FEBRUARY 2021
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Fouad Atto and Adhid Miri<br />
Village costumes<br />
Toma, Samira Yaldo, Lilly Yono, and<br />
Suham Boji; Goorjia Jonna, Gladys<br />
Koza, Naama Toma, Warda Koza,<br />
and Mary Jane Farida; Margreete<br />
Esshaki, Najiba Shounia, Andrea<br />
George, Amira Giezy, Rejo Koza, and<br />
Zihoora Kalabat; and Violina Kassab,<br />
Bassima Ayar, Ghalia Segmani, Suham<br />
Hannawa, and Sundus Jonna.<br />
The most famous male players<br />
of KonKan were: Thomas Denha,<br />
Mike Denha, Thomas Farida, Najeeb<br />
Karmo, Ramzi Giezy, and Salim<br />
Mackhay; and Salah Shouniya, Roxi<br />
Zebari, Gorgies Yono, Faraj Dikho,<br />
and Yousif Garmo.<br />
Wishlaiany<br />
Hanna Shina is a man for all seasons<br />
and all reasons. He is considered the<br />
ultimate event organizer, an actor,<br />
athlete, Tawli master, Wishlaiany<br />
great, Dominos expert, Pin-Pong<br />
star, and Poker specialist as well as a<br />
club connector. He oversaw all gaming<br />
prizes and purchased the winners’<br />
trophies from Dearborn to award the<br />
top winners. The top prize, a set of<br />
worry beads (Yussor), was valued at<br />
one hundred dollars.<br />
Hanna Shina’s services to the<br />
club and the membership were both<br />
unlimited and unconditional. He<br />
was involved whether in/out of the<br />
CIAAM board or on committee. In<br />
fact, he was so popular, in the 2003<br />
board elections, Hanna obtained<br />
the highest number of votes (359<br />
of 540), 66% of the votes - without<br />
campaigning! (A percentage never<br />
again achieved before or after by any<br />
candidate in the club history.)<br />
September 2002 marked the<br />
first world cup of Wishlaiany, held<br />
at Southfield Manor with 16 teams.<br />
Each team was made up of 3 expert<br />
players, world renowned in deciphering<br />
facial signs, winks, lip biting, and<br />
eyebrow movements, chin twisting<br />
and other faking maneuvers, all contrary<br />
to the universal laws of gravity!<br />
The semi-finalists teams were Fouad<br />
Garmo, Zuhair Garmo, and Thomas<br />
Farida; Fakhri Garmo, Riyadh Jiddo,<br />
and Mwafaq Yaldo; Mukhlis Shammami,<br />
Johnny Yalda, and Hussam<br />
Abbo: and finally, Bishop Ibrahim<br />
Ibrahim, Father Sulaiman Denha<br />
and Father Manuel Boji.<br />
Team Number One emerged as<br />
the champions after beating Team<br />
Number 3 on September 18, 2002.<br />
(Evidently there was no heavenly<br />
intervention as the Bishop-led clergy<br />
team was defeated.)<br />
Other top teams were as follows:<br />
Bassim Binno, Najeeb Zebari,<br />
Manuel Najor, and Shibbib Kas-<br />
Korkis; Louie Boij, Oraha Shouniya,<br />
Ramzi Giezy, and Mike Denha;<br />
Karim Dabbish, Manuel Meram,<br />
Mike Denha, and Hanna Dikho (on<br />
Tuesday nights); Zeek Zebari, Louie<br />
Boji, Thomas Denha, Sabri Denha,<br />
and Mike Denha (every Thursday<br />
night); Hanna Shina, Mukhlus<br />
Karmo, Jalal Jameil, and Ramzi<br />
Garmo; Nadir Shammami, Zidan<br />
Hannawa, and Charli Semaan; Paul<br />
Sitto, Dr. Malik McKani, and Zuhair<br />
Koza; Sabah Sigmani, Zuhair Ayar,<br />
and Salem Khamerco; Rufi Ayar,<br />
Hussam Denha, and Mike Denha;<br />
Karim Dabish, George Odish, and<br />
Azziz Dabish; Mike Dikho, Manuel<br />
Meram, Bahi Sesi, and Hanna Dikho;<br />
Jameel Nafsu, Yousif Nafsu, and<br />
Nazar Nafsu; and Adil Kalabat, Zuhair<br />
Kalabat, and Johnny Arafat.<br />
Tawli (Backgammon),<br />
Domino and Billiards<br />
Southfield Manor<br />
backgammon boards<br />
were hand made by<br />
Fouad Atto. This<br />
Babylonian master<br />
carpenter inherited<br />
the trade and crafted<br />
Fouad Atto<br />
the Sumerian invention<br />
units to perfection.<br />
From the dice set to the game<br />
30-piece selection, the shape, color,<br />
size and weight to the wood selection<br />
and stain veneer were perfect.<br />
Originally priced at around one hundred<br />
and fifty dollars in 1980, by the<br />
nineties, due to inflation and high<br />
demand, the price rose to two hundred<br />
and fifty dollars. For a little extra,<br />
the backgammon case would be<br />
engraved with a golden plaque and<br />
signature - a gift proudly made by<br />
Fouad Atto.<br />
Fouad was a good Tawli maker,<br />
yet a lesser player who frequently<br />
