Togetherness: Bedouin family ties
By Katya Adler
BBC News, Jordan
There's something other-worldly about parts of the Jordanian desert. A bit like stepping back in time.
在這個有幾分超脫塵世的部份約旦沙漠地區裡，令人感覺彷彿是一腳踏進了歷史的洪流之中。
Here in the wilderness, Bedouin families live as they have for centuries - tending sheep and goats, sleeping on the floor in tents, far from the national water or electricity grids.
貝都因人的幾個家族住在這片荒漠之中已經有好幾個世紀了 – 照料著綿羊和山羊，睡在帳棚裡硬硬的地上，遠在國家民生自來水及電力供應系統之外。
The al-Rimthal family is headed by matriarch Ilaya. Dressed in traditional black with fine tattoos on her cheeks, chin and forehead, her face and hands are thoroughly weather-beaten.
這個al-Rimthal家族由女族長Ilaya為首。她身著傳統的黑衣，臉頰、下巴和額頭都紋上了精緻的刺青，她飽經風霜的臉和雙手全部曬得黝黑。
She welcomes us to her home. A tent roughly half the size of a basketball court. There are small children everywhere, it seems.
她把我們迎進家門。這座帳棚約有半個籃球場這麼大。而且看起來到處都是年幼的孩童。
"My grandchildren," IIaya proudly announces. But when I ask her how many there are exactly, she has trouble remembering. During the course of the day, I counted at least 13. Ilaya's four daughters and four of her six sons live with her.
"我的孫子、孫女，"她得意地說。但是當我問起倒底有多少個時，她卻有點記不起來。一整天下來，我數了至少有13個。跟Ilaya同住的有她四個女兒，另外她六個兒子中也有四個是住在這裡。
Their tent is divided into two sections. The first is for receiving guests. Bedouin hospitality is legendary. The second is the family's communal kitchen, living, dining and bedroom.
他們的帳棚分成兩區。第一區是用來接待客人。貝都因人的好客是遠近馳名的。第二區則是自己家人共用的廚房、客廳、餐廳以及臥室。
There is no furniture but foam mattresses and blankets are stacked into a corner of the room during the day.
這裡面沒有什麼家俱，有的只是海綿墊以及毛毯，白天的時候這些都被整齊的疊在房間的一角。
"We eat, sleep, work and pray together, right here under one roof," Ilaya told me.
"我們在同一個屋簷下一起吃、睡、工作、祈禱，就在這裡，"Ilaya對我說。
"I wouldn't be able to live without my sons and daughters around. Our life is good because we're together. The men feed and milk the animals and fetch the water. My daughters and daughters-in-law share the chores, clean the tent, grind the coffee, cook the meals. And me? I bake the breakfast bread every morning."
"沒有我的子女在旁，我可能真的活不下去。我們活得很快樂是因為我們都在一起。男人們餵養牲口、擠牛奶和汲水。我女兒和女婿們分擔家務，清理帳棚、研磨咖啡，煮煮飯。而我呢?我則是每天為大家烤烤早餐吃的麵包。"
Fear of separation
Ilaya is baking as she chats to me. She sits on the floor behind a gas-lit oval, stone-like structure. She throws dough at it and we're invited to eat the piping hot flat bread with home-made goat's cheese.
當Ilaya和我閒聊時還一邊烤著麵包。她坐在地上一個燒著煤氣的橢圓石製設備前。她朝著這個設備把生麵團扔了過去，接著，便邀請我們一塊吃熱騰騰的扁平麵包，佐以自製的羊奶乾酪。
Her daughters are busy around us, looking after the smallest children, singing Bedouin folksongs to them about heroes galloping through the desert.
她的女兒們在我們周圍忙著照顧年幼的孩子們，還一邊對他們唱著貝都因人的民謠，那是講述在沙漠中騎著馬奔馳的英雄。
"This is the life we choose and that we've always known," says Ilaya. "We Bedouin don't like to be separated.
"這是我們選擇的生活方式，是我們一直以來所熟悉的，"Ilaya這樣說。"我們貝都因人不喜歡分開。"
"I want my family together always. In the modern world, elderly parents are left on their own. People carry their troubles by themselves on their shoulders. Not us."
"我想要我的家人永遠生活在一起。在現代世界裡，年長的父母孤力無助地被丟在一旁。人們各自扛著自己的問題。但我們不是這樣。"
Bedouin communities are an extreme example, but tightly-knit families are the norm across the Middle East. In fact, families aren't just close, they are a lifeline.
貝都因人的社群是個極端的例子，但是這種緊密團結的家庭正是中東地區的規範。事實上，家庭不緊只是親密，他們更是一串生命線。
People depend on their relatives, not the state, if they are poor, sick or unemployed.
當人們在窮困、病痛或失業中，他們依靠的是自己的親戚，而不是政府。
On its website, the Jordanian Department of Statistics describes the family as "the basic social unit for the individual because it represents the source of protection, food, shelter, income, reputation and honour".
在約旦統計處的網站上對家庭的形容是"對個體來說，家庭是社會的基本單位，因為它扮演了保護、食物、庇護、名譽與榮耀的來源。"
Not just in the desert or rural communities either. More than 40% of Jordanians live in the capital, Amman.
