Field Notes # 4 / Interview with Bedouin Family
Huwaytat father, seven sons, visitor, and Raid
Camp location: just outside Um Hamat village
Reason for selection: We wanted to interview Bedouins that were pastoral nomads rather than the landless Palestinians we had been meeting. Selected tent that was made from traditional wool, had truck outside, appeared as if men were present inside tent, had sheep and goats present.
Tribe: Huwaytat Ibn Jazi, from Al Jafr and Ma'an
Informants: two men from the same tribe with tents situated near each other. Informant A was resident and informant B was his neighbor-guest.
Informant A: father/owner - Family: 2 wives and 20 children, 15 boys and 5 girls. Wants another wife but can not afford it, oldest is 20 yr. old in army. Aspiration for children: not nomads but get education and find jobs. Seven children were in school in Jefr. Division of labor: boys herd sheep-goats, older boys herd camels, and girls help milk and process milk.Migration: Did not own truck (although he drove off with water tank right after we left), came on foot with herds from Jefr, took 4 days, last year did not come but went to Shira, winter in Shirah Mountains (below Aqaba), spring in Jafr, summer - Karak Plateau. Transhumance: permanent residence in Jehr in winter, children go to school, he owns land and house and moves to graze animals in spring and summer.
Is pleased with having come, good fodder for animals. Has leased land, harvested as well as grazed sheep - 45 dunum (5 JD per D.)
Animals: Owns 85 sheep and goats (questionable, hesitated in answering), 5 camels, some chickens around tent. Asked why he doesn't have more camels and answered that they eat too much. In Gulf War he lost 19 camels because they were in Saudi Arabia, the border was closed and he could not get them out.
General observation: Very cordial, wore pistol, 8 of his sons sat quietly and listened to conversation. Were there for about 45 minutes.
Several problems: 1) doesn’t get the 6 J.D. per head per year because had 130 head when government counted and although has less than 100 now cannot get card for subsidy. 2) government stopped distributing land to the Bedouins because there was a conflict between the tribes.
General possessions: wool tent, boy rode up on bicycle, 3 silver tea pots, better equipped than most families visited.
Informant B: 1 wife and 10 children, from same area, 50 sheep and goats and 5 camels