Klynn’s blog

HW 41: Response to Riverbend: Cultural Literacy

What is the role of gold in family savings in Iraq?

-Unfortunately since Iraq is going through such hard times, their currency fluctuates constantly. Because of this, families in Iraq have started to convert their family savings into gold; the value of gold never changes. Riverbend states that “Women here call gold ’zeeneh ou 7*azeeneh (khazeeneh),’ which means ’ornaments of savings.’” (Riverbend 100). In Riverbend’s post Jewelry and Raids, she describes how protective her aunt is of her gold jewelry. That gold jewelry is all she has, and she gives it to Riverbend and her cousin to wear and hide under their clothes so that if a raid were to happen, the soldiers would not find it.

Why are date palms so important to the Iraqi people?

-The country of Iraq has a significant amount of Date tree’s that can be found throughout out the area. There are many different types of dates that Riverbend describes, some being tart, some being sweet, used for either things like cookies and breads, as well as syrups and salad dressings. This multiple purpose fruit is not only significant to the diet of the Iraqi’s, but it also brings in a huge export revenue. Dates are exported to the Arab Gulf, as well as Europe, Northern Asia, and Japan. The internal market for dates is also big (Iraqmarshes.)

http://www.iraqmarshes.org/Activities/Agritask2.htm