The Chaldean culture: How much do you know?

In southeast Michigan, mainly in metro Detroit, there is a large Chaldean population. Many people from the area are familiar with the community, but most don't know very much about the history and culture of the people. There are many misconceptions about the Chaldean culture and heritage. Who are the Chaldean people? What distinguishes them from other Middle Eastern communities? The Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce (CACC) Web site that the Chaldean people are indigenous people of Iraq who are also Catholic. Natalie Kanna, 29, a Chaldean-American, said that one of the biggest misconceptions she runs into is that when she tells people that she is Chaldean, they automatically assume she's Muslim. "If you are Chaldean, you are Catholic," she said. The CACC says that there are approximately 120,000 Chaldeans in the Detroit area and an estimated 35,000 more throughout the United States. The greatest flow of Chaldean immigrants occurred in the 1960s and 1970s when the immigration laws were reformed. Mary Chirco, 60, an immigrant from Iraq who has been in the U.S. since 1979, said that the most important thing about the Chaldean people is that they all originated from Iraq. "You're not Chaldean if you were born in Lebanon," she explained. "You might be Catholic, but you're not Chaldean." Everyculture.com says that the population in the early 1960s was 3,000. By the mid-1980s the population had grown to 45,000, and it has steadily increased yearly. Many Chaldean Americans left their homeland for economic reasons. Chaldeans also fled to escape religious persecution from the Muslim majority in the Middle East. Chirco said that her husband, Jarjis, moved the family to Detroit because he feared for the freedom and safety of his kids. He also had relatives in Detroit who were faring well financially. The history of the culture dates back to the history of Mesopotamia, which is measured in millennia rather than centuries. The Chaldean name stems from one of the ancient groups, which inhibited the land presently known as Iraq. Chaldeans speak a form of Aramaic, which is also called Chaldean. Aramaic is one of the oldest, continually spoken languages in the world, according to the CACC. "People think that Arabic and Chaldean languages are the same thing," said Jenny Hermez, a Chaldean-American. "Actually they are nothing alike, and you will not be able to understand Arabic just because you speak Chaldean, or vice versa." According to the CACC, Chaldeans settled in Detroit for a couple reasons. One, work was available through the auto industry, and two, there was already an Arabic-speaking community in Detroit. Many of those who did not work for the auto industry went into the grocery business, which turned out to be successful. This encouraged others to follow. "It seems that no matter what your heritage or culture is, there will always be misconceptions about it," Kanna said. "It is up to us as a community to clarify what is true or false." Renee Antoon, director of operations at The Chaldean News, said that a lot of non-Chaldeans think that Chaldeans own all the party and grocery stores that aren't owned by big corporations, and that they also don't pay taxes. "They think we don't pay taxes because we are illegal immigrants or that there is some seven-year rule for newcomers, but that is so far from the truth," she said. "We pay taxes just like everybody else." Chaldeans have also gotten a reputation for being uneducated. Martin Manna, the executive director of the Chaldean American Chamber of Commerce, told the Detroit News that Chaldeans own an estimated 8,000 businesses in Michigan. In addition to entrepreneurial endeavors, Chaldeans have branched out into various professions through higher education, which includes a large number of doctors, lawyers and teachers. Nuha Roumaya, an elementary teacher, said that it is frustrating when people think Chaldeans are uneducated. "Maybe the first settlers weren't very educated, but Chaldeans are hard-workers and dedicated to their jobs," she said. "They did what they needed to, to secure their families futures at that time, but the younger generations are taking advantage of the educational opportunities." Antoon said, "A lot of people think we are extremely wealthy and can afford anything because we tend to be flashy, but that's false. We are just a community that works very hard and we like to splurge on nice things when we can, but that doesn't make us rich."