THE BEDOUIN OF AKKAR: LIVING A CHALLENGING FORM SEDENTISM The Bedouin in Akkar mostly live in Wadi Khaled, where they constitute an overwhelming majority. Some Bedouin settled elsewhere as well, mainly in the Sahel region where their distinctive cultural identity appears to be less pronounced. Qoleiat • Most of Akkar’s Bedouin shifted slowly from a pastoral to an agropastoral socioeconomic model, before engaging in regular and irregular transborder trade and other more common sectors. • Settled in isolated rural areas, many of their villages have kept an informal status to this day, in the form of macha’at, (i.e. not listed under any official cadaster). Thus, the state does not provide them with any infrastructure or services. Wadi Khaled Bedouin located in Burj El Arab • In Akkar, Wadi Khaled is by far the largest hotspot for Bedouin, in addition to the Sahel, where Qoleiat, Tell Ende and Burj el Arab host the most prominent Bedouin communities. • In this respect, the Bedouin are proud of their origins. They have a different dialect, and tend to have distinctive social norms and customs. Yet, these identity markers tend to fade away through sedentism, especially among younger generations, who are better assimilated within the Lebanese tissue. • That said, the Bedouin continue to be vulnerable to stigmatization by other groups, especially in Wadi Khaled, where many locals from Akkar express animosity towards them. “ Source: Chatty, D. (2011). Bedouin in Lebanon: The Transformation of a Way of Life or an Attitude? International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 6(3), 21–30 Tell Ende Some Bedouin regard themselves as modern, having left behind many of the old social customs that they regard as being at the root of their discrimination. Others remain particularly proud of their tribal identity and history of mobility. - Chatty (2011) © 2021 Siren Associates. All Rights Reserved.