BEDOUINS

Bedouins are very pastoral. They herd camels and sometimes sheep, goats, and cattle. They earn their income by handicrafts. Often times, most Bedouins are nomadic. In the winter, they migrate deeper into the desert, while in the summer, they seek an oasis. Some tribes have settled in urban areas because the government is trying its hardest to stop the nomadic lifestyle. Their way of living is considered a threat to the government who wants to know who belongs where, who the land owner is, and how to collect taxes for it.

Bedouin Arabic is divided in two zones. They are the eastern and the western and their borders are almost parallel to the Egyptian/ Libyan broder. They also organize themselves by patrilinear groups. The size depends on the family. Shaykhs, or elders, are the head of the group and is hereditary from father to son. They are divided among social classes, making marriage between a man and a woman of different classes almost impossible.

They express themselves through poetry which is the standard for other literary achievements and for the Arabic language. Beduoins eat dairy products, milk and meat while living in black tents made from goat or camel hair and fibres from plants. If they are planning on settling down for a while, they make simple houses made of mud and stone.