December 7, 2005

I spent this morning in a Bedouin Village close to Arad. A local artist who moonlights as a special needs tutor invited me to watch her work with five year old Bedouin children.

Here’s a little history . . .

The Bedouins are Arabs but traditionally a nomadic people until the last sixty years. They lived all over the Middle East, traveling with their herds and families. When the Ottoman Empire was carved up, Bedouin, in a way lost their independence. Their nomadic tendencies began to change and when Israel gained its independence, she also gained several thousand Bedouin – and even more now. The Bedouin presented Israel with an interesting challenge, to integrate the Bedouin into the Israel demographic. Unfortunately, the thought provoking question, only provided unthoughtful action. It is nearly impossible for a pastoral society to transfer its culture and influence unto a nomadic culture without nearly disastrous results. The desert’s capital Beersheva began as a town for Bedouins to live and settle, however it turned into a place of tribal strife and their traditional lamb skin tents lay in the streets adjacent to the buildings built for the Bedouin families.– it failed – though has become a very successful city for the Israelis.

In the desert, the tents would welcome visitors without question for three days. On the third day, the Bedouin hosts decided if the guest would stay. In the mean time, black coffee, sweet nana tea, and whatever food on hand would be served to the guest. It was unfathomable for the Bedouin to trade their tents in for concrete blocks. On the other hand, the Bedouin lifestyle limits the effect of modernity, meaning education and health are more than just several years behind times. This conflict of culture versus modernity continues today.

Scattered along the desert highways, corrugated steel roofs and cement structures house many of today’s Bedouins. Some of these towns are recognized by the Israeli government and these Bedouin recognize Israel, some even serve in the army. However, many villages exist and are unrecognized by the Israeli government, many of these “cities” lack electricity, running water, etc.

I visited four schools today and sat with teachers, some barely out of high school – the bedouin population grows at an extremely fast rate and the recognized districts lack the resources to employ professional teachers. I worked with two teachers that were studying my friend’s number and color lessons. We played Dominoes and Memory in arabic. I think I found a great way for me to pick up Arabic. In another school, I sat in a sand box with 15 bedouin children staring at the big, goofy American. We counted in Arabic, then in Hebrew, and English for about an hour. This impromptu lesson consisted of the haphazard construction of several sand mounds that were soon thereafter wiped out by the children as soon as we said the number of mounds in three different languages. In another, it was a sadder affair – the regular teacher bailed on school and does this on a regular basis due to some raging nepotism within the infrastructure of the school. Thirty children sat and watched Arabic cartoons of Don Quixote, Hansel and Gretl and numerous other stories. I also later found out that there is an extremely high level of incestuous relations that lead to some debilitating diseases. Its not as bleak as it seems – the children smile and play, and the teachers do care – but as I was told today, when you students arrive on mule - you should know you are in for an experience like none other.