lost to other players. During a visit to<br />
Iraq in the nineties, boasting about<br />
his international skills, he was beaten<br />
decisively by three young Atto<br />
nephews. The youngest, aged fifteen<br />
at the time, beat him 5-0! (Fouad<br />
Atto –Adhid picture)<br />
Other passionate Tawli players<br />
at the club included Bassim Kassab,<br />
Hanna Shina, Joury Kas-Mikha, Harry<br />
Dikho, Dr. Hillal Elia, Sabah Attisha,<br />
Mukhlus Shammami, Salman<br />
Qarana, Dr. Peter J. Kalabat, Paul<br />
Sitto, Naji Bahoura, Johnny Yalda,<br />
Raad Kathawa, Salman Konja, Najib<br />
Samouna, Louis Estephan, Bishop<br />
Ibrahim Ibrahim, Father Manuel<br />
Boji, and Father Sulaiman Denha.<br />
The first Backgammon champion<br />
in Southfield Manor History was Dr.<br />
Peter J. Kalabat in 1982.<br />
The champion of the 2003 tournament<br />
was Sabah Attisha. Bassim<br />
Kassab was crowned as champion<br />
in 2004 after defeating Hanna Shina<br />
in the finals. Notable past champions<br />
include Joury Kas- Mikha,<br />
Harry Dikho, Hanna Shina, and<br />
Fouad Atto.<br />
The Domino masters were Karim<br />
Sarafa, Mansouri Sitto, Mikha Sheena,<br />
Hanna Dikho, Azziz Dabish, Bahi<br />
Sesi, Dr. Shakib Halabu, Habbib Yaldo,<br />
Salim Jiddo, and Ramzi Giezy.<br />
Some gamers enjoyed Billiards at<br />
the club. Among these were Louis<br />
Estephan, Habbib Qashat, Thomas<br />
Denha, Shibeeb Qas Korkis, Jack<br />
Najor, Habbib Garmo, Sabah Najor,<br />
and Fouad Atto. Table tennis<br />
was also played in the early days and<br />
the champions were usually Hanna<br />
Shina, Nafe Batah, or Sarmad Jabiro.<br />
With a clock on the side and asking<br />
for limited noise, Freddie Najor<br />
and Mike Khami were some of the<br />
few that played chess at the club.<br />
Chaldean Weddings<br />
Like other cultures, Chaldeans have<br />
their own traditions, styles, and needs<br />
when it comes to weddings. And if<br />
there’s one thing that Chaldeans are<br />
most known for in the United States,<br />
it’s their extravagant weddings. For<br />
Bassim Kassab, 2004 tawli champion<br />
the bride and groom, a typical wedding<br />
is a long, joyous day filled with<br />
multiple parties, an abundance of<br />
food, and (almost too much) dancing.<br />
When Chaldeans celebrate a<br />
wedding, they truly celebrate.<br />
The “right” banquet hall is extremely<br />
important for Chaldean<br />
weddings. They usually have a high<br />
guest count, which means that the<br />
banquet hall must offer ample space<br />
to accommodate everyone comfortably.<br />
You can expect anywhere from<br />
500 to 1,000 guests for a standard<br />
wedding. That’s a lot of aunts, uncles,<br />
and cousins!<br />
Dancing is a large part of the culture,<br />
and guests usually dance from<br />
the beginning to the very end. The<br />
banquet hall had a large dance floor<br />
for guests to celebrate the night away.<br />
Southfield Manor has been a feature<br />
of the area’s local culture for as<br />
long as most people can remember. It<br />
was the landmark of its time and quickly<br />
became a center for all major events<br />
and community functions, especially<br />
weddings. The Southfield Manor provided<br />
one of the best wedding banquet<br />
halls in the Oakland County area.<br />
In the fourth and last part of this<br />
series we will cover the farewell of<br />
The Southfield Manor, the committees,<br />
the social events and management<br />
team that were part of its colorful<br />
folklore, traditions, and history.<br />
Read the first and second installment<br />
of this series at chaldeannews.<br />
com/culture-and-history. If you have<br />
a photo to share, submit it to edit@<br />
chaldeannews.com along with a caption<br />
to be featured in the story. We are<br />
always looking to add more traditions<br />
and pictures to our articles and photography<br />
collection, so we encourage<br />
you to contact us if you have any additional<br />
insight. With your help we hope<br />
to create the most comprehensive list<br />
of past and present wedding traditions.<br />
Acknowledgements for contributions<br />
by Hanna Shina, Adil Bacall<br />
Nabby Yono, and Bassim Kassab.<br />
Special thanks to Jacqueline Raxter<br />
for assistance with editing.<br />
<strong>FEBRUARY</strong> <strong>2021</strong> CHALDEAN NEWS 29