﻿ARAB 
  VILLAGE 
  COMMUNITY 
  — 
  TANNOUS 
  537 
  

  

  nucleated 
  settlement 
  can 
  be 
  traced 
  probably 
  to 
  the 
  tribal 
  organization, 
  

   which 
  is 
  essentially 
  based 
  upon 
  blood 
  ties. 
  When 
  the 
  first 
  boy 
  is 
  

   born 
  to 
  a 
  married 
  couple, 
  people 
  cease 
  to 
  call 
  them 
  by 
  their 
  names. 
  

   Instead, 
  they 
  are 
  called 
  after 
  the 
  name 
  of 
  their 
  son, 
  Abu-Ahmed 
  and 
  

   Um-Ahmed, 
  for 
  example 
  (i. 
  e., 
  the 
  father 
  and 
  mother 
  of 
  Ahmed.) 
  

   This 
  is 
  an 
  indication 
  of 
  the 
  emphasis 
  of 
  the 
  culture 
  upon 
  family 
  con- 
  

   tinuity 
  through 
  the 
  new 
  generation. 
  Reciprocally, 
  children 
  and 
  

   adults 
  are 
  constantly 
  identified 
  with 
  their 
  parents 
  and 
  family 
  groups. 
  

   "Whose 
  son 
  is 
  he?"; 
  "To 
  what 
  family 
  does 
  he 
  belong?"; 
  "From 
  what 
  

   village 
  does 
  he 
  come?" 
  are 
  the 
  first 
  questions 
  asked 
  about 
  a 
  stranger. 
  

   In 
  village 
  proverbs 
  and 
  sayings 
  reference 
  to 
  blood 
  ties 
  and 
  relations 
  is 
  

   frequent. 
  Insulting 
  an 
  individual 
  as 
  such 
  may 
  be 
  dismissed 
  without 
  

   much 
  ado, 
  whereas 
  violent 
  reaction 
  is 
  certain 
  to 
  result 
  if 
  the 
  insult 
  is 
  

   directed 
  at 
  the 
  individual's 
  family. 
  "May 
  Allah 
  curse 
  your 
  ancestors" 
  

   is 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  toughest 
  swearing 
  expressions 
  used. 
  In 
  situations 
  of 
  ser- 
  

   ious 
  conflict, 
  members 
  of 
  a 
  family 
  rally 
  together 
  and 
  face 
  the 
  threat 
  

   as 
  one 
  solid 
  unit. 
  Such 
  and 
  similar 
  indices 
  serve 
  to 
  show 
  clearly 
  how 
  

   predominant 
  is 
  identification 
  with 
  the 
  family 
  group. 
  

  

  Considering 
  the 
  region 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  three 
  types 
  of 
  famity 
  units 
  can 
  

   be 
  distinguished. 
  The 
  first 
  of 
  these 
  is 
  the 
  ordinary 
  biological 
  family, 
  

   consisting 
  primarily 
  of 
  the 
  married 
  couple 
  and 
  their 
  children. 
  This 
  

   type, 
  which 
  prevails 
  in 
  the 
  north 
  American 
  rural 
  culture, 
  is 
  the 
  least 
  

   significant 
  in 
  the 
  Arab 
  village. 
  Beyond 
  fulfilling 
  its 
  biological 
  func- 
  

   tion, 
  the 
  unit 
  does 
  not 
  figure 
  much 
  in 
  life's 
  situations. 
  It 
  should 
  rather 
  

   be 
  considered 
  as 
  a 
  stage 
  leading 
  to 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  the 
  larger 
  and 
  

   more 
  important 
  unit 
  that 
  will 
  be 
  described 
  presently. 
  It 
  should 
  be 
  

   remarked, 
  however, 
  that 
  under 
  the 
  impact 
  of 
  Western 
  culture, 
  espe- 
  

   cially 
  its 
  economic 
  system, 
  the 
  biological 
  family 
  is 
  beginning 
  to 
  play 
  a 
  

   more 
  dominant 
  role. 
  This 
  is 
  particularly 
  evident 
  in 
  the 
  villages 
  of 
  the 
  

   coastal 
  area 
  where 
  direct 
  contact 
  with 
  the 
  West 
  has 
  been 
  taking 
  place 
  

   intensively 
  during 
  the 
  last 
  50 
  years. 
  

  

  The 
  second 
  and 
  most 
  important 
  unit 
  is 
  the 
  joint 
  family, 
  consisting 
  

   of 
  three 
  generations. 
  Taking 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  grandchildren 
  as 
  a 
  point 
  

   of 
  departure, 
  the 
  group 
  normally 
  consists 
  of 
  brothers 
  and 
  sisters, 
  first 
  

   paternal 
  cousins, 
  married 
  and 
  unmarried 
  paternal 
  uncles, 
  unmarried 
  

   paternal 
  aunts, 
  and 
  the 
  paternal 
  grandparents. 
  All 
  these, 
  varying 
  

   in 
  number 
  from 
  10 
  to 
  30 
  people, 
  live 
  close 
  together 
  within 
  the 
  same 
  

   compound 
  of 
  dwellings. 
  Socially 
  and 
  economically 
  they 
  function 
  as 
  

   one 
  unit. 
  They 
  own 
  the 
  land 
  collectively, 
  cooperate 
  in 
  its 
  cultivation, 
  

   and 
  share 
  equally 
  its 
  produce. 
  At 
  the 
  death 
  of 
  the 
  grandfather, 
  the 
  

   family 
  splits 
  into 
  as 
  many 
  units 
  as 
  there 
  are 
  sons, 
  each 
  one 
  of 
  whom 
  

   becomes 
  the 
  nucleus 
  for 
  the 
  development 
  of 
  a 
  separate 
  entity. 
  Within 
  

   this 
  patrilineal 
  and 
  patrilocal 
  system, 
  the 
  girl 
  is 
  considered 
  as 
  an 
  

   integral 
  member 
  of 
  the 
  paternal 
  group 
  as 
  long 
  as 
  she 
  stays 
  unmarried. 
  

  

  