﻿542 
  ANNUAL 
  REPORT 
  SMITHSONIAN 
  INSTITUTION, 
  1943 
  

  

  life. 
  In 
  ceremonies, 
  festivals, 
  intervillage 
  relations 
  and 
  legal 
  affairs, 
  

   the 
  local 
  church 
  is 
  named 
  after, 
  and 
  identified 
  with, 
  its 
  own 
  village 
  

   community. 
  

  

  THE 
  COMMUNITY 
  

  

  So 
  far 
  we 
  have 
  shown 
  how 
  land, 
  agriculture, 
  family, 
  and 
  church 
  

   weave 
  a 
  pattern 
  of 
  life 
  for 
  the 
  Arab 
  fellah. 
  To 
  complete 
  the 
  descrip- 
  

   tion 
  of 
  the 
  pattern, 
  one 
  more 
  element 
  should 
  be 
  discussed. 
  This 
  is 
  

   community 
  life 
  as 
  a 
  whole, 
  which 
  is 
  dependent 
  upon 
  the 
  other 
  ele- 
  

   ments, 
  yet 
  goes 
  beyond 
  them. 
  Short 
  of 
  the 
  association 
  and 
  emotional 
  

   experience 
  afforded 
  by 
  the 
  totality 
  of 
  the 
  community, 
  the 
  fellah's 
  life 
  

   is 
  incomplete. 
  The 
  village 
  is, 
  more 
  or 
  less, 
  his 
  self-sufficient 
  world. 
  

   Under 
  the 
  discussion 
  of 
  its 
  physical 
  structure 
  above, 
  we 
  emphasized 
  

   its 
  nucleated 
  nature 
  and 
  indicated 
  how 
  clearly 
  it 
  can 
  be 
  identified. 
  

   This 
  clarity 
  of 
  the 
  physical 
  boundaries 
  is 
  a 
  true 
  reflection 
  of 
  a 
  complete 
  

   form 
  of 
  association 
  within, 
  of 
  which 
  the 
  individual 
  is 
  part, 
  as 
  much 
  as 
  

   he 
  is 
  part 
  of 
  his 
  family, 
  church, 
  and 
  agricultural 
  occupation. 
  

  

  The 
  fellah 
  is 
  always 
  conscious 
  of 
  the 
  fact 
  that 
  he 
  is 
  a 
  member 
  of 
  a 
  

   certain 
  community, 
  and 
  he 
  knows 
  wherever 
  he 
  goes 
  people 
  expect 
  him 
  

   to 
  identify 
  himself 
  as 
  such. 
  A 
  stranger 
  is 
  always 
  "placed" 
  with 
  

   respect 
  to 
  his 
  village, 
  family, 
  and 
  church. 
  The 
  influence 
  of 
  the 
  

   community 
  extends 
  also 
  to 
  agriculture. 
  This 
  is 
  obvious 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  

   where 
  communal 
  ownership 
  of 
  the 
  land 
  prevails, 
  as 
  discussed 
  above. 
  

   Even 
  where 
  land 
  is 
  privately 
  owned, 
  rotation 
  of 
  crops, 
  grazing 
  

   grounds, 
  dates 
  of 
  harvesting, 
  and 
  appointment 
  of 
  crop 
  guards 
  are 
  all 
  

   fixed 
  by 
  the 
  village 
  as 
  a 
  whole. 
  Marriage 
  within 
  the 
  settlement 
  is 
  

   preferable 
  to 
  marriage 
  with 
  an 
  outsider; 
  and 
  individuals 
  usually 
  

   conform. 
  We 
  have 
  indicated 
  above 
  how 
  the 
  local 
  church 
  is 
  identified 
  

   primarily 
  with 
  the 
  community, 
  rather 
  than 
  with 
  the 
  mother 
  church. 
  

   In 
  intervillage 
  competition 
  or 
  conflict 
  loyalty 
  to 
  the 
  local 
  community 
  

   asserts 
  itself 
  in 
  an 
  unmistakable 
  manner 
  and 
  is 
  expected 
  from 
  every 
  

   individual. 
  Practically 
  every 
  village 
  has 
  developed 
  a 
  sort 
  of 
  a 
  repu- 
  

   tation, 
  a 
  general 
  character, 
  by 
  which 
  it 
  is 
  well 
  known 
  in 
  the 
  surround- 
  

   ing 
  area. 
  This 
  may 
  be 
  the 
  prowess 
  of 
  its 
  youth, 
  its 
  learning, 
  the 
  in- 
  

   dustry 
  of 
  its 
  farmers, 
  its 
  loose 
  morals, 
  etc. 
  

  

  Local 
  leadership 
  and 
  government 
  also 
  reflect 
  the 
  authority 
  and 
  in- 
  

   terests 
  of 
  the 
  community. 
  Leaders 
  develop 
  gradually 
  and 
  spon- 
  

   taneously, 
  by 
  measuring 
  up 
  to 
  certain 
  esteemed 
  qualifications. 
  These 
  

   are, 
  ideally, 
  land 
  ownership, 
  old 
  age, 
  good 
  family 
  background, 
  gen- 
  

   erosity, 
  good 
  moral 
  character, 
  and 
  intelligence, 
  which 
  they 
  express 
  as 
  

   "wisdom." 
  Naturally, 
  very 
  few 
  individauls 
  ever 
  attain 
  all 
  of 
  these 
  

   points, 
  and 
  a 
  compromise 
  has 
  to 
  be 
  made. 
  Usually, 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  formally 
  

   organized 
  or 
  informal 
  village 
  council 
  consisting 
  of 
  leaders 
  from 
  the 
  

   various 
  kinship 
  groups. 
  This 
  representative 
  body 
  settles 
  disputes 
  

   between 
  individuals 
  and 
  decides 
  upon 
  various 
  village 
  affairs. 
  In 
  some 
  

  

  