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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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 Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 5:39 pm Post subject: |
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| Jeez, you'd think this was rocket science. You get a feel for it within a day or two once you're there. It's not difficult and need not be overanalyzed. |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:08 pm Post subject: |
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Gorgeous! Great link 007, thanks for sharing it. Has anyone seen tribal woman wearing these traditional dresses today?
The Saudi friend who recruited me for the position I will leave for shortly has connections with tribal elders in some remote villages and is promising to take me with him when he goes to visit. He said that it's unlikely they've ever had contact with a westerner. He also said that in the villages you won't find the sexual segregation that exists in the cities. Men and women mix freely and I will be able to sit down to a dinner with an entire extended family, no faces covered. Amazing opportunity . . . can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. |
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Cleopatra
Joined: 28 Jun 2003
Posts: 3657
Location: Tuamago Archipelago
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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| tribal elders in some remote villages |
You do realise you're not going to some comic book version of Africa, don't you? |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:39 pm Post subject: |
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| KME0050 wrote: |
| Has anyone seen tribal woman wearing these traditional dresses today? |
Yes, when I was in Abha, I saw atribal woman wearing the traditional dress, holding a gun, and looking after her goats! This was in a remote area of Assir region, where women can drive and hold guns!
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| Men and women mix freely and I will be able to sit down to a dinner with an entire extended family, no faces covered. Amazing opportunity . . . can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. |
Did your friend told you about their traditional food?
You will be served pure honey (known as Sadr honey) with camel milk!  And then you will be served goat meat cooked underground with Zangabeel! |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
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| tribal elders in some remote villages |
You do realise you're not going to some comic book version of Africa, don't you? |
I am going to the Asir Region. Read the following: (Wikipedia)
The population belongs almost entirely to ancient tribes native to the area such as Qahtan, Bal-Garn, Shamran, Rijal Alma, Rijal Al-Hajr, Amro, Shehr, Shahran, Bal-Asmar, and Bal-Ahmar, as well as a large confederation of tribes known as the 'Asir (or 'Asaryah), after whom the region was named. Their religion is chiefly Sunni Muslim of Shafii and Hanbali rites.
The inhabitants speak a conservative group of Arabic dialects. Most tribes in 'Asir are divided into three sub-parts based on their geographical location. The tribes of the central highlands are called sarat, the tribes of the western coastal plain are called tihama, and the tribes of the eastern desert region of 'Asir are referred to as badiyah. Thus many tribes are divided into sarat, tihama, and badiyah components.
The region's culture shares much in common with neighboring Yemen in its architectural style, which is adapted to cope with the occasional very heavy downpours by deflecting them from houses, but "[t]he ways of the mountaineers tend towards those of Najd."[1] 'Asir has been much less affected by the oil boom than has the rest of Saudi Arabia, and the modern urban development of cities like Riyadh is largely absent except to some extent in Abha, which serves as a resort town for many Saudis during the extremely hot summers. Tribal laws and customs are still exceedingly strong among the peoples of this region.
Your ridiculous sarcastic comment is unwarranted. |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 6:54 pm Post subject: |
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| 007 wrote: |
| KME0050 wrote: |
| Has anyone seen tribal woman wearing these traditional dresses today? |
Yes, when I was in Abha, I saw a tribal woman wearing the traditional dress, holding a gun, and looking after her goats! This was in a remote area of Assir region, where women can drive and hold guns!
| Quote: |
| Men and women mix freely and I will be able to sit down to a dinner with an entire extended family, no faces covered. Amazing opportunity . . . can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. |
Did your friend told you about their traditional food?
You will be served pure honey (known as Sadr honey) with camel milk! And then you will be served goat meat cooked underground with Zangabeel! |
So you've experienced the comic book version of Africa! See comment from Cleopatra who apparently has not . . . |
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KME0050
Joined: 02 Jun 2010
Posts: 87
Location: U.S.