不只是在沙漠裡，農村的社群也是這樣。大約有超過40%的約旦人住在首都安曼。
Financial help
One of the few members of the al-Rimthal clan who live in the city is Faris. He works on the Jordanian stock market, quite a contrast to his desert upbringing.
al-Rimthal氏族的少數幾個成員就住在城市裡，其中一個是Faris。他在約旦股市裡工作，這跟他在沙漠裡所得到的教養是多麼不同。
But his earnings are spent on the family. He visits them almost every day.
但是他所賺的錢都拿回家，而且他幾乎每天都會回家去探望他的親人。
We met Faris as he pulled up to his mother's tent in a shiny Mercedes, wearing a crisp white cotton robe, sporting a glitzy watch.
我們遇到Faris時他剛巧把一輛擦拭得光亮的Mercedes在他母親的帳棚前停了下來，他一身清爽的白色綿袍，還戴了一只誇張的手錶
"The family bond is an ancient tradition for us," he told me.
"家族關係密切，對我們來說是古老的傳統，"他告訴我。
"That's how we're brought up. Even when I'm working in Amman, my roots follow me there and always pull me back.
"我們的教養是這樣告訴我們的。即使我目前在安曼工作，我的祖先們好像也跟著我到那裡去，而且也總會把我給拉回來。"
"Modern life offers a lot in terms of material things but family always comes first. I've been helping to provide for them financially since my father died."
"現代生活提供許多物質方面的東西，但家人永遠是擺在第一位。從父親過世以來，我就一直在財務上支持他們。"
Later, watching from her tent as Faris and his nephews teased the family's camels, Ilaya wondered out loud: "We older people prefer to keep the family together.
稍晚，Ilaya從她的帳棚望去，Faris和他的姪子正在逗弄家裡養的駱駝，她大感納悶:"我們老人家寧可全家人都住在一起。"
"I think it's because of us that the family does stay together. Maybe if the young people were left on their own, they would live alone."
"我想大概是因為我們是全家人住一起。也許讓年輕人獨立自主，他們就會選擇獨居吧。"
Still, the trend across the Middle East is for continued close family ties among the old and the young. Religion and widespread traditional social values make it likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
儘管如此，中東各地的趨勢是繼續朝著使老人與年輕人之間家庭關係密切的方向走。在可預見的未來裡，宗教信仰以及普遍的社會價值觀使得這樣的趨勢更為可能。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7083696.stm
Published: 2007/11/08 11:27:19 GMT
© BBC MMVII
By Katya Adler
BBC News, Jordan
There's something other-worldly about parts of the Jordanian desert. A bit like stepping back in time.
在這個有幾分超脫塵世的部份約旦沙漠地區裡，令人感覺彷彿是一腳踏進了歷史的洪流之中。
Here in the wilderness, Bedouin families live as they have for centuries - tending sheep and goats, sleeping on the floor in tents, far from the national water or electricity grids.
貝都因人的幾個家族住在這片荒漠之中已經有好幾個世紀了 – 照料著綿羊和山羊，睡在帳棚裡硬硬的地上，遠在國家民生自來水及電力供應系統之外。
The al-Rimthal family is headed by matriarch Ilaya. Dressed in traditional black with fine tattoos on her cheeks, chin and forehead, her face and hands are thoroughly weather-beaten.
這個al-Rimthal家族由女族長Ilaya為首。她身著傳統的黑衣，臉頰、下巴和額頭都紋上了精緻的刺青，她飽經風霜的臉和雙手全部曬得黝黑。
She welcomes us to her home. A tent roughly half the size of a basketball court. There are small children everywhere, it seems.
她把我們迎進家門。這座帳棚約有半個籃球場這麼大。而且看起來到處都是年幼的孩童。
"My grandchildren," IIaya proudly announces. But when I ask her how many there are exactly, she has trouble remembering. During the course of the day, I counted at least 13. Ilaya's four daughters and four of her six sons live with her.
"我的孫子、孫女，"她得意地說。但是當我問起倒底有多少個時，她卻有點記不起來。一整天下來，我數了至少有13個。跟Ilaya同住的有她四個女兒，另外她六個兒子中也有四個是住在這裡。
Their tent is divided into two sections. The first is for receiving guests. Bedouin hospitality is legendary. The second is the family's communal kitchen, living, dining and bedroom.
他們的帳棚分成兩區。第一區是用來接待客人。貝都因人的好客是遠近馳名的。第二區則是自己家人共用的廚房、客廳、餐廳以及臥室。
There is no furniture but foam mattresses and blankets are stacked into a corner of the room during the day.
這裡面沒有什麼家俱，有的只是海綿墊以及毛毯，白天的時候這些都被整齊的疊在房間的一角。
"We eat, sleep, work and pray together, right here under one roof," Ilaya told me.
"我們在同一個屋簷下一起吃、睡、工作、祈禱，就在這裡，"Ilaya對我說。
"I wouldn't be able to live without my sons and daughters around. Our life is good because we're together. The men feed and milk the animals and fetch the water. My daughters and daughters-in-law share the chores, clean the tent, grind the coffee, cook the meals. And me? I bake the breakfast bread every morning."
