Bedouin

Bedouin, derived from the Arabic , a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic pastoralist groups, who are found throughout most of the desert belt extending from the Atlantic coast of the Sahara via the Western Desert, Sinai, and Negev to the eastern coast of the Arabian desert. It is occasionally used to refer to non-Arab groups as well, notably the Beja of the African coast of the Red Sea.

Changing ways of life

Starting in the 1950s and 1960s, many Bedouin started to leave the traditional, nomadic life to work and live in the cities of the Middle East, especially as grazing 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, oil production in Libya and the 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 and farmers.

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.

Traditional Bedouin culture

The Bedouins were traditionally divided into related tribes. These tribes were organised 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 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. Royal Tribes traditionally herded camels, whilst others herded sheep, and 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 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 should be able to support them). Whilst the phrase descent group suggest purely a patriarchical arrangement, in reality these groups were fluid and adapted their genealogies to take in new members.

The largest scale of tribal interactions is obviously the tribe as a whole, led by a Sheikh. The tribe often claims descent from one common ancestor- as above, this appears patrilineal but in reality new groups could have geneologies 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.

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

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:

Alataway tribe ( also; known as beny ateyah), live in norht western of Saudi Arbia; Tabuk province.
Aniza, the largest bedouin tribe, estimated at about 700,000 members (including the Rwala), live in northern Saudi Arabia, western Iraq, and the Syrian steppe.
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
Howeitat in Wadi Araba, and Wadi Rum, Jordan
Beni Sakhr in Syria and Jordan
Al Murrah in Saudi Arabia
Bani Hajir (AlHajri) in Saudi Arabia and the eastern Gulf States
Bani Khalid in Jordan, Israel, Palestinian Territories, and Syria, also in the eastern Arabian Peninsula
Shammar in Saudi Arabia, central, and western Iraq, Shammar is the second largest bedouin tribe.
Mutair, live in the Nejd plateau, also, many small families from the Mutair tribe have lived in the Gulf States
Al-Ajman, eastern Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States
Sudair, southern Nejd, around the Sudair region of Saudi Arabia
Al-Duwasir, southern Riyadh, and Kuwait
Subai'a, central Nejd, and Kuwait
Harb, a large tribe, living around Mecca
Juhayna, a large tribe, many of its warriors were recruited as mercenaries during WWI by Prince Faisal. It surrounds the area of Mecca, and extends to Southern Medina

Sources and references

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 0140095144 (Penguin paperback). British adventurer lives as and with the Bedu of the Empty Quarter for 5 years.

External links

Gourt Home::Gourt :: Bedouin

Changing ways of life

Traditional Bedouin culture

Bedouin tribes and populations

See also

Sources and references

External links