israel: a place to be
I was surprised and delighted to learn that Israel would be the destination for our class’s summer trip with BuildaBridge. Prior to doing research about the Bedouins of Israel’s Negev Desert, the only thing I knew about this ethnic group was that they were vagabonds who lived in the desert with camels and tents. (It was a somewhat romantic notion, I’ll admit, and one that was not accurate to real life.) Eager to eliminate my ignorance, I started doing research about this group.
I was excited to learn more about the elements of their existence that defined and united them as a people. A study by Frederik Barth on ethnic groups found that “ethnic groups are formed based upon at least four characteristics: a shared biological or racial background, shared communication systems (languages, etc), shared cultural traits, and a personally affirmed identity or sense of belonging” (Leuthold, 2011, p. 151). I was intrigued by Bedouin culture – the food, lifestyle, religious traditions, dress, music, visual art, dance, etc. More specifically, I was interested in their traditional crafts and art-making activities because aesthetic expression is a critical process in ethnic identification (p. 153).
Learning about the oppression and discrimination Bedouins face in Israel opened my eyes to the reason they hold on so tightly to tradition. Bedouins presently living in Israel cannot live completely separate from mainstream culture and a more modern society. Because they desire a better way of life, many settlements, including Qasr Al-Sir, have been open to assistance and infrastructure support from Israel. With society as a whole changing, Anwar told us that certain attitudes have shifted within the Bedouin culture in Al Hawashla. For instance, the rights and opportunities for women have broadened. Women may now choose to pursue an education, including higher levels of education such as a college degree.
Another example of progress relating to women’s rights in Al Hawashla is the formation of a women’s cooking collective. The wife of the elementary school principal directs and runs a catering business that is completely staffed by women from the village. They are delicious cooks too! The camp staff, including adults from BuildaBridge and Reinventing Roots, had a delicious, fresh, and flavorful spread prepared by the women every afternoon for lunch. I was so pleased that we were able to provide steady business for the kitchen during our time in Al Hawashla.
Another great example of how attitudes towards women are progressing favorably is the existence and success of Lakiya Weaving Cooperative which was founded in 1991. The BuildaBridge group was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon experiencing a rug weaving and yarn spinning demonstration at their new workshop space up in the hills of Lakiya, another recognized Bedouin town. Two older Bedouin women provided the demonstration while Tilal, a young male who works for the organization, explained how the organization seeks to “empower Bedouin women in Israel's Negev region, both personally and economically, by applying their traditional weaving skills to the manufacture and sale of woven products” (Lakiya Negev Weaving, n.d.).
According to the organization, traditional sheep’s wool weaving is one of the last traces of the unique Bedouin heritage (Lakiya Negev Weaving, n.d.). Weaving, it is clear, remains an important aspect of Bedouin identity. Within a community of nations, that is, within Israel, art can offer ethnic groups a distinct identity and a sense of pride of one’s culture. In Cross Cultural Issues in Art (2011), Steven Leuthold states that “clear cultural identity functions as evidence of the legitimacy of the nation as an independent political unit” (p. 64). The author goes on to explain the value of a defined national identity (p. 80):
“[It] provides a sense of anchorage, especially when times are hard. Identity formation is a universal aspect of human psychology and much of our individual identity formation takes place in our interaction with others. We are social animals by nature and we form our identities in relation to communities, a process called collective identification.”
For many Bedouins of the Negev, life is hard. Ultimately, their ability to collectively identify as an ethnic group will help protect and uphold the aspects of their culture that make them distinct among other groups in Israel. I hope that despite the societal and political pressures unique to Israel that threaten the preservation of the Bedouin culture, they continue to celebrate their heritage and strive for equality.
I was excited to learn more about the elements of their existence that defined and united them as a people. A study by Frederik Barth on ethnic groups found that “ethnic groups are formed based upon at least four characteristics: a shared biological or racial background, shared communication systems (languages, etc), shared cultural traits, and a personally affirmed identity or sense of belonging” (Leuthold, 2011, p. 151). I was intrigued by Bedouin culture – the food, lifestyle, religious traditions, dress, music, visual art, dance, etc. More specifically, I was interested in their traditional crafts and art-making activities because aesthetic expression is a critical process in ethnic identification (p. 153).
Learning about the oppression and discrimination Bedouins face in Israel opened my eyes to the reason they hold on so tightly to tradition. Bedouins presently living in Israel cannot live completely separate from mainstream culture and a more modern society. Because they desire a better way of life, many settlements, including Qasr Al-Sir, have been open to assistance and infrastructure support from Israel. With society as a whole changing, Anwar told us that certain attitudes have shifted within the Bedouin culture in Al Hawashla. For instance, the rights and opportunities for women have broadened. Women may now choose to pursue an education, including higher levels of education such as a college degree.
Another example of progress relating to women’s rights in Al Hawashla is the formation of a women’s cooking collective. The wife of the elementary school principal directs and runs a catering business that is completely staffed by women from the village. They are delicious cooks too! The camp staff, including adults from BuildaBridge and Reinventing Roots, had a delicious, fresh, and flavorful spread prepared by the women every afternoon for lunch. I was so pleased that we were able to provide steady business for the kitchen during our time in Al Hawashla.
Another great example of how attitudes towards women are progressing favorably is the existence and success of Lakiya Weaving Cooperative which was founded in 1991. The BuildaBridge group was fortunate enough to spend an afternoon experiencing a rug weaving and yarn spinning demonstration at their new workshop space up in the hills of Lakiya, another recognized Bedouin town. Two older Bedouin women provided the demonstration while Tilal, a young male who works for the organization, explained how the organization seeks to “empower Bedouin women in Israel's Negev region, both personally and economically, by applying their traditional weaving skills to the manufacture and sale of woven products” (Lakiya Negev Weaving, n.d.).
According to the organization, traditional sheep’s wool weaving is one of the last traces of the unique Bedouin heritage (Lakiya Negev Weaving, n.d.). Weaving, it is clear, remains an important aspect of Bedouin identity. Within a community of nations, that is, within Israel, art can offer ethnic groups a distinct identity and a sense of pride of one’s culture. In Cross Cultural Issues in Art (2011), Steven Leuthold states that “clear cultural identity functions as evidence of the legitimacy of the nation as an independent political unit” (p. 64). The author goes on to explain the value of a defined national identity (p. 80):
“[It] provides a sense of anchorage, especially when times are hard. Identity formation is a universal aspect of human psychology and much of our individual identity formation takes place in our interaction with others. We are social animals by nature and we form our identities in relation to communities, a process called collective identification.”
For many Bedouins of the Negev, life is hard. Ultimately, their ability to collectively identify as an ethnic group will help protect and uphold the aspects of their culture that make them distinct among other groups in Israel. I hope that despite the societal and political pressures unique to Israel that threaten the preservation of the Bedouin culture, they continue to celebrate their heritage and strive for equality.
References
Lakiya Weaving Negev. (n.d.). Retrieved August 17, 2015, from http://www.lakiya.org/#/lakiya-weaving/4556000146
Leuthold, S. (2011). Cross-cultural issues in art: Frames for understanding. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.
Leuthold, S. (2011). Cross-cultural issues in art: Frames for understanding. Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge.