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Chapter Two

                  groups have lived in Abu Dhabi territory. By the 1950s about 50
                   families had acquired date gardens in the Buraimi oasis, but very few
                   owned gardens in the Llwa. The rest were nomadic and rather less
                   rigid in their migration pattern during the winter than other tribes of
                   the area, the most regular feature of their movements being that many
                   families would converge on the Buraimi oasis during the summer.
                     During the 1940s the lamlmah of the beduin 'Awamir was Salim
                   bin Hamad bin Rakkad. Because of the constant feuds he was forced
                   to fight with the neighbouring Omani tribe, the Duru', bin Rakkad
                   left the area with some of his followers for al Hasa in about 1943.
                   Although he came back in 1948 he returned to al Hasa several times
                  during the following years.
                     In the meantime, the bulk of the tribe contacted the Al Bu Falah
                  Ruler, and, as one of his first actions as the newly-appointed wali,
                   Shaikh Zayid bin Sultan sent for Salim bin Musallam bin Hamm and
                  helped him to assume the position of tamlmah of the beduin
                  'Awamir. Some members of the tribe, however, followed bin
                  Rakkad’s move and became subjects of the King of Saudi Arabia, but
                  the majority remained with Salim bin Hamm. The temporary
                  allegiance of some 'Awamir to Saudi Arabia played a part in the
                  arguments of both parlies in the “Buraimi Dispute”.51 A considerable
                  number of the beduin 'Awamir remained in Abu Dhabi state as may
                  be seen from the 1968 census figures, when a total of 1,721 was
                  counted. The actual figure was probably even higher, since only 716
                  women were enumerated due to the fact that many of the men were
                  counted as employees of the oil companies and were very vague
                  about the whereabouts and number of their family members, who
                  were most probably encamped somewhere in Khatam, Ramlah al
                  Hamra’ or Bainunah.

                  'Afar, Manahll and Rashid The 'Afar, who are a small and entirely
                  beduin tribe, are often considered to be a section of the 'Awamir, but
                  they consider themselves to be separate.52 They are an important
                  tribe in the Hadhramaut, but in earlier times a few came into Abu
                  Dhabi territory using the same routes and wells on the way as the
                  'Awamir. Groups of both tribes used to join together for beduin
                  raids. After the Al Wahlbah, an Omani tribe, had extended their dar
                  north-westwards into traditionally Duru' country during the 1950s,
                  the 'Afar tended to be more closely allied with the Al Wahlbah than
                  with the 'Awamir. Quite a number of the Manahll, another
                  40
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