I think Arab Bedouins present a special case as far as indigenous people are concerned. I would say there are four criteria when it comes to the definition of an indigenous people: 1) ethnicity; 2) language; 3) culture; and 4) lifestyle. If we take Arabia as an example, the term “endangered” indigenous culture or language is a far cry from reality. The only Arabs who can (proudly) claim pure Arab descent are Arabia’s tribes, almost all of which have Bedouin roots. Arabs of Bedouin descent, albeit long settled, constitute the ethnic majority in Arabia (and a considerable portion of the population in Iraq, Jordan, and even Syria). It is a linguistic fact that Classical Arabic emerged in the desert among the nomads, and exploded out of Arabia to replace the ancient (indigenous) languages of the fertile crescent and North Africa. Traces of Bedouin culture are present in different degrees in pan-Arab culture, and it was the culture of the Arab nomad that overtook and subdued that of long-settled agricultural societies even within Arabia itself (e.g., the Yemen). As for lifestyle, being a nomadic people versus a sedentary people, I doubt that alone would make the few remaining Arab Bedouins stand out as an “indigenous” people, except where they are socially marginalized (e.g., Egypt, Lebanon) or constitute an actual ethnic minority (e.g.,Israeli desert, Persian Iran).

Web Links

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bedouin

http://www.geographia.com/egypt/sinai/bedouin.htm

http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/people1.html