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 7:19 pm Post subject: |
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| 007 wrote: |
| KME0050 wrote: |
| Has anyone seen tribal woman wearing these traditional dresses today? |
Yes, when I was in Abha, I saw atribal woman wearing the traditional dress, holding a gun, and looking after her goats! This was in a remote area of Assir region, where women can drive and hold guns!
| Quote: |
| Men and women mix freely and I will be able to sit down to a dinner with an entire extended family, no faces covered. Amazing opportunity . . . can't tell you how much I am looking forward to it. |
Did your friend told you about their traditional food?
You will be served pure honey (known as Sadr honey) with camel milk! And then you will be served goat meat cooked underground with Zangabeel! |
Your experience sounds very much like that of my friend! Thanks for sharing . . . sounds delightful! |
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Mia Xanthi
Joined: 13 Mar 2008
Posts: 955
Location: why is my heart still in the Middle East while the rest of me isn't?
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 8:22 pm Post subject: |
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007, thanks so much for the excellent link! I have seen examples of traditional tribal dress in the Aramco "museum", but this was the best example that I have ever seen for actually showing which style belonged to which tribe. It's easy to see that the style of the Hijaz had a strong effect as Saudi Arabia coalesced into a nation and became less and less of a loose grouping of diverse tribes.
The site really made me think of how strong the tribal diversity was, and that led me to think of how I could never get a single answer from my female students on how anything was traditionally done. There were many answers because they all came from different tribal backgrounds and religious sects.
Thanks again. Very interesting, indeed. |
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007
Joined: 30 Oct 2006
Posts: 2684
Location: UK/Veteran of the Magic Kingdom
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:06 pm Post subject: |
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You are all welcome.
This is the story of abayas and tribal women in the Magic Kingdom, not the experience from the comic book version of Africa! |
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trapezius
Joined: 13 Aug 2006
Posts: 1670
Location: Land of Culture of Death & Destruction
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 9:43 pm Post subject: |
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| Cleopatra wrote: |
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| tribal elders in some remote villages |
You do realise you're not going to some comic book version of Africa, don't you? |
What's wrong with what KME said? There are HUNDREDS of tiny villlages/settlements in KSA where people still live almost as they used to a few decades ago. And some of them are even temporary owing to when rain fall occurs (yes, there are many villages with no running water and no electricity, as told to me by a Saudi friend who works for a famous rich prince, and this prince sends supplies to such villages and undertakes projects to bring them electricity and water). |
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veiledsentiments
Joined: 20 Feb 2003
Posts: 17644
Location: USA
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| Posted: Sun Jun 20, 2010 10:19 pm Post subject: |
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I fear Cleo is one of those who might be thinking KME is a troll. Those of us who have been living (or lived) in this part of the world for years often forget the excitement of the neophyte... especially if we spend all our time teaching the spoiled "princesses" of the big cities. 
VS |
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johnslat
Joined: 21 Jan 2003
Posts: 13859
Location: Santa Fe, New Mexico, USA
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Sheikh N Bake
Joined: 26 Apr 2007
Posts: 1307
Location: Dis ting of ours
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 1:55 pm Post subject: |
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| veiledsentiments wrote: |
I fear Cleo is one of those who might be thinking KME is a troll. Those of us who have been living (or lived) in this part of the world for years often forget the excitement of the neophyte... especially if we spend all our time teaching the spoiled "princesses" of the big cities.
VS |
Yeah, no kidding! But some neophytes are full of it. When I was a neophyte I was less than excited about the prospect of the magical kingdom, and then delighted I wound up with a US univ. in Malaysia. Now I'm back, but it's OK. |
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boysfromtheblackstuff
Joined: 15 May 2010
Posts: 35
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| Posted: Tue Jun 22, 2010 3:19 pm Post subject: |
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KME's invitation sounds wonderful and I am sure she will have a great time.
But cynical old me can't help thinking that it smacks of a bribe - albeit a well-meaning one. |
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