'Gazetteer of Arabia Vol. II' [‎1324] (373/688)

BMBBBHWMBBMwaiiiitiniiiMii
MUTAIR
are kept under attachment as long as he lives. In a case of rape the woman is not killed,
and if the assailant make good his escape it is not incumbent on the injured husband to
make any effort to discover him.
The subject of the war-cry, called 'Izwah or Nakhwah is replete with complications.
The war-cry of the 'Ilwah as a body is " Ilwah hil-al-Ridah," meaning apparently
" O noble ones, will ye not return to the fight ? " ; it is said to have originated from
the words used by a leader to rally the 'Ilwah in a fight in which they at first gave
way, and the name 'Ilwah is supposed to be derived from it. If, however, the
jiblan should be engaged alone they cry " Khayyal-as-Subhah Jabali" and the shout
of the Umwahah in similar circumstances is " Aulad-al-Uwaihi" both phrases referring
to ancestral origin. The AuladWasil battle-cry is their name, and it is perhaps used by
others of the Braih, for it is stated that if the Mutair generally were engaged the words
'Ilwah and Wasil would be those chiefly heard. The separate cry of the Bani 'Abdillah
is " Aulad 'Iba'd
Mode of life and 'property. —Like other Bedouins the Mutair follow a wandering life,
being assembled together in large bodies at good watering stations for 3 months in summer
and dispersed during the rest of the year over their whole territory in search of pasture.
They are said to prefer the northern part of their Dirah. Nowhere do they cultivate,
and camels, mostly of a dark colour, are their chief wealth, but they also possess sheep
and goats in large numbers and in about equal proportions. Both sheep and goats are
of one kind only, the sheep belonging to the species called Nijad because proper to Najd.
The best male riding-camels, called Dhaluls, do not sell for more than $100 each among
the Mutair, and a female (or Naqah) Dhalul being weaker only fetches $60. The price of
the best male baggage camels, called Ba'irs, is $60, and their Naqahs average about S10
less ; but a Halfah or she-camel in milk may become more valuable than a male. The
goats (Ma'az) and sheep (Dhan) are sold at $4 to §6 a head, and the price of females is
higher than of males.
The Wasams or property marks of the Mutair are endless and, as a rule, are branded
only on camels. The Wasam of the Dushan is a H placed low down on the off-quarter,
and that of the Basaiyis a crescent impressed in two places, viz., below the right eye
and low down on the off-quarter. The brand is applied to a camel when it is 2 years old
and the operation is accompanied with the remark " This is your mark and may good
luck be your portion."
Tribal constitution. —The paramount Shaikh of the Mutair is at present Sultan-bin-
Hamaidi-ad-Dawish. a man 60 years of age, whose authority over all lesser Shaikhs is
admitted by such of the Mutair as are not at the moment in rebellion against him. The
Bani 'Abdillah, as already mentioned, refused for a considerable time to submit to his
paramount authority, and the Sahabah section are reported to have maintained a
quarrel with him for the last 15 years in connection with the division of some booty ob
tained in a raid on the ' Ataibah. His authority, therefore, is far from being absolute, and
it is said to be weaker now than it was formerly. The surname, ad-Dawish, shows that
this Shaikh belongs to the Dushan, a family of the Umwahah and not, as some authorities
have supposed, a large division of the tribe. There are 5 other Shaikhs who are recognised
as " Shaikhs of the Dushan," but the recognition appears in the case of each to be honorific
and not founded upon the headship of any considerable group. Sultan appears to be chief
Shaikh not only of the whole Mutair tribe but also of the 'Ilwah division ; there are however
sub-divisional Shaikhs of the Jiblan and Umwahah ; and there is a divisional Shaikhship
of the Braih, vested in a family called Bin Basaiyis'of the Sa'aran section and held at the
present time by Naif-bin-Hazal, aged 45. The nomenclature of the Mutair in regard to
tribal groups seems to differ from that of most of their Bedouin congeners in Central
Arabia, by whom small groups are ordinarily styled Findahs (plural Finad). The Mutair
divide the whole tribe or "Ashirah into Qabilahs (plural Qabail) and the Qabilahs into
Badidahs (plural Badaid) or Hamulahs. Thus, strictly speaking, Qabilah means a main
division and Badidah a sub-divsion or smaller group ; but the current use of both terms is
loose and inconsistent and Qabilah is frequently employed to describe a sub-division.
Political position. —The Mutair have ordinarily been tribvtaries of Ibn Sa'ud, and
their annual contribution to the Riyadh treasury was valued 40 years ago at $16,000 ;
nevertheless'by religion they are Maliki Sunnis, and in this respect they differ from most
of the Bedouins of Central Arabia, who are tinctured with Wahhabiism aud describe
■■