Bidwins And Hadar In The United Arab Emirsates - Assignment Example

Running Head: BIDWINS AND HADAR                             Bidwins and Hadar in the United Arab Emirates   Name Institution Bidwin derives from Bedu, an Arab word used to mean the people who migrate from place to place with their herds of animals. It therefore differentiates them from those who are non-nomadic herders in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) (Library of Congress, 2004). While the Bidwins live in the desert and travel from place to place in search of water, the Hadar are those who reside on islands or coastal areas and build sedentary villages. Every Hadar tribe has its notable territory that is either an island or an area close to the sea (Al-Zaabi, 2011). Although they comprise of people with a shared origin, the the two groups are quite distinct in their characteristics. This paper discusses the Bidwins and Hadar in the UAE. The Bidwins Presently, there are over 180,000 Bidwin within the UAE. The most prominent among its groupings are the Dhafir and the Rwala. There is also a third unique group made up of cattle nomads, the Baqqarah. Among them, there are two main social classes. The first of these are what are referred to as true Bidwins. These are essentially nomadic shepherds. The second group is one that has taken up farming. This is referred to as the fellahin (Dulaim & Abas, 2010). Fellahins have a relatively settled mode of life on the desert’s edge. Unlike them, the true Bidwins are reputed for raids against whichever caravans that crossed their path when going through the desert. They shift to the desert in the rainy winter and go back to the edge of the desert when summer comes. Because a significant amount of land within the UAE happens to be fertile, a majority of Bidwins are fellahin in orientation. The Bidwin have a limited material culture. Their tents constitute their chief possessions. Animals make up an important component of the nomadic lifestyle. Camels act as the main transportation mode while goats and sheep are common trading commodities. They are bought and sold from time to time (Huneker, 2008). Maisel (2009) explains that within the Bidwin society, loyalties depend on the closeness of kinship. This is traceable to the nuclear family, a lineage, tribe then the whole ethnic group. Just like in most pastoral groups, the Bidwin division of labor is founded on the kind of animals herded. In case there are both small and large domesticated animals, the larger ones such as camels or as is the case in rare circumstances, cattle, become the men’s responsibility. Women will usually be barred from having close contact with the animals. Older girls and women are often left the responsibility of caring for the smaller animals such as sheep and goats. In cases where there are only goats and sheep, the men become the herders while women assist in milking and feeding the flocks. Older tribe members play the role of teaching young men the necessary skills in hunting. In hunting, they use rifles. As an additional skill, they are also taught on ways of tracing their ways back in case they find themselves lost within the desert. In older times, there was no compass to be used within the desert or gulf. Because of this, they had to rely on stars as a guide to get to where they wanted to go. The young people were also taught how to ride horses and camels. In most cases, old people stay beside the tents. There is also a special tent that is made for them to congregate in. During the times when men go out hunting, young children are left to sit with the old people, usually their grandfathers. The grandfathers tell them stories about the adventures of their youthful days. They also give them lessons about life, including issues such as etiquette, manners and customs (Al-Zaabi, 2011). According to Barakat (2000), the commonly created impression of Bidwins is that of nomads who wear flowing robes and ride through the desert while on camels. However, this is not really the case. They have a much more complex kind of identity. Presently, a lot of them lead the live semi-nomad lives. They are involved in both the migration with livestock herds and also engage in settled agriculture to some extent. A majority of the Bidwins live as tribes, although almost all of them consider themselves to be Arab descendants and speak the Arabic language. Because of the scarcity of food within the desert areas, most of the Bidwins are usually faced with hunger at some point in their lives. Their main source of nutrition comes from dairy products. Goat and camel milk is made into ghee and yoghurt which they use. The women bake bread that is round, unleavened and made from stone-ground, coarse wheat. The Bidwin eat a variety of fruits especially dates which are available in desert oases from time to time. Meat is rarely consumed, and is only available during special occasions such as weddings or welcoming of prominent guests. At such times, there may be the slaughtering of a young camel, goat or lamb which is then roasted (Huneker, 2008). In order to cope with the extremely high temperatures which are normal in the desert, bidwins usually wear light-colored and lightweight clothing. This is often loose-fitting and therefore offers greater freedom of movement and circulation of air to the wearer. At the same time, it provides protection from sand that is blown by the wind and also from the sun. Their clothing is made to cover the whole body and leave out only the hands, face and feet. For the men, the main garment is a long brown, grey or white straight-cut robe. They also wear cotton or silk jackets referred to as kibrs over