Negev Bedouin daḥīyah Songs: Celebrating Brotherhood Above War and Love

Abstract

While much attention has been paid to several dialectal Arabic narrative and poetic genres, Negev Arabic (NA) daḥīyah songs (NA diḥḥiyyih, also known as daḥḥa) have received little scholarly attention. I report here eight traditional Negev Bedouin daḥīyah songs, one neo-daḥīyah, and one haǧīn (NA hiǧnih)—recorded during personal meetings with informants from 2017 to 2019—in transcription and translation with some stylistic and linguistic comments. Background information is provided on the characteristics of this vernacular genre—its performance, contents, and scope—and its evolution. Daḥīyah has profoundly changed in content, language, and form in the transition from traditional Negev Bedouin society—before the establishment of the State of Israel—to the present. Originally a form of martial collective chant and dance mainly performed at wedding celebrations, the daḥīyah has gained popularity in neighboring sedentary Palestinian communities, where it has become an expression of identity, resistance, and revolt on various festive occasions. Today, several closely interconnected daḥīyah types coexist in the Negev, from songs that adhere to traditional models in terms of composition and performance to neo-daḥīyah.