Products: Bedouin weaving  products (rugs, pillows, tapestries)
Beneficiaries: 120 Bedouin women in the Negev Desert
 

Lakiya Negev Bedouin Weaving was established in 1991 as an income generation project for Palestinian Bedouin women living in villages and encampments in the Negev desert in the southern Israel.   Through the network of 6 women’s centers across the area, approximately 150 Bedouin women are provided with an opportunity to develop the traditional skills of spinning and weaving the wool, to acquire new roles and skills in dyeing, production and business management, and to earn incomes through the work.

The Bedouins, comprising 12% of the Palestinian Arab minority in Israel, suffer from various discriminations as a minority living in the Jewish state, resulting in deprivation of social and economic rights.  The nomadic people’s social and cultural fabric has been torn apart by the confiscation of their grazing land and forced relocation to newly-established townships, as the State of Israel does not recognize the Bedouin land rights and tribal ownership previously respected by the Ottoman and British authorities.  Having to give up their traditional way of life without the education and skills necessary to be integrated in the market economy, the Bedouin communities suffer from rampant poverty and various social problems.  While some have settled in designated townships, a majority of the Bedouins live in encampments unrecognized by the State, being denied of basic services such as water, electricity, schools and clinics, and threatened with the demolition of homes and forced eviction.

Lakiya Negev Bedouin Weaving, a project of Sidreh (a nonprofit organization), was born out of this context.  Dire economic needs of the families motivated women to break away from the old custom that forbade them to be employed outside of their homes.   

The weaving has traditionally been women’s work, for making tents, rugs, camel bags, belts, lafehs (a long belt to tie the hair), grain sacks and other household products.  Lakiya’s rugs are hand woven outdoors on traditional ground looms using the wool of local desert sheep.  By increasing demand for their weaving, the Project aims to revive and preserve a craft central to Bedouin social and cultural heritage. Traditional patterns and colors are incorporated in the products for contemporary lifestyle, including floor rugs, tapestries, cushion covers and bags.   

Mariam, Lakiya’s production manager, says the project gave her an invaluable opportunity to explore her potential.  She has gained a sense of empowerment from being able to supply the family income, and is proud that all her children have received good education as a result.  Mariam says: “The project has been a life-changing experience for us.  Now I drive a car, use the Internet.  I feel I am free.”

Contact Lakiya Bedouin Weaving Project:
P.O. Box 1588, Omer, 84965 Israel
Tel: +972-(0)8-651-9883
Fax: +972-(0)8-651-3031
lakiya@netvision.net.il
www.lakiya.org

Lakiya’s products are available at Sunbula Craft Shop in Jerusalem (unavailable at the Online Craft Market).
View a product sample