6 - Tribal institutions

Summary

What noble family, but springs from a captain among robbers? Trade alone can spoil our blood; robbery purifies it. The robbery of one age is the chivalry of the next. We may start anew, and vie with even the nobility of France, if we can once enrol but half the Doones upon our lineage.

(R. D. Blackmore, Lorna Doone, 1869)

Introduction

As stated in Chapter 1, asabiyyeh, the sense of belonging, plays a dominant role in the concept of tribe. Asabiyyah is a determining factor in the ideology and in the daily life and actions of tribes. It defines how they see the concept of territory. It is instrumental in the glorious deeds of tribal heroes and determines the purpose of tribal history. Western travellers found this group ethic either baffling or were drawn to it, particularly in the second half of the nineteenth century, with its Victorian spirit that valued private enterprise and personal aspiration above all.

The various tribal institutions, such as the leadership, protection, raiding and hospitality, are all determined by the concept of asabiyyah. This chapter provides a closer look at these tribal institutions and how they are geared towards protection and advancement of the group as a whole.