BEDOUIN FOLK SONG AS CULTURAL ARCHIVE: GENDER, MEMORY, AND ORAL TRADITION IN THE GALILEE

Abstract

Folk song represents one of the most enduring forms of oral cultural expression in Bedouin society. Transmitted across generations through collective memory rather than written documentation, these songs function not only as aesthetic expressions but also as social archives preserving communal values, historical experience, and patterns of everyday life. This article examines the social and cultural roles of Bedouin folk songs in the Galilee, with particular attention to women’s song traditions and their contribution to sustaining communal identity and transmitting cultural knowledge. Drawing on folkloristic theory, oral tradition studies, and ethnographic documentation, the study analyzes a corpus of songs associated with life-cycle rituals, agricultural labor, seasonal practices, and communal celebrations. The analysis shows that folk songs operate simultaneously as emotional expression, social regulation, and cultural pedagogy. Through simple language, repetitive structures, and collective performance, these songs encode moral norms, gender expectations, and shared historical memory. Women’s performances in weddings, childbirth rituals, and everyday labor emerge as central sites of cultural transmission in largely oral societies. The study further demonstrates how Bedouin folk songs adapt to changing social realities while preserving older symbolic patterns, thereby maintaining continuity between past and present. By approaching Bedouin folk song as a form of cultural knowledge rather than merely artistic expression, the article highlights the role of oral musical traditions in shaping communal identity and sustaining social cohesion.