Bedouin

 

(bĕd'ūĭn) [Arab.,=desert dwellers], primarily nomad Arab peoples of the Middle East, where they form about 10% of the population. They are of the same Semitic stock as their sedentary neighbors (the fellahin; see Arabs) and share with them a devout belief in Islam and a distrust of any but their own local traditions and way of life. Camel and sheep breeding provide their main livelihood. Land is divided into recognized tribal orbits within which are roving family groups. The tribe is a community of equals headed by a sheikh. Among the Bedouin, hospitality and simple, immediate justice are first rules of conduct. Although Bedouin have traditionally avoided agricultural work, settlement policies of the various Middle Eastern states in the 20th cent. have forced many of them into a sedentary life.

Bibliography

See E. Marx, Bedouin of the Negev (1967); E. Nevins and T. Wright, World Without Time (1969).

Bedouin, (from the Arabic badawī (بدوي), is a desert-dwelling Arab nomadic pastoralist, found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the Arabian Desert. Non-Arab groups as well, notably the Beja of the African coast of the Red Sea are sometimes called Bedouin.

Traditional Bedouin culture

The Bedouins were divided into related tribes. These tribes were organized on several levels - a widely-quoted Bedouin saying is "I against my brothers, I and my brothers against my cousins, I and my brothers and my cousins against the world". The saying signifies a hierarchy of loyalties based on closeness of kinship that runs from the nuclear family through the lineage, the tribe, and even, in principle at least, to an entire ethnic or linguistic group (which is perceived to have a kinship basis). Disputes are settled, interests are pursued, and justice and order are maintained by means of this organizational framework, according to an ethic of self-help and collective responsibility *(Andersen 14). The individual family unit (known as a tent or bayt) typically consisted of three or four adults (a married couple plus siblings or parents) and any number of children, and would focus on semi-nomadic pastoralism, migrating throughout the year following water and plant resources. More powerful tribes traditionally herded camels, while others herded sheep or goats.

When resources were plentiful, several tents would travel together as a goum. These groups were sometimes linked by patriarchical lineage but just as likely linked by marriage (new wives were especially likely to have male relatives join them), acquaintance or even no clearly defined relation but a simple shared membership in the tribe.

The next scale of interactions inside tribal groups was the ibn amm ("cousin") or descent group, commonly of 3 or 5 generations. These were often linked to "goums", but whereas a "goum" would generally consist of people all with the same herd type, "descent groups" were frequently split up over several economic activities (allowing a degree of risk management: should one group of members of a descent group suffer economically, the other members would be able to support them). Whilst the phrase "descent group" suggests purely a lineage-based arrangement, in reality these groups were fluid and adapted their genealogies to take in new members.

The largest scale of tribal interactions is of course the tribe as a whole, led by a Sheikh (literally, "elder"). The tribe often claims descent from one common ancestor - as mentioned above, this appears patrilineal but in reality new groups could have genealogies invented to tie them in to this ancestor. The tribal level is the level that mediated between the Bedouin and the outside governments and organisations.

Bedouins traditionally had strong honor codes, and traditional systems of justice dispensation in Bedouin society typically revolved around such codes. The bisha'a, or ordeal by fire, is a well-known Bedouin practice of lie detection. See also: Honor codes of the Bedouin, Bedouin systems of justice

Bedouins are well known for practicing folk music, folk dance and folk poetry. See also: Bedouin music, Ghinnawa x

More in-depth discussions on these topics can be found in Chatty (1996) and Lancaster (1997).

Changing ways of life

Starting in the 1950's as well as the 1960s, many Bedouins started to leave the traditional, nomadic life to settle in the cities of the Middle East, especially as hot ranges have shrunk and population levels have grown. In Syria, for example, the Bedouin way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961, which forced many Bedouin to give up herding for standard jobs. Similarly, government policies in Egypt and Israel, oil production in Libya and the Persian Gulf, and a desire for improved standards of living have had the effect that most Bedouin are now settled citizens of various nations, rather than nomadic herders.

Government policies on settlement are generally put in place through a desire to provide services (schools, health care, law enforcement and so on). This is considerably easier for a fixed population than for semi-nomadic pastoralists. See Chatty (1986) for examples.

