Bedouin

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Image:Bedouin Resting.jpg

Bedouin, derived from the Arabic badawi بدوي, a generic name for a desert-dweller, is a term generally applied to Arab nomadic 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.

Contents

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.

Traditional Bedouin culture

The Bedouins were traditionally divided into related tribes, each led by a Sheikh. Traditionally they would herd camels, sheep, and goats, while riding on highly prized horses, moving according to the seasons for grazing lands. For centuries and into the early 20th century the Bedouin were known for their fierce resistance to outside government and influence.

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:

  • Rwala 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
  • Awlad Ali live in Egypt and Cyrenica, in 1971 Mohsen estimated that there were 100,000 or so members of the tribe in the desert.
  • Bdul Bedouin live around Petra in Jordan.
  • Ammarin North of Petra
  • Howeitat in Wadi Araba, Jordan
  • Beni Sakhr in Syria and Jordan
  • Al Murrah in Saudi Arabia
  • Sardiyyah in Jordan
  • Beni Khalid in Jordan, Palestine and Syria
  • Anayzah
  • Shammar
  • Baggara of Sudan and Chad
  • Chaamba of Algeria
  • Beni Hassan of Mauritania.

See also: Bedouin music

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
  • William Lancaster "The Rwala Bedouin Today" 1981
  • 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

Retrieved from "http://en.freepedia.org/Bedouin.html"


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