Clinton Bailey, an esteemed American-Israeli scholar and ethnographer dedicated to preserving the rich cultural tapestry of Bedouin tribes in the Middle East, passed away