Bedouin tribes and populations

There are a number of Bedouin tribes, but the total population is often difficult to determine, especially as many Bedouin have ceased to lead nomadic or semi-nomadic lifestyles (see above) and joined the general population. Some of the tribes and their historical population:

• Al-Qatarneh Bedouin of Balqa Amman in Jordan
• Al-Massaed tribe found in Jordan.
• Abbadi tribe found in Jordan.
• Al-Murrah in Saudi Arabia
• Al-Ajman, eastern Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States
• Alatwy tribe (also known as Beni Ateyah), live in northwestern part of Saudi Arabia, Tabuk province.
• Al-Awazem, mostly located in Kuwait, with a small section in northeastern Saudi Arabia.
• Al-Duwasir, south of Riyadh, and Kuwait
• Al-Rashaydah, a large internationally tribe, originally centered around Medina, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait but also extending in Jordan, Egypt, Eritrea, Sudan, Libya and Mali, see also Bani Rasheed
• Aniza, Some Anizes are of Bedouin tribes that lives in northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, the Gulf States, and the Syrian steppe.
• Bani Hajer (AlHajri) large and powerful tribe in Saudi Arabia and the eastern Gulf States
• Bani Rasheed in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Sudan, Eritrea, and North Africa.
• Banu Khalid in Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Jordan, Syria, and Iraq.
• Bani Truf in Ahwaz which is located in southwest of Iran near Iraqi border.
• Banu Yam centered in Najran Province, Saudi Arabia.
• Beni Sakhr in Syria and Jordan.
• Al-Da'ajah Bedouin of Balqawi Amman in Jordan
• Ghamid, large tribe from Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia. Mostly settled, but with a small bedouin section known as Badiyat Ghamid.
• Harb, a large tribe, centered around Medina, but also extending northwards towards Tabuk and eastwards towards
• Hareeb 100 Miles South of Marib in Yemen
• Howeitat in Wadi Araba, and Wadi Rum, Jordan
• Juhayna, a large tribe, many of its warriors were recruited as mercenaries during World War I by Prince Faisal. It surrounds the area of Mecca, and extends to Southern Medina
• Khawalid in Jordan, Israel, Palestinian territories, and Syria.
• Tuba-Zangariyye, Israel near Syria^[1]
• Murad, a tribe living 150 miles south-east of the capital of Yemen.
• Mutair, estimated at about 1,200,000 members;^{[citation needed]} they live in the Nejd plateau, also, many small families from the Mutair tribe live in the Gulf States, especially Kuwait.
• Muzziena in Dahab and South Sinai.
• Negev Bedouins in Israel.
• Rwala, a large clan from the Aniza tribe, live in Saudi Arabia, but extend through Jordan into Syria and Iraq, in the 1970s, according to Lancaster, there were 250,000-500,000 Rwala
• Shammar in Saudi Arabia, central, and western Iraq.
• Al-Subaiee, central Nejd, and Kuwait
• Ubeidah, 150 miles west of the capital of Yemen
• Utaybah large tribe in western and central Saudi Arabia.
• Zaab, a small tribe which live with the Al-Ajman, in eastern Saudi Arabia.
• Zahran, large tribe from Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia.

Sources

• Andersen, Roy R., Robert F. Seibert, Jon G. Wagner.Politics and Change in the Middle East: Sources of Conflict and Accommodation. Eighth edition. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Prentice Hall. 2007.
• Cole, Donald P. "Where have the Bedouin gone?". Anthropological Quarterly. Washington: Spring 2003.Vol.76, Iss. 2; pg. 235
• Dawn Chatty From Camel to Truck. The Bedouin in the Modern World. New York: Vantage Press. 1986
• Chatty, D Mobile Pastoralists 1996. Broad introduction to the topic, specific focus on women's issues.
• Gardner, Ann "At Home in South Sinai." Nomadic Peoples 2000.Vol.4,Iss. 2; pp. 48-67. Detailed account of Bedouin women.
• William Lancaster The Rwala Bedouin Today 1981 (Second Edition 1997). Detailed examination of social structures.
• Mohsen, Safia K. The quest for order among Awlad Ali of the Western Desert of Egypt.
• Thesiger, Wilfred (1959). Arabian Sands. ISBN 0-14-009514-4 (Penguin paperback). British adventurer lives as and with the Bedu of the Empty Quarter for 5 years

References

External links

• Introduction to Bedouin culture
• The Bedouin: Culture In Transition
• Bedouin Culture & Folklore
• The Bedouin Nomads
• Center for Bedouin Studies and Development of Ben-Gurion University
• The Negev Bedouin, A Photographic Exhibit
• The Beduin of Arabia
• Bedouin's photographys
• Sinai Bedouin Women
• Collection of Historic Images of Bedouins from 1890-1920 from the American Colony Photgraphy Department
• Fuchsia a seven-minute documentary about Bedouin girls.
• Bedouin Culture in Dahab, Sinai
• The Bedouin

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