Unit 3: Language and Ethnicity
Lesson 1: Ethnic Minorities in the Arab World
Below you will find information about select ethnic minorities living in the Arab world:
Kurds
The Kurds are a mainly Sunni Muslim people who live in a region spreading across
parts of Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria, with some populations also in Armenia,
Azerbaijan and diaspora groups throughout Europe. The global Kurdish population numbers between 25-30 million, making it the fourth-largest ethnic group in the
Middle East and the largest ethnic group without its own state. Kurdish culture stems
back around 4,000 years ago to the migration of Indo-European tribes to the Zagros
Mountains, which is now the heart of the Kurdish region The Kurds have their own
Kurdish language, which is related to Persian, and a distinct culture. The Kurds are
a traditionally nomadic people whose livelihood focused on sheep and goat herding
until they were forced to settle after the post-World War I breakup of the Ottoman
Empire. The Kurds desired their own state in the division of land after WWI, but were
denied. Since then they have often been the victims of oppressive national campaigns in the states where they reside, as well as the forces behind separatist and
sometimes violent movements for greater independence.
Bedouin (Bedu)
The Bedouin are a nomadic, Arabic-speaking people who live throughout the deserts
of the Middle East, particularly in the Arabian Peninsula, the Sinai desert of Egypt,
the Negev desert of Israel, Jordan, and Syria. The word “Bedouin” is derived from
the plural form of the Arabic word meaning nomad or wanderer and literally means
people of the desert. Their worldwide population numbers over 5 million. Most Bedouin
are animal herders and were primarily nomadic before being forced to become
sedentary after the political changes that took place following World War II.
The Bedouin have been called “the original Arab,” because they are the ancestors of
modern-day Arabs. The Bedouin traditionally lived in tents made of goat or camel hair,
and while many Bedouin today have constructed houses, they likely also have a tent
as well for family gatherings. The Bedouin’s traditional employs are herding and raising
goats, camels, and sometimes horses. After World War II, more Bedouin became
settled and employed in the armed forces or in construction work. Bedouin culture is
very traditional and structured, with strong emphasis placed on the patriarchal
order and honor code in their extended, patrilineal, endogamous and often polygynous
families. While most Bedouin are Muslim, the family structure and codes have a much
larger impact on the Bedouin than rules of religion. The clan organization is the
foundation of Bedouin society: each tent represents a family, an encampment of tents
form a clan, and kindred clans group together to constitute a tribe. The head of the clan is called the
sheikh, a senior member of the tribe who is elected, assisted by and must consult with a tribal council of male elders.
Nubians
The Nubians are the people of Nubia, an ancient region stretching across southern
Egypt and northern Sudan. The Nubian people speak the Nubian language and
Arabic. Ancient Nubia was a land of great wealth and riches, and was home to some
of Africa’s earliest kingdoms. Nubians traded in gold, ebony, ivory and incense, and
built monuments that still stand today, such as temples and pyramids. Nubians, living
along the Nile River, were farmers, cattle herders and miners and traders. Thousands of
Nubians were forced to resettle during the 1960s and 1970s development of the Aswan
High Dam and Lake Nasser. Most Nubians practice a mixture of Islam and
traditional folk beliefs.
Imazighen (Berbers)
The Imazighen people, often referred to as Berbers, are the indigenous residents of
North Africa, who now live in scattered communities across Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, and Libya as well as in subsaharan African countries including Mali and
Mauritania. They are concentrated in Morocco and Algeria, making up 40 and 30
percent of their populations, respectively. Today there are also many Imazighen who
have migrated to larger cities in North Africa, Spain and France to seek employment.
The Imazighen are mostly sedentary agriculturalists who are concentrated in the
mountain and desert regions of North Africa. They also raise herds of animals such
as cattle, sheep and goats. Some Imazighen are semi-nomadic, cultivating crops and
grazing their herds in different locales depending on the season.
The Imazighen people speak a collection of languages from the Afro-Asiatic language family, which can be broken down into 300 different dialects. Nearly all Imazighen are Muslim; however traditional Islamic tenets are often mixed with pre-Islamic
pagan practices and beliefs. Some Imazighen tribes, particularly the Tuareg, traditionally practice matrilineality, in which familial descent is traced through the mother and
maternal ancestors. Tuareg women own livestock, tents, and household possessions
and may exert high levels of influence on household matters. Women tend to enjoy
higher levels of personal freedom than in neighboring Arab societies and ethnic groups,
and local governments are more communal and less authoritarian.
Sources:
“Ancient Nubia.” The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago.
<http://oi.uchicago.edu/museum/nubia/>
“Bedouin.” One World Encyclopedia. < http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Bedouin>
“Bedouin.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/58173/Bedouin>
“Egypt: Aswan / Nubia -- The Past.” Tour Egypt.
<http://www.touregypt.net/aswan/aswan2.htm>
“Egypt: Nubia in Modern and Ancient times.” Tour Egypt.
<http://www.touregypt.net/historicalessays/nubia.htm>
Hassanpour, Amir. “The Kurdish Experience.” Middle East Research and Information Project.
Published in MER189, July/August 1994. http://www.merip.org/mer/mer189/kurdish-experience?ip_login_no_cache=b12835857c3
079bb749492e7868d7725>
Haven, Cynthia. “New exhibition highlights the ‘artful’ Tuareg of the Sahara.” Stanford News
Service. May 23, 2007. <http://news.stanford.edu/pr/2007/pr-tuareg-052307.html>
Hoffman, K. & Susan Gilson Miller, eds. Berbers and Others: Beyond Tribe and Nation in the
Maghrib. Bloomington: Indiana UP, 2010.
Katzman, K. “The Kurds in Post-Saddam Iraq.” Congressional Research Service (2010)
<http://www.fas.org/sgp/crs/mideast/RS22079.pdf>
”Nubia.” Encyclopaedia Britannica. <http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/421485/Nubia>
The Kurdish Human Rights Project. <http://www.khrp.org/kurds/history.html>
“The Kurds’ Story.” PBS Frontline.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/saddam/kurds/
“Timeline: The Kurds.” BBC News.
<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/country_profiles/2893067.stm>
“Who Are the Kurds?” Washington Post.
<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/inatl/daily/feb99/kurdprofile.htm>
“Who Are the Kurds?” PBS NewsHour, September 6, 1996
<http://www.pbs.org/newshour/forum/september96/kurds_9-6.html>
Wolff, Ekkehard H. “Berber. “Amazigh Languages.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61496/Amazigh-languages>
Wolff, Ekkehard H. “Berber.” Encyclopaedia Britannica.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/61465/Berber>