Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1912-12-20
BEDoUlN CHIEF AS HOST

A Bedouin chief is esteemed at
least as highly for his .prowess as u
social entertainer as for his valor in
tine Of war. The sheik must be
fine warrior and successful host
Hospitality toward strangers who
come to his door Is part and parcel of
The Bedouin's code of honor, and it
would be next to impossible to find,
from the Valley of Zered to Damas.
Gus, a man who would refuse the
shelter of his tent of hair to tired
traveller. ~ 5' =. ~ ~ % ~
Desert encampn1ents, be they Of the
SLammer, Ibn Shailan, Rawallah al
Anazeh, or other tribe, are arranged
according to an almost identical plan
The tents form an inclosed rectangle,
and the guest tent OF the s,heik Is
erected in central position. At its
door a spear is placed point upward
in the ground. In some districts the
tents are made of camel hair and
their manuis cture is carried On by !
distinct tribe or community of gypsy
tentmakcrs, who also deal in camel
hair and goat hair for Repairing plr-
roses. Six or eight poles uphold the
structure, the ends and one side be-
ing pegged to. the ground, and the
whole of the other side being left
cutie open. This is the @''hohse of
hair of the Arab sheis, wherein all
gre welcome ands.no guest is more
favored than another. -. ~ y. stS
The tent is divided into two apart
n:ent5, one OF which is occupied by
the sheik's viveS, bt.t travellers VINO
sit in the other apartment may quite
es silly converse With the unseen beau
ties of the chiefs establishment, and
such social intercourse is not prohib-
tied as rule. 1t would be an act OF
gross discourtesy for a traveller to ig-
mere the presence of great tent and
to erect a tent of his own in the neig1-
Ecrhood. Furthermore. it would he
asking for trouble" While the sheik
would protect. at whatever cost, the
guest who had sought his door, he
would not think twice about plumber,
iIg the foolish stranger who had pass
ed it by.
Quite large villages are formed 6y
the encampmentS of some of the in
portant desert tribes, and these are
regularly visited by commercial tray.
elers from Damascus, TO they boart
regular bazaar or market street Of
tent shops. In one particular, at least
the lot of such a traveller is happieH
taan that of his European confrere-
he is boarded and lodged free of cos
in the guest chamber.
liz such village there would be 4
separate guest chamber. distinct from
the residence of the sheik, and this
would be resort for gossfpers
throughout the day.. Games are play
ed in these guest chambers, in which
Cf course, the visitor may join; and
che of them has recently found It's
way to Europe, apparently via Ameri-
ca. and is now fairly popular in Lon
cen. though in a modified form. 1t is
known by the title of go ban al
though this is not its Bedouin nam 9
anc in Europe it is played upon draft
board. In the desert it is played with
stones upon the floor. which is chalked
into squares A detailed description
is unnecessary. but the game consists
il maneuvering to get nine stones in
three straight rows lin the Western
game, to get five men in one straight
row.
Coffee is placed before every visitor
to the Bedouin tent. Essentially. the
taste for this preparation is an az
Guired one. Mark Twain's long cher
isbed vision of the delights of coffee
drinking in the luxurious East was
shattered at the moment that he rails
ed the cup to his lips. but it would be
en- insult to the hospitality of the
steik to display such distaste as this
when partaking of the beverage in a
Bedouin tent. On the advent of visit
OF green coffee berries are roasted in
a kind of ladle over the fire, and when
when done, crushed in a mortar and
served in tiny cups. which fortunately
Tor the Western que: t, hold little more
than a ligueur glass. The preparation
has the consistency and appearance of
n,ur and the coffee gound:, irritates
the throat of one unused to the luxury
IN a highly unpleasant manner. But
= is an established form of welcome
and must be acknowledged by smack
Ing the lips as if with enjoyment.
A feature of the large hats Of the
season is the brim of uneven width.
he hac