Reviewer, editor
1,317
edits
→Background: added more info
(→Types of Records: added more info) |
(→Background: added more info) |
||
| Line 26: | Line 26: | ||
==Background== | ==Background== | ||
Tribes in Lebanon play a somewhat diminished role in the social structure. While some Lebanese may proudly proclaim their membership in a given tribe, - or clan, as they are more often called there - many Lebanese families are more likely to cite their relationship to one of the ethno-religious communities that define modern Lebanon. | In the Middle East and North Africa, the term "tribe" refers to large collection of inter-related families that can trace their lineage back to a common ancestor; although, as is discussed in greater detail below, a shared ancestry is not always necessary for a family to join a tribe. It is typically used as a translation for the Arabic word "<big>قَبيلة</big>" (qabīlah), although in the Research Wiki "tribe" is also used for other Arabic terms. Tribes in the region can number in the hundreds to tens of thousands; some are relatively localized, while others are stretched or scattered over vast areas. Tribes are often divided into increasingly smaller kinship groups, including "<big>بَطْن</big>" (baṭn), "<big>فَخْذ</big>" (fakhth), and "<big>عَشيرة</big>" (ʿashīrah). The latter is translated in the Wiki as "clan". | ||
Tribes in Lebanon play a somewhat diminished role in the social structure compared to elsewhere in the Middle East. While some Lebanese may proudly proclaim their membership in a given tribe, - or clan, as they are more often called there - many Lebanese families are more likely to cite their relationship to one of the ethno-religious communities that define modern Lebanon. | |||
However, tribes and tribal identity are still relevant for many Lebanese. One major historical clan in Lebanon is the Hamadiyeh, which has two main branches: the Zaaitar and the Chamas. The Zaaitar clan can be further divided into the Meqdad, Haj Hassan, Noon, Shreif, and Jaafar, while the Chamas clan is split into the Allaw, Nassereddine, and Dandash. These tribes are concentrated in the Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, and Mount Lebanon regions.<ref>Samaha, Nour, "Meeting the clans of Lebanon," ''Al Jazeera,'' https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2012/8/18/meeting-the-clans-of-lebanon, accessed 23 January 2025.</ref> | However, tribes and tribal identity are still relevant for many Lebanese. One major historical clan in Lebanon is the Hamadiyeh, which has two main branches: the Zaaitar and the Chamas. The Zaaitar clan can be further divided into the Meqdad, Haj Hassan, Noon, Shreif, and Jaafar, while the Chamas clan is split into the Allaw, Nassereddine, and Dandash. These tribes are concentrated in the Bekaa, Baalbek-Hermel, and Mount Lebanon regions.<ref>Samaha, Nour, "Meeting the clans of Lebanon," ''Al Jazeera,'' https://www.aljazeera.com/features/2012/8/18/meeting-the-clans-of-lebanon, accessed 23 January 2025.</ref> | ||
Tradition holds that all Arab tribes trace their lineage to two primary ancestors: Qahtan (<big>قحطان</big>), progenitor of the "pure" Arabs originating from modern Yemen, and Adnan (<big>عدنان</big>), ancestor of the "Arabicized" Arabs and a descendent of Abraham's son Ishmael.<ref name=":0">"People of Arabia," ''Britannica'', https://www.britannica.com/place/Arabia-peninsula-Asia/People, accessed 5 September 2024.</ref> | |||
Throughout Arabian history, free, arms-bearing tribesmen, whether nomadic or settled, dominated society. Sultans, emirs, and sheikhs were often drawn from these tribes and sought their support. The descendants of the Prophet Muhammad, who hold the titles of sayyids and sharifs, traditionally enjoyed a higher social status and sometimes exercised theocratic rule as spiritual leaders. | |||
It is important to note that affiliation with a particular tribe does not necessarily entail direct kinship to that tribe. In some cases, new tribes formed as the result of alliances between pre-existing tribal groups. Individual families may have occasionally become clients of a different tribe and eventually adopted as members. On an even smaller scale, individuals were sometimes adopted into a tribe. This was particularly true during the first centuries of Islam, when non-Arab converts to Islam were required to become clients, or "mawali" (Arabic مَوالٍ), of an Arab tribe.<ref>Wikipedia contributors, "Spread of Islam," ''Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia,'' https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spread_of_Islam, accessed 8 October 2024.</ref> Therefore, association with a tribe does not automatically imply descent or kinship relationship within a given lineage. | |||
==Types of Records== | ==Types of Records== | ||