ABSTRACT
Transfer of the Bedouin from their lands and pastures to the Sayig area, and strict control by the authorities limiting their ability to roam about with their flocks, have greatly affected livestock rearing which has been limited as a result of having to adjust to new ecological and political conditions. Because of political considerations on the part of the authorities not all the flocks of the Bedouin were registered, in an attempt to reduce the apparent size of the problem. A study of varied aspects of Bedouin society in the Negev during the 1960s demonstrates the importance of the flock, both as a source of livelihood and also as the focus of social ceremonies and of inter-relationships, both within the tribe and outside it. It is interesting to note that, in spite of the different origins of the Bedouin and the farmers, they have much in common; they maintain socio-cultural, religious and political ties.
