﻿534 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  19 
  43 
  

  

  left 
  their 
  land 
  to 
  be 
  cultivated, 
  by 
  tenants. 
  Another 
  source 
  of 
  the 
  

   system 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  constant 
  transition 
  from 
  nomadism 
  to 
  settled 
  

   agriculture. 
  Normally, 
  as 
  the 
  tribe 
  settles 
  down, 
  leadership 
  of 
  the 
  

   sheikh 
  is 
  maintained. 
  He 
  assigns 
  certain 
  portions 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  to 
  in- 
  

   dividual 
  families, 
  who 
  contribute 
  to 
  him 
  a 
  part 
  of 
  the 
  produce. 
  

   Within 
  a 
  generation 
  or 
  two, 
  he 
  assumes 
  the 
  role 
  of 
  a 
  feudal 
  lord 
  

   and 
  they 
  sink 
  to 
  the 
  level 
  of 
  tenancy. 
  In 
  Iraq, 
  for 
  example, 
  such 
  a 
  

   feudal 
  sheikh 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  virtual 
  owner 
  of 
  some 
  20 
  or 
  more 
  villages. 
  

  

  AGRICULTURE 
  AND 
  DIET 
  

  

  Perhaps 
  more 
  than 
  any 
  other 
  occupation, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  said 
  of 
  

   agriculture 
  that 
  it 
  is 
  a 
  way 
  of 
  life. 
  This 
  is 
  especially 
  true 
  of 
  the 
  

   Arab 
  village 
  in 
  the 
  Middle 
  East. 
  The 
  strong 
  attachment 
  of 
  the 
  

   fellah 
  to 
  the 
  soil 
  and 
  its 
  deep 
  significance 
  to 
  him 
  have 
  been 
  pointed 
  

   out 
  above. 
  He 
  is 
  born 
  into 
  the 
  village 
  where 
  everybody 
  is 
  a 
  farmer, 
  

   and 
  where 
  farming 
  of 
  the 
  same 
  soil, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  same 
  techniques, 
  

   has 
  taken 
  place 
  for 
  countless 
  generations. 
  His 
  personality 
  is 
  devel- 
  

   oped 
  according 
  to 
  a 
  cultural 
  pattern, 
  the 
  major 
  portion 
  of 
  which 
  is 
  

   woven 
  around 
  the 
  team 
  of 
  oxen, 
  the 
  plow, 
  the 
  good 
  earth, 
  the 
  year's 
  

   store 
  of 
  wheat 
  for 
  making 
  bread, 
  and 
  scores 
  of 
  other 
  agricultural 
  

   items 
  and 
  activities. 
  His 
  diet 
  is 
  derived 
  almost 
  entirely 
  from 
  the 
  soil 
  

   he 
  cultivates. 
  

  

  Space 
  does 
  not 
  permit 
  a 
  thorough 
  analysis 
  of 
  this 
  important 
  aspect 
  

   of 
  village 
  life. 
  Discussion 
  will 
  be 
  limited 
  to 
  the 
  main 
  crops 
  pro- 
  

   duced 
  in 
  the 
  region 
  and 
  the 
  main 
  features 
  of 
  the 
  activities 
  involved 
  

   in 
  the 
  production 
  and 
  consumption 
  of 
  these 
  crops. 
  The 
  growing 
  of 
  

   cereals 
  predominates 
  in 
  each 
  of 
  the 
  five 
  countries 
  under 
  consideration. 
  

   Wheat 
  comes 
  first, 
  followed 
  by 
  barley, 
  maize, 
  dura 
  (grain 
  sorghum), 
  

   and 
  rice. 
  Some 
  of 
  the 
  maize 
  and 
  dura 
  and 
  practically 
  all 
  the 
  barley 
  

   are 
  used 
  for 
  feeding 
  farm 
  animals. 
  Barley 
  is 
  especially 
  fed 
  to 
  horses, 
  

   donkeys, 
  and 
  mules. 
  Possibly 
  this 
  is 
  why 
  the 
  people 
  have 
  a 
  prejudice 
  

   against 
  eating 
  it, 
  except 
  in 
  stringent 
  years 
  and 
  in 
  areas 
  where 
  the 
  

   other 
  cereals 
  do 
  not 
  grow 
  well. 
  Tn 
  Arabic 
  literature 
  and 
  in 
  local 
  

   sayings 
  there 
  are 
  several 
  references 
  to 
  the 
  lower 
  status 
  of 
  barley. 
  

   Wheat 
  is 
  especially 
  desired 
  for 
  making 
  bread, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  adult 
  

   fellah 
  consumes 
  from 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  pounds 
  daily. 
  He 
  eats 
  it 
  morning, 
  noon, 
  

   and 
  evening, 
  a 
  piece 
  of 
  it 
  with 
  every 
  mouthful 
  of 
  the 
  meal. 
  No 
  meal 
  

   is 
  considered 
  complete 
  without 
  bread, 
  whereas 
  bread 
  alone 
  is 
  accept- 
  

   able. 
  It 
  is 
  literally 
  "the 
  bread 
  of 
  life" 
  to 
  these 
  people. 
  In 
  this 
  connec- 
  

   tion, 
  it 
  should 
  be 
  of 
  interest 
  to 
  point 
  out 
  the 
  cooperative 
  and 
  social 
  

   character 
  of 
  the 
  baking 
  activity. 
  In 
  many 
  localities, 
  instead 
  of 
  a 
  

   family 
  oven 
  constructed 
  in 
  the 
  courtyard, 
  there 
  are 
  established 
  village 
  

   bakeries. 
  Families 
  take 
  turns 
  at 
  using 
  these, 
  baking 
  enough 
  bread 
  for 
  

   a 
  week 
  or 
  two. 
  On 
  such 
  occasions 
  the 
  housewife 
  is 
  helped 
  by 
  several 
  

  

  