- published: 10 Oct 2015
- views: 113540
The Bedouin ( /ˈbɛdʉ.ɪn/; from the Arabic badawī بَدَوِي, pl. badū بَدْو or al-badaw البَدَوِ) are a part of a predominantly desert-dwelling Arabian ethnic group traditionally divided into tribes or clans, known in Arabic as ʿašāʾir (عَشَائِر).
The term "Bedouin" derives from a plural form of the Arabic word badawī, as it is pronounced in colloquial dialects. The Arabic term badawī derives from the word bādiyah (بَادِية), which means semiarid desert (as opposed to ṣaḥrāʾ صَحْرَاء, which means very arid desert). The term "Bedouin" therefore means, "those in bādiyah" or "those in the desert".
Starting in the late nineteenth century, many Bedouin under British rule began to transit to a seminomadic life. In the 1950s and 1960s, large numbers of Bedouin throughout Midwest Asia started to leave the traditional, nomadic life to settle in the cities of Midwest Asia, especially as hot ranges have shrunk and populations have grown. For example, in Syria the Bedouin way of life effectively ended during a severe drought from 1958 to 1961, which forced many Bedouin to abandon herding for standard jobs. Similarly, governmental policies in Egypt and Israel, oil production in the Persian Gulf, as well as a desire for improved standards of living, effectively led most Bedouin to become settled citizens of various nations, rather than stateless nomadic herders. Governmental policies pressing the Bedouin have in some cases been executed in an attempt to provide service (schools, health-care, law enforcement and so on—see Chatty 1986 for examples), but in others have been based on the desire to seize land traditionally roved and controlled by the Bedouin. In recent years, the Bedouin have adopted the pastime of raising and breeding white doves.
I could wait for a long time
Pretend there's hope for this heart of mine
Believe someday I could hear you say
You send me, never go away
But I find myself all alone at night
I got no one, not a soul in sight
See those clouds come a closing in
Now the rain come down here I go
Here I go again, coming 'round the bend
And I'm begging you please
You gotta wait for me
I got it bad for you
I know you feel it too
We oughta see it through
'Cause I got it bad, got it bad for you
Got it bad for you
Another day world turn around
Help me get my feet back on the ground
Funny I'm okay as long as I
Keep keeping you on my mind
Then I see your face and I lose control
I lose myself but I can't let go
Another day I can't bear to face
Lonely man in a lonely place
Time's going to waste
Let's give it a try
On this you can rely
See your face and I lose control
I lose myself and I can't let go
See the clouds come closing in
The rain come down