Page 45 - Arabian Studies (II)

Two South Arabian Tribes: A l-Qardand A 1-HarasTs 35

Kinship terminology. It is remarkable that the term for mother-
sister (MoSi) is equated with the term for sister (Si) as it may be seen
from the following table:

Fa: 7y FaBrSo: ber-duJ
Mo: 'em FaBrDa: brit-dTd
So: 'ebr MoBrSo: ber-khel
Da: *ebrit MoBrDa: brit-kliel
Br: gha
Si: ghet
FaBr: dTd
FaSi: ghet mn Ty
MoBr: khel
MoSi: ghet
FaFa/MoFa: dm *oy
FaMo: 'erne mn 'iy
Mo Mo: 'em mn 'em
The older brother is called ghey ‘eb, the younger ghey nesan; the
older sister ghet dm, the younger ghet nsinut.
The typical forms of greetings between relatives consist in kissing
both cheeks, kissing the head and the hand. The details are put
together in the following list.

Relatives cheek-kissing head-kissing hand-kissing
So1 - Fa2 +1 +2 +1
Da1 - Fa2 +1 +2 +1
So1 — Mo2 +1 +2
Da1 - Mo2 +1 +2 +'
Br-Br +
Si-Si +
Br-Si +
other male
relatives +
other female
relatives +

Rites des passages: Boys are circumcised between the ages of five
and ten, girls usually one day after birth. The operation on the boys
(khetemt) is carried out at a special place outside the settlement,
whereas the operation on the girls is performed in their parents’
huts.3 Only on the occasion of the boys’ circumcision, which is
entirely public, is a feast (difah) organized by their fathers.
The Qara scarcely observe preferential marriage with parallel-
cousins, but mostly incline to a free choice of partners. The marriage