Page 49 - Arabian Studies (II)

Two South Arabian Tribes: Al-Qara and Al-Harasis 39

The behaviour on greetings has three features: Rubbing noses
(enkherir), kissing the head {fierih) and kissing the hand (hedl).
Rites des passages. Boys are circumcised at the age of four to ten
years, girls one day after birth. On the occasion of circumcision of
boys only a small feast (dlfa/i) is given by the boy’s father.
The choice of the marital partner is limited by the preference for
parallel-cousin-marriage (father-brother-daughter), but the approval
of the girl and the girl’s mother is also the prerequisite for the
acceptance of the courtship. In pre-monetary times the bride-price
{shumluk) was paid in animals and rities. For a father-brother-
daughter the bride-price runs at about 1—2 camels or a rifle, for
other girls generally 3-4 camels and a rifle are asked. Today the
bride-price is paid in money (1,000-2,000 riyals).
The wedding (4ers) is celebrated in the camp of the girl’s father
and lasts from three to four days. The cost of the feast (dlfa/i) is
borne by the family of the bridegroom. The married couple remains
for an undetermined time at the camp of the bride’s parents and
after this period they are free to decide whether to live as a separate
family or with the man’s father. Thus they follow the residential
pattern: matri-patrilocal or neolocal. The ‘wwtf-practise {yanha) is
observed.
A camel is slaughtered as a sacrifice for a man deceased, and for a
woman a goat. The repast at the funeral is called etelet mlyet. The
period of mourning lasts about one or two weeks.
Economic Life. The HarasTs are completely nomadic; those, who
have become settled are found in villages in ‘Uman. Only some
families own date-palm gardens, which are cultivated by Bayadir, a
land-labourer class widely distributed in ‘Uman.7

Relatives rubbing noses head-kissing hand-kissing

So1 - Fa2 +1 +2
Da1 - Fa2 +1 +2
So1 — Mo2 +1 +2
Da1 — Mo2 +1 +2
Br-Br +
Si-Si +
Br-Si +
So1 - FaBr2 +1 +2 +1
So1 — MoBr2 +1 +2 +1
between other
male relatives + +
between other
female relatives + +