the robes. The kibr is open at the front and is held by a leather belt (Dulaim & Abas, 2010). A majority of Bidwins reside in rectangular tents that are low and woven using goat or camel hair. The centre of the tent is supported by poles that are in a line. The length of the tent indicates the wealth of the owner. A longer one will mean the occupant is wealthier. The tent’s sides are at times rolled so as to allow in the breeze and during sandstorms or rains, they are shut tightly. Tents are partitioned using decorative materials referred to as gatas. A half of each tent is reserved for men and has a fireplace where guests are entertained. In the other half, there are the children, women and stored things. This part also has its fireplace which is used for cooking. Women are involved in doing most work. Meanwhile, the men make plans on behalf of their group and also socialize. Children reside in their mothers’ half of the tent up to the time when they attain about seven years of age (Burckhardt, 1999). Huneker (2008) elaborates that the older boys in the tent will assist with the livestock and attend to guests. Women on their part are responsible for meal preparation, taking care of children, weaving using animal hair, sewing, meal preparation, pitching of tents, gathering fuel wood and taking care of the elderly in their families. Marriage often takes place within a given extended family, with a person’s father's cousins being the greatest preference. According to Al-Zaabi (2011), the handing down of skills through generations is an important aspect of life. For instance, whenever a Bidwin goes missing, search parties are gathered. In tracing the person, they art looking for him and find out the direction that he took by looking at their foot prints that are left on the sand. Using the expertise that they learn, they are able to tell if the prints belong to the person who is lost and also are able to approximate the time that has passed since the prints were made. Most Bidwins practice Sunni Islam. However, there is also the belief in spirits referred to as jinni, spirits that are capable of assuming human or animal form and exercising supernatural influence over people. Some of the Bidwin tribes have also undergone influence by an Islamic mystic tradition referred to as Sufism. In this understanding a Sufi is a person who has the belief that he has taken up a special body of knowledge direct from God, Allah (Burckhardt, 1999). Economic Life Economically, the Bidwin mostly involve themselves in livestock rearing. Their society revolves around the constant need to migrate as they have to seek places where grazing land is available and also water supply is available. Places that are occupied by given tribes are openly claimed and boundaries are identified and communicated to everyone (Library of Congress, 2004). Al-Zaabi (2011) explains that they occupy areas in the desert. They are organized into tribes that are relatively autonomous, and each has its territory. Their members travel within the desert searching for water and pastures that their livestock may feed on. Some members of households also go hunting, during which they capture deers, rabbits and pigeons. At the end of the day, they return home where they all bring in whatever they have succeeded to get and share it with other members of their tribe. Most tribesmen and women have some form of relation. The bidwins live a simple life. They engage in the selling of sheep and camels. In addition, they usually collect wood, grass and pastures from the desert and sell it to the Hadar in their villages. They do not have much money but sell whatever they have and use the money to buy food and other things from the shops that are found in Hadar villages (Al-Zaabi, 2011). Burckhardt (1999) argues that the Bidwins were initially known for their raising of camels. However, because of economic changes, several of them nowadays engage in sheep-rearing. Because of cultural and linguistic changes also, the term is now often used in different ways, either with reference to desert dwellers, nomads or Arabs in general. In present times, the monetarization of rural economies and the presence of a strong central authority have made some Bidwins to go into cities where they seek jobs for wages and end up being sedentary. Irrespective of their residence patterns or occupations however, they remain a part of the Bidwin community provided they maintain closeness in their ties with their pastoral kin, in addition to maintenance of their Bidwin cultural and social markers. Many Biduins still retain their pastoral and nomadic culture in spite of everything. Their subsistence is mainly based on milk, meat and dairy products that they get from their herds. With the onset of oil mining since the 1960’s however, a number of them have been employed in the industry. The government has encouraged bidwins to become more urban and settled (Icon Group, 2008). Politics The Bidwin do not place much value on political boundaries. However, with the existence of different government restrictions, there is an increasing control of the migratory lifestyle that they used to have in the past. The Bidwin society is set up along a number of kin groups that overlap. The family comprises its most basic unit. It is followed by the clan and several clans make up a tribe. In older times, a Bidwin was not supposed to take up a job for wages as this was considered to be shameful. However, presently a large number of them have taken up part-time or full-time employment because of economic pressures (Maisel, 2009). At the next interaction scale is the descent group, mostly made up of cousins. These