The Animal Names of the Arab Ancestors : Explaining the Non-human Names of Arab Kinship Groups, Volume 2-2 Appendices /
In the Arab world, people belong to kinship groups (lineages and tribes). Many lineages are named after animals, birds, and plants. Why? This survey evaluates five old explanations - "totemism," "emulation of predatory animals," "ancestor eponymy," "nicknaming,&quo...
Main Author:
Format: eBook
Language: English
Published:
Leiden ; Boston :
Brill,
2024.
Series:
Handbook of Oriental Studies. Section 1 The Near and Middle East ;
178.2-2.
Middle East and Islamic Studies E-Books Online, Collection 2024.
Subjects:
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Call Number: P57.I4
| Summary: | In the Arab world, people belong to kinship groups (lineages and tribes). Many lineages are named after animals, birds, and plants. Why? This survey evaluates five old explanations - "totemism," "emulation of predatory animals," "ancestor eponymy," "nicknaming," and "Bedouin proximity to nature." It suggests a new hypothesis: Bedouin tribes use animal names to obscure their internal cleavages. Such tribes wax and wane as they attract and lose allies and clients; they include "attached" elements as well as actual kin. To prevent outsiders from spotting "attached" groups, Bedouin tribes scatter non-human names across their segments, making it difficult to link any segment with a human ancestor. Young's argument contributes to theories of tribal organization, Arab identity, onomastics, and Near Eastern kinship. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (450 pages) : illustrations. |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references and index. |
| ISBN: | 9789004697485 |