GETTING TO KNOW CHALDEANS
The history of Chaldeans spans more than 5,500 years, dating back to Mesopotamia. They were a part of the southeast corner of Mesopotamia, known as Babylonia or Babylon (north Iraq today), between the 6th & 9th century BC. The Chaldeans briefly ruled Babylon during the 11th dynasty. Chaldeans were renowned for their study and knowledge of astrology and astronomy. While in Iraq, they lived in small villages where they farmed, played sports, celebrated milestones, and attended school. Many Chaldeans in America are trilingual, speaking Aramaic, Arabic and English. They are dominantly Aramaic speaking, a language known to be spoken by Jesus Christ.
Like many ethnic groups, Chaldeans came to the United States of America in search of better economic, religious and political freedom. Given the current global state, many more refugees are fleeing from the Middle East to seek refuge from religious persecution and terror groups. To date, there are approximately 60,000 Chaldeans across San Diego County, primarily concentrated in east county. It hosts the second-highest population of Chaldeans in the United States, behind only Metro Detroit.
In the Chaldean culture, church and family are a central focus of Chaldean life. The majority of Chaldeans are Aramaic-speaking, Eastern Rite Catholics. The Patriarchate of the Chaldean Catholic Church currently resides in Baghdad, Iraq. Family takes precedent over individual needs. Family honor is very important. Social contacts between Chaldean families are frequent and close, and it extends not only to immediate family but also to more distant relatives. They are also known for being very generous and hospitable, hard-working, cheerful, expressive, kind to strangers and having high moral values.
The family plays a big role in supporting new immigrants as they help them navigate the immigration process and helping them adjust once they arrive in the United States. Faced with the many challenges of assimilating to a new culture, many immigrants and refugees sought greater opportunities in America. Many early immigrants are entrepreneurs, and their children strive to be entrepreneurs or prominent members of the workforce.
New immigrants and refugees are faced with many new challenges and are not aware of all the opportunities in America. This leads to many Chaldean youth struggling to understand how they can be accepted and successful in a completely new culture and atmosphere. Many seek acceptance through risky avenues and struggle at school and other social areas. Exposing Chaldean youth to new activities, mentorships and social experiences helps to guide their growth and motivate them to create and achieve new goals.
The Ayana Group is proud to play a leading role in assisting the entire Chaldean community. In particular, those who have less economic opportunities and are unable to afford extracurricular activities.