% American.
Yemenis are proud, honest and hard working people who will continue to
strive to improve themselves and their families. They work toward building
a prosperous Yemen and a prosperous community. _That does not negate the
fact that they have made a visible contribution to their American home.
Many of them have fought for the US, have worked hard in there, and have
given a lot without demanding much in return. The Yemeni community will
continue to change as more of its members become educated and act responsibly
to meet the needs of their American community.
REFERENCES
Abraham, Nabeel & Abraham Sameer Y. (Ed.). (1983). Arabs in the New
World.
Detroit, MI: Wayne State University.
"Arab-Americans." Harvard Encyclopedia of American Ethnic Groups.
Massachussets: Belknap ______Press of Harvard University Press, 1980. 128-136.
Bisharat, Mary (1957). "Yemeni Farm Workers in California". Middle
East Research & Information ______Project, 34, 22-26.
Agopian, Elaine C. & Padan, Ann (Ed.). (1969). "The Arab Americans
: Studies In Assimilation", ______Wilmette, Illinois The Medina University
Press International.
Elkholy, Abdo A. (1966)."The Arab Moslems in The United States: Relations
and Assimilation". ______New Haven: College and University press.
Hooglund, Eric J. & Vecoli, Rudolph (1987). "Arabic-speaking Immigrants
to the United States ______before 1940". Washington, D.C.: Smithsonian
Instituition Press.
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Lashuel, Shaker. Personal Interview. "In the Coffee House." 14
April- 10 May 1992.
Orfalaea, Gregory (1988). "Before The Flames: A Quest For The -History
of Arab Americans". _____Texas: University of Texas Press.
Staub, Shalom (1989). Yemenis in New York City: "The Folklore of Ethnicity".
Philadelphia: Balch ______Institute Press.
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Swanson, Jon C. (1986), "Sojourners & Settlers: Yemenis in
America". Middle East Research ______and Information, 139, 5-21.
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