The Bedouin

"And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night..." Luke 2:8.  I admit, I was surprised to see the shepherds in Israel.  Somehow they didn't look like they had in the Christmas pageants!

Dating back to the days of Abraham, itinerant shepherds wandered throughout Israel, searching for grazing lands for their flocks.  The only people continuing this profession in the Middle East are the Bedouin, mostly Muslim Arab's who travel in the age-old manner, searching for grazing lands.  Many winter in the Negev Desert, where there is enough rainfall to support a harvest of winter wheat without additional irrigation.

The Bedouin use the wool from their animals, creating traditional crafts which they sell in the markets and buy mass-produced clothing for themselves.

Many Bedouin no longer live in tents. They squat in rough shelters built where the grazing is good. Many are actually very wealthy, choosing to maintain the ancient lifestyle for at least part of the year.

The Israelis are putting a tremendous amount of pressure on the Bedouin.  They want them to stop wandering, register, and settle down in special settlements.   The Bedouin struggle to preserve their ancient culture through their music and storytelling.

Ir is almost easy to envy a free lifestyle, under the wide-open sky. "God made the wild animals of the earth, of every kind, and the cattle of every kind, and everything that creeps upon the ground of every kind. And God saw that it was good." Genesis 1:25.