Information AboutBedouin |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT BEDOUIN | |
| arab | |
| arabic words and phrases | |
| ethnic groups in egypt | |
| bedouin israelis | |
| eurasian nomads | |
| african nomads | |
| pastoralists | |
| bedouin society | |
|
''Bedouin'', derived from the Arabic '''' (), a name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab Nomad ic 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 Arabian Desert . It is occasionally used to refer to non-Arab groups as well, notably the Beja of the Africa n coast of the Red Sea . TRADITIONAL BEDOUIN CULTURE The Bedouins were divided into related tribes. These tribes were organized on several levels - a widely-quoted Bedouin saying, and one adopted by French politician ) 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 , Bedouin Systems Of Justice Bedouins are well known for practicing , 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 , Jordan ]] 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:
SOURCES
REFERENCES EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|