Introduction

The collection of the texts took place in al-Ṣufairi with the exception of Texts 3, 6 and 10 which were recorded in Kuwait. In Ṣufairi the procedure was that I would go in the afternoon to the house of Nāyif ibn Ḥamūd and there record whatever text he had prepared for the day and go over previous texts, particularly the poems which often contained difficult vocabulary. However, I always carried a note-book with me and might, at any time, note down information or ask for clarification of anything I had heard, particularly from Muḥammad ibn Sa’dūn who was regarded within the tribe as my khawi or ‘companion’. It is important to mention that throughout this process it was not a matter of myself, as a researcher, collecting data from the tribesmen as informants, but rather a collective effort on the part of us all in an exercise regarded as of benefit to the tribe. It seemed to the Ḍhafīr that it would be useful to produce an accurate account of their life and history and they were glad to contribute. This also explains to some extent the nature of the texts. Although I, as a linguist, would have been happy to collect a wide range of texts which reflected bedouin life and used bedouin vocabulary, the Ḍhafīr felt that it would only be appropriate to include texts of historical importance and which related to persons of importance among the Ḍhafīr and other tribes. There were a number of older men at the village who had personal experience of camel-raiding in the old days, but as these were only personal recollections, not supported by poems or well known in the bedouin world, it was not thought appropriate to include them. A further important factor was the identity of the informant. Nāyif ibn Ḥamūd and Muḥammad ibn Sa’dūn were members respectively of the shaikhly lines of the Āl Sulṭān and Āl ’Afnān and were therefore regarded as respectable authorities. A l l of the above texts were in an informal way approved by Nāyif, Muḥammad and Nawwāf ibn Hazza’ and consequently had the approval of the tribe. Before I recorded a text, Nāyif would recount the tale and its poem aloud, so that any amendments or corrections could be

made by those present. We would then record it . The recording was then played repeatedly so that any further mistakes could be rectified and all would be satisfied that it was a correct version of the events.