Negev Bedouin - Identity and Culture

Identity and Culture

The Bedouin consider themselves Arabs with their origin being from what is today Syria, Iraq and Jordan, but mainly from Saudi Arabia. The Bedouins are seen as Arab culture’s purest representatives, "ideal" Arabs, but they are distinct from other Arab’s because of their extensive kinship networks, which provide them with community support and the basic necessities for survival.

The Negev Bedouin have been compared to the American Indians in terms of how they have been treated by the dominant cultures. The Regional Council of Unrecognized Villages describes the Negev Bedouin as an "indigenous" population. However, some researchers contest this view.

The Bedouin have their own authentic and distinct culture, rich oral poetic tradition, honor code and a code of laws. Despite the problem of illiteracy, the Bedouin attribute importance to natural events and ancestral traditions. The Bedouin of Arabia were the first converts to Islam, and it is an important part of their identity today.

Their outfit is also different from that of other Arabs, since the men wear long 'jellabiya' and a 'smagg' (red white draped headcover) or 'aymemma' (white headcover) or a white small headdress, sometimes held in place by an 'agall' (a black cord). Bedouin women usually wear brightly coloured long dresses but outside they wear 'abaya' (a thin, long black coat sometimes covered with shiny embroidery) and they will always cover their head and hair with a 'tarha' (a black, thin shawl) when they leave their house.