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Ground Loom Weaving Among Negev Bedouin Women

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Artisan and Handicraft Entrepreneurs

Part of the book series: Contributions to Management Science ((MANAGEMENT SC.))

Abstract

It was common to see black tents dotting the Negev landscape in 1948, the year the State of Israel was created. Bedouin women used ground looms to weave tents and carpets from goat hair and sheep/camel wool. However, the tents were replaced by tin shacks when non-sanctioned Bedouin villages sprung up in the Negev in the 1950s–1970s. With urbanization, ground loom weaving continued in the 1980s, but instead of natural goat hair and sheep wool, the women used colourful acrylic yarn to weave carpets and other items. Weaving basically ceased by 2015, and today, it is rare to find a ground loom. Bedouin simply purchase machine-made acrylic carpets for their homes and other purposes. However, in 1991, two Bedouin sisters established a women’s cooperative, ‘Lakiya Negev Bedouin Weaving’, to preserve traditional weaving and provide employment for Bedouin women. Today, there are 30 to 60 Bedouin women employed at the cooperative, most of them working from their homes. A similar pattern of ground loom weaving and its discontinuation among Bedouin women has been described in a number of surrounding countries in the Middle East. Cooperatives were also established in these countries to preserve traditional weaving methods and provide earnings for Bedouin women.

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Acknowledgements

We are grateful to the Bedouin women, in particular, from the Jerawin (أَلْجَراوين) and Tarabin el-Sana (ترابين الصَانع) tribes, who provided us with information on weaving and offered us warm hospitality during our data collection. We also thank Maryam Aboud (Negev Bedouin Weaving Cooperative in Lakiya) for information on the weaving cooperative and Khadra el-Meccawi (Tel Sheva) for information on traditional weaving.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer Sheva, Israel

    A. Allan Degen

  2. Achva Academic College, Shikmim, Israel

    Shaher El-Meccawi

  3. Kaye Academic College, Beer Sheva, Israel

    Shaher El-Meccawi

Authors
  1. A. Allan Degen
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  2. Shaher El-Meccawi
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to A. Allan Degen .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Rowe School of Business, Dalhousie University, Halifax, NS, Canada

    Léo-Paul Dana

  2. Faculty of Business and Economics, South East European University, Tetovo, North Macedonia

    Veland Ramadani

  3. Sultan Qaboos University, Al Khoudh, Oman

    Ramo Palalic

  4. Faculty of Management, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran

    Aidin Salamzadeh

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Allan Degen, A., El-Meccawi, S. (2022). Ground Loom Weaving Among Negev Bedouin Women. In: Dana, LP., Ramadani, V., Palalic, R., Salamzadeh, A. (eds) Artisan and Handicraft Entrepreneurs. Contributions to Management Science. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-82303-0_1

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