Focus on Life of Bedouin Women

1980 Words8 Pages
The Bedouin are Arab pastoralists that inhabit some of the harshest desert climates with some measure of success. They live in groups or tribes that can range from a few families to numbers that exceed 500 members. The Bedouins in the Sinai region during the 1930s had a distinct way in which they organized their life. “This distinctive lifestyle was governed by a code of honor, bravery, generosity, political acumen and mediatory abilities (Lancaster 1981).” The Badu women that belonged to these tribes were specifically socialized and acculturated very differently than there brothers. Their experiences from the moment they were born differed greatly from those of their male counterparts that are not morally right or wrong. It was the way in which they organized their world around them, which takes on a certain form. From the time a girl is born her experiences, as a female member of the tribe, will be radically different than that of her male siblings. She will not have the same exposure to the outside world. The girls will be raised seclusion with the other women of the tribe and enjoy the liberties with them. She will learn from the women in her tent the necessary skills that will prepare her for her life as a wife and mother. Although her life is rarely public it is regarded as equal to the male members of the tribe. Honor comes from the women. This honor of the tribe is primary. It can be maintained or lost by an individual woman through her actions and behaviors. “This is not only their sexual honor but also includes her ability to manage the household, cook tasty meals, obedience, cheerfulness, hard work, and the loving upbringing of her children (Lancaster 1981)”. From about the age of two, little boys will have the ability to wander about the camp and will often spend a lot of time in their father’s tent. The young boys of the tribe will
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