Trapped by Tatriiz: Bedouin Handicrafts and Marginalization in South Sinai

摘要

Recent decades have transformed the significance of hand embroidery and beadwork (tatriiz) for Bedouin women. Once a valued skill used to convey cultural meaning, especially marital status, through costume, it has now become a commodity whose benefits are unequally distributed. Marketed by successful projects, it may be a welcome provider of independent funds for women and improved family income. Equally it can lead to demeaning encounters, as women set aside cultural norms to sell goods made with declining skill. Much depends on the quality of support offered to the Bedu by projects purporting to help them, since the remoteness and underdevelopment of their region leaves them at a competitive disadvantage. Ensuring equality for the Bedu has not been a feature of Egyptian development policy, and the emphasis on preserving traditional handcrafts risks cutting Bedu off from mainstream development and confining them to a "traditional" past.