can comprise of people belonging to between three and five generations. As a way of minimizing risk in their nomadic activities, they split themselves into different economic activities. This ensured that in case one group suffered economically, the others within the descent group could support them. Although the idea of a descent group sounds like one purely defined by a lineage, such groups remain to be flexible and adapt in order to incorporate new members (Peck, 2006). The highest scale in Bidwin interaction is the tribe. This is administered by the Sheik, or elder. A tribe in most cases identifies with a shared ancestor. The arrangement seems to be patrimonial. However, new groups may invent genealogies that would connect them with the ancestor. At the tribal level, there is mediation between the Bidwins and the formal government of the UAE. Conflict resolution, the pursuing of interests, social order and justice are all done within the foregoing framework. There is an ethic of collective responsibility and self-help that guides the people in their day to day lives. The family unit (bayt) is in most cases made up of three or four adults. These are a married couple and their parents or siblings, and their children. During older times when resources were not too scarce, several of the families travelled together. Such groups normally had a shared patriarchal lineage. However, they could also be linked through marriage, where new wives brought in their male relatives (Barakat, 2000). Burckhardt (1999) confirms that the Bidwin society is formed basing on several overlapping groups of kin. Its smallest unit is the bayt, or minimal lineage. A number of these, with a common ancestor constitute a maximal lineage, referred to as a fakhadh. Ideally, every male head of each bayt or fakhadh equals all other adult men in it. However, in practice, the upholding of religion, age and personal attributes raise the profile of some individual males within the group’s organization. The family remains to be the basic economic and social units of the society. However, their leaders come together into a council of elders that is led by the tribe’s head. In larger tribes, the fakhadh head has a link to some subtribe leader and this is immediately under the sheik. The chains of command therefore connect individual groups to the Sheik. The Sheik exercises power relating to dispute arbitration and pasture allocation. His position derives from his ability to marshal the majority’s opinion. He possesses no ability to enforce decisions. Therefore, he relies on his moral authority and agreeability of his decisions with the community. The Hadar While Bidwins are nomadic, the Hadar are a sedentary group. The Hadar comprises of settled groups. It is however also true that a large number of these have their origins within the Bidwin groups. They have an important link to the sea. They usually settle near it and engage in pearl diving (Thesiger, 2009). According to Al-Zaabi (2011), they rely much on the sea for their subsistence. They consume a lot of sea food and are famous for their diving and swimming skills. The Hadar live in houses that are made of mud and palm leaves. The structures are very strong and are a common feature in many parts of the Arab world. The Hadar are organized into tribes and each of these lives in a given territory. Members of a tribe are often related to each other. The hadar also operate shops which are situated in their villages and mosques. A number of them have fortified walls that are intended to protect their tribes. The walls also help in controlling the entry of other people into their areas as they own a lot of expensive property. Marriage usually occurs within the bioundaries of the group. However, there may be intermarriages because of the diversity of groups that the Hadar interact with. The Hadar society further has a strong element of patronage by wealthy individuals (Darraj & Puller, 2008). According to Al-Zaabi (2011), some people usually go sailing in the sea where some dive in search of pearls. In this effort, they go in ships, each carrying approximately eighty people. These are often the divers who go into the sea and look for sea shells. The season for sea shell searching usually begins from late may and lasts up to around mid-October. The ship owner acts as a sponsor of the expedition. He looks for the people who will sail with him and makes sure that he gathers them about a week before the trip. He pays them the necessary money and also gives them food that they leave their families with before sailing. The amounts of food and money are expected to last the families for about three months during which the men will be at sea. They are given between four days and a week’s break to visit their families and then go back to sea for a month. During the trip, the sailors take with them dates and rice that the feed on for up to three months. In most cases, they only carry the dates, and then head to dubai where they get the rice supplies. Their meal while at sea is often made up of dates, rice with fish. The most common destination where sea shells are picked is usually in Kuwait. Before stopping to let the divers go in, one person, a scout will dive first and check whether there are many sea shells in the area or not. He will also check if the area is safe from sharks. In case everything is fine, then the other divers get in and start collecting the sea shells from the bottom of the sea (Al-Zaabi, 2011). The ships use sails but where there is no wind, they use paddles. While they sail, they open the sea shells and get the pearl out of them. Not all of the sea shells have pearls. The frequency