The manners and customs of the Rwala Bedouins

Musil, Alois

Book

The manners and customs of the Rwala Bedouins

The American Geographical Society • (6) • Published In 1928 • Pages: xiv, 712

By: Musil, Alois.

Abstract
The author, who was Professor of Oriental Studies at Charles University in Prague, spent many months traveling and camping with the Rwala. The results of his studies are given in this volume, supplemented by details learned from a companion of the Sba'a tribe. He has presented an immense amount of detailed information on the structure of Rwala society, native customs and traditions, domestic animals and animal transport, native beliefs and code of ethics, and war and peace. On most of these subjects the author has presented native ditties, songs and poems in Arabic and in translation which he heard in the desert and has tried to reproduce exactly as he heard them. In the author's notes following the literary texts there is a great deal of miscellaneous ethnographic material which has been categorized, as well as information about the poets and authors and the circumstances of composition. Throughout the volume there is much valuable information on native terminology and stylistics, the Arabic term and the author's translation being given in each case. There is an especially comprehensive section on war and peace in which the author makes clear how large a part this plays in Rwala life. He has not only described all the aspects of raids and warfare between the various clans and tribes, but has also presented a number of native accounts of wars and raids in which there is considerable material on tribal relations, the recent history of the Rwala, famous warriors and chiefs, etc.