"沒有我的子女在旁，我可能真的活不下去。我們活得很快樂是因為我們都在一起。男人們餵養牲口、擠牛奶和汲水。我女兒和女婿們分擔家務，清理帳棚、研磨咖啡，煮煮飯。而我呢?我則是每天為大家烤烤早餐吃的麵包。"
Fear of separation
Ilaya is baking as she chats to me. She sits on the floor behind a gas-lit oval, stone-like structure. She throws dough at it and we're invited to eat the piping hot flat bread with home-made goat's cheese.
當Ilaya和我閒聊時還一邊烤著麵包。她坐在地上一個燒著煤氣的橢圓石製設備前。她朝著這個設備把生麵團扔了過去，接著，便邀請我們一塊吃熱騰騰的扁平麵包，佐以自製的羊奶乾酪。
Her daughters are busy around us, looking after the smallest children, singing Bedouin folksongs to them about heroes galloping through the desert.
她的女兒們在我們周圍忙著照顧年幼的孩子們，還一邊對他們唱著貝都因人的民謠，那是講述在沙漠中騎著馬奔馳的英雄。
"This is the life we choose and that we've always known," says Ilaya. "We Bedouin don't like to be separated.
"這是我們選擇的生活方式，是我們一直以來所熟悉的，"Ilaya這樣說。"我們貝都因人不喜歡分開。"
"I want my family together always. In the modern world, elderly parents are left on their own. People carry their troubles by themselves on their shoulders. Not us."
"我想要我的家人永遠生活在一起。在現代世界裡，年長的父母孤力無助地被丟在一旁。人們各自扛著自己的問題。但我們不是這樣。"
Bedouin communities are an extreme example, but tightly-knit families are the norm across the Middle East. In fact, families aren't just close, they are a lifeline.
貝都因人的社群是個極端的例子，但是這種緊密團結的家庭正是中東地區的規範。事實上，家庭不緊只是親密，他們更是一串生命線。
People depend on their relatives, not the state, if they are poor, sick or unemployed.
當人們在窮困、病痛或失業中，他們依靠的是自己的親戚，而不是政府。
On its website, the Jordanian Department of Statistics describes the family as "the basic social unit for the individual because it represents the source of protection, food, shelter, income, reputation and honour".
在約旦統計處的網站上對家庭的形容是"對個體來說，家庭是社會的基本單位，因為它扮演了保護、食物、庇護、名譽與榮耀的來源。"
Not just in the desert or rural communities either. More than 40% of Jordanians live in the capital, Amman.
不只是在沙漠裡，農村的社群也是這樣。大約有超過40%的約旦人住在首都安曼。
Financial help
One of the few members of the al-Rimthal clan who live in the city is Faris. He works on the Jordanian stock market, quite a contrast to his desert upbringing.
al-Rimthal氏族的少數幾個成員就住在城市裡，其中一個是Faris。他在約旦股市裡工作，這跟他在沙漠裡所得到的教養是多麼不同。
But his earnings are spent on the family. He visits them almost every day.
但是他所賺的錢都拿回家，而且他幾乎每天都會回家去探望他的親人。
We met Faris as he pulled up to his mother's tent in a shiny Mercedes, wearing a crisp white cotton robe, sporting a glitzy watch.
我們遇到Faris時他剛巧把一輛擦拭得光亮的Mercedes在他母親的帳棚前停了下來，他一身清爽的白色綿袍，還戴了一只誇張的手錶
"The family bond is an ancient tradition for us," he told me.
"家族關係密切，對我們來說是古老的傳統，"他告訴我。
"That's how we're brought up. Even when I'm working in Amman, my roots follow me there and always pull me back.
"我們的教養是這樣告訴我們的。即使我目前在安曼工作，我的祖先們好像也跟著我到那裡去，而且也總會把我給拉回來。"
"Modern life offers a lot in terms of material things but family always comes first. I've been helping to provide for them financially since my father died."
"現代生活提供許多物質方面的東西，但家人永遠是擺在第一位。從父親過世以來，我就一直在財務上支持他們。"
Later, watching from her tent as Faris and his nephews teased the family's camels, Ilaya wondered out loud: "We older people prefer to keep the family together.
稍晚，Ilaya從她的帳棚望去，Faris和他的姪子正在逗弄家裡養的駱駝，她大感納悶:"我們老人家寧可全家人都住在一起。"
"I think it's because of us that the family does stay together. Maybe if the young people were left on their own, they would live alone."
"我想大概是因為我們是全家人住一起。也許讓年輕人獨立自主，他們就會選擇獨居吧。"
Still, the trend across the Middle East is for continued close family ties among the old and the young. Religion and widespread traditional social values make it likely to stay that way for the foreseeable future.
儘管如此，中東各地的趨勢是繼續朝著使老人與年輕人之間家庭關係密切的方向走。在可預見的未來裡，宗教信仰以及普遍的社會價值觀使得這樣的趨勢更為可能。
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/middle_east/7083696.stm
Published: 2007/11/08 11:27:19 GMT
© BBC MMVII
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