is about one pearl in every fifty shells. The sea shells are the property of the ship owner. When the pearls are found they are given to the owner of the ship. While sailing the sailors start to sing in the ship and have their own songs so they don’t get board and the owner of the ship tells the people some sea stories which he have been in at the past. In the villages, when the men leave out searching for pearls, the wealthy people go out of the village and travel to other cooler places where their farms are located. The journey is made by camels that are supplied by bidwins. The camels are usually given to the Bidwins to be cared for then asked for when the need arises (Al-Zaabi, 2011). The wealthy Hadars also get the chance to visit others who have farms bordering theirs. The farms are often fully planted with palm trees. The Hadar impart on their children the necessary diving skills and how to dive and look for sea shells and pearls. They also teach the young ones about various kinds of pearls. The older members of the tribe teach the young on different values, for instance respect and also various life skills and ways of coping with life’s challenges (Al-Zaabi, 2011). The Hadars’ main food comprises of water, dates and rice. These are supplemented by many other kinds of food that are brought in by ships from other countries. The ships pass annually and bring food, clothes and other commodities. The ships mostly originate from Asian countries (Abdullah, 1999). Economy Among the Hadar, there are wealthy and average individuals. The wealthy usually consist of families that own ships that hunt for sea shells and pearls. In the old days, the peals used to be very expansive and were sold to people who stood at the beaches waiting for the ships to come back. If the pearls were big and were of a rare type, they were sold to the biggest pearl buyers in the area. The wealthy people also own big houses and possess the farms to which they go in the summer. Every month during summer they retreat to their farms. The Hadar operate a vibrant economy in which they export and import commodities from their area. Ships from different places come and stop to buy and sell what they have. The Bidwins from the desert also come to Hadar villages to buy and sell their items. Business was a considerable part of the Hadar heritage even before the entry of the British and discovery of oil in the gulf (Al-Zaabi, 2011).  The group had problems with the pearl trade as from the late 1960’s. This was because the Japanese started building aquariums from where they harvested sea shells and pearls. This practice pushed down pearl prices. Ship owners could not make much money. Oil therefore acted as the alternative source of business for the wealthy Hadars (Al- Abed, 2001).  Political Organization Like the Bidwin, the basic political unit comprises of the family. This is headed by a male, usually a father. The families are organized into clans and ultimately, tribes (Cavendish, 2008). Each tribe has a sheik. This is like a king of the tribe or area in which the tribe stays. All the tribe members or residents of the area people go to the sheik to discuss issues relating to the tribe. If any problem arises within the territory or a dispute arises between two or more people, then they seek the counsel of the sheik. The sheik is often the richest person in the tribe. He is also involved in charitable activities like giving alms to the poor in addition to food and shelter. He is generally a benefactor of the community (Al-Zaabi, 2011). Generally, the number of people in the bidwins tribes is smaller when compared to those of the hadar. Within the Bidwin tribes, the numbers range from between 100 to 150 members. The reason for smaller Bidwin groups is that they travel so much and are more able to live in tinier groups. The Hadar are on the other hand usually found in large groups of between 2000 to 5000 members or even more. The sizes vary from one tribe to the other. The Hadar tribes accommodate people from other tribes who come and live with them. These include those from bidwin tribes, other Hadar tribes or even foreigners who usually like the place and stay on. There are also people who t lost their way, and were found by Hadar tribes who took care of them and eventually incorporated them through marriage into their tribes (Al-Zaabi, 2011).  Conclusion The Bidwins and Hadar in the UAE are differentiated by their mode of life. While the Bidwins are nomads, the Hadar are mainly agriculturalists, traders and pearl divers. The two groups share a basic social environment. This is dominated by Islamic faith. Most Bidwins are Sunni while Hadars tend to be Shi’ite. However, they face different challenges as economic entities. This is solved by their interdependence through trade. The distinction between the Hadar and Bidwin is a significant feature in the self-reference and therefore social differentiation within the UAE. There is generally a preference to marry, socialize and live within each respective group. It can be concluded that while the two groups are of the same geographical origin, they stand out as two distinct but interacting communities. References Abdullah, M. (1999). The United Arab Emirates: a Modern History. London: Croom Helm Al Abed, I. (2001). United Arab Emirates: a New Perspective. London: Artech House Barakat, H. (2000). The Arab World: Society, Culture and State. 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The United Arab Emirates: a Venture in Unity. London: Croom Helm Thesiger,W. (2009). Arabian Sands. New York: HarperCollins Primary Source Interview with Mr. Yossif bin Nasser bin Jassem al Zaabi, 2011 Read More