﻿536 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  year's 
  store 
  of 
  oil 
  is 
  put 
  aside 
  for 
  family 
  use, 
  and 
  the 
  surplus 
  is 
  sold 
  

   for 
  cash. 
  With 
  enough 
  oil 
  and 
  cereal 
  to 
  last 
  the 
  year 
  round, 
  the 
  

   fellah 
  feels 
  secure. 
  

  

  Regarding 
  the 
  consumption 
  of 
  meat, 
  a 
  few 
  distinctive 
  practices 
  

   should 
  be 
  noted. 
  The 
  most 
  conspicuous 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  effective 
  taboo 
  

   the 
  Muslim 
  religion 
  has 
  placed 
  upon 
  pork. 
  The 
  animal 
  itself 
  is 
  repul- 
  

   sive 
  to 
  the 
  Muslim, 
  and 
  he 
  would 
  rather 
  go 
  hungry 
  than 
  touch 
  its 
  

   meat. 
  Under 
  the 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  Muslim 
  majority, 
  the 
  Christians 
  in 
  

   this 
  region 
  have 
  also 
  refrained 
  from 
  eating 
  pork. 
  A 
  similar 
  Muslim 
  

   taboo 
  covers 
  alcoholic 
  beverages. 
  It 
  is 
  interesting 
  to 
  note, 
  however, 
  

   that 
  in 
  this 
  case 
  the 
  Christian 
  minority 
  has 
  not 
  been 
  influenced 
  by 
  

   the 
  Muslim 
  rule. 
  Another 
  practice 
  is 
  that 
  animals 
  should 
  be 
  slaugh- 
  

   tered 
  in 
  a 
  specified 
  manner, 
  by 
  cutting 
  the 
  throat 
  and 
  letting 
  the 
  

   blood 
  drain 
  out. 
  No 
  one 
  would 
  touch 
  meat 
  from 
  an 
  animal 
  that 
  has 
  

   been 
  killed 
  in 
  a 
  different 
  way. 
  A 
  further 
  observation 
  is 
  that 
  the 
  

   people 
  of 
  Lebanon 
  are 
  fond 
  of 
  eating 
  raw 
  meat, 
  especially 
  certain 
  

   cuts 
  of 
  it. 
  

  

  Dairy 
  products 
  are 
  consumed 
  mainly 
  in 
  the 
  form 
  of 
  leben 
  (fer- 
  

   mented 
  milk), 
  white 
  cheese, 
  and 
  samn 
  (clarified 
  butter). 
  Milk 
  is 
  

   obtained 
  from 
  sheep, 
  goats, 
  cows, 
  buffaloes, 
  and 
  camels. 
  

  

  Coffee 
  is 
  the 
  most 
  important 
  beverage. 
  The 
  nomadic 
  Bedouin, 
  the 
  

   fellah, 
  and 
  the 
  city 
  dweller 
  relish 
  it. 
  For 
  several 
  hundred 
  years 
  

   they 
  have 
  used 
  it, 
  until 
  it 
  has 
  become 
  the 
  core 
  of 
  a 
  body 
  of 
  traditions. 
  

   It 
  is 
  the 
  symbol 
  of 
  hospitality 
  and 
  honoring 
  a 
  guest. 
  Refusing 
  it 
  is 
  

   taken 
  as 
  an 
  insult 
  or 
  a 
  sign 
  of 
  enmity. 
  

  

  A 
  final 
  point 
  that 
  should 
  be 
  observed 
  in 
  connection 
  with 
  the 
  subject 
  

   of 
  agriculture 
  is 
  the 
  amazing 
  persistence 
  of 
  ancient 
  techniques. 
  One 
  

   still 
  encounters 
  the 
  Biblical 
  team 
  of 
  oxen, 
  wooden 
  plow 
  and 
  yoke, 
  

   and 
  threshing 
  board, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  hand 
  sickle, 
  the 
  clay 
  beehive, 
  and 
  

   the 
  primitive 
  chicken 
  coop. 
  In 
  some 
  places, 
  even 
  the 
  threshing 
  board 
  

   is 
  omitted, 
  and 
  animals 
  are 
  made 
  to 
  tread 
  over 
  the 
  straw 
  instead. 
  

   Side 
  by 
  side 
  with 
  such 
  manifestation 
  of 
  cultural 
  stability, 
  one 
  wit- 
  

   nesses 
  drastic 
  changes 
  in 
  some 
  aspects 
  of 
  life. 
  Practically 
  every 
  vil- 
  

   lage 
  has 
  been 
  invaded 
  by 
  the 
  automobile 
  and 
  the 
  radio. 
  It 
  is 
  said 
  that 
  

   the 
  former 
  has 
  been 
  used 
  by 
  the 
  Bedouin 
  in 
  his 
  raids 
  ! 
  In 
  Lebanon 
  the 
  

   western 
  type 
  of 
  dress 
  is 
  now 
  more 
  common 
  than 
  the 
  native. 
  It 
  seems 
  

   that 
  we 
  have 
  here 
  a 
  vivid 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  there 
  is 
  no 
  

   necessary 
  carry-over 
  in 
  the 
  process 
  of 
  acculturation 
  from 
  one 
  aspect 
  

   of 
  culture 
  to 
  another. 
  

  

  FAMILY 
  ORGANIZATION 
  

  

  The 
  fundamental 
  significance 
  of 
  family 
  life 
  in 
  the 
  culture 
  of 
  the 
  

   Arab 
  village 
  cannot 
  be 
  overemphasized. 
  It 
  is 
  equal 
  in 
  this 
  respect 
  

   to 
  land 
  and 
  agriculture. 
  We 
  have 
  shown 
  above 
  that 
  the 
  origin 
  of 
  the 
  

  

  