Page 64 - Truncal States to UAE_Neat

The Tribal Structure of Society

tioned, bul the members of ihe tribe themselves distinguish many
more sections and subsections.44 They all recognise one paramount
shaikh, who in turn delivered the tribe’s loyally to the A1 Bu Falah
Ruler. After the death of Ahmad bin Muhammad bin I lilal in 1936 the
tamlmah became Surur bin Sultan, who was succeeded after his
death later in that year by his son Shaikh Sultan bin Surur;45 and for
some time Mani’ bin Muhammad of the A1 'Ali bin Sa'id section
assisted him.
The Dhawahir had to pay taxes on the date crop and also paid
water fees, as did all the other subjects of the A1 Bu Falah who owned
gardens in the oasis.40 According to Lorimer they also paid a
subsidy,47 which later must have become symbolic or lapsed, since
there seems to be now no recollection of this among leading members
of the tribe.
Nomadic tribes who frequent Abu Dhabi territory
The three Abu Dhabi tribes described above lived in general within
the jurisdiction of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi. Other tribes, or sections
thereof, could be counted as subjects of the Ruler of Abu Dhabi
because they accepted his jurisdiction while sharing the desert areas
with the Bani Yas and the Manaslr. At other times they disappeared
almost completely from the area. The largest and politically most
important of these tribes is the ’Awamir.
’Awamir The ’Awamir is a large tribe which originally inhabited the
steppe to the north-east and north of the Hadhramaul,48 and spread
many centuries ago into central Oman, where some sections are now
settled in many of the major villages and wadis including Muscat
town.49 Beduin sections in due course moved even further through
Dhahirah and into Khatam, and into other areas which were the ddr
of the Bani Yas. The presence of some ’Awamir in the areas which
now form part of the territory of the State of Abu Dhabi was well
known throughout the 18lh century, and Captain Taylor even
identified them in 1818 as a branch of the Bani Yas.50 Those ’Awamir
who lived in this area for long periods became loyal to the A1 Bu
Falah Ruler, frequently supported the Bani Yas in time of war, and
expected the shaikh of the Bani Yas to mediate between them and
other tribes. In 1889 for example they helped in a counter-attack
launched from the LTwa on the Ruler of Qatar during the prolonged
dispute between the latter and the Manaslr.
In recent decades about 2,000 to 3,000 ’Awamir of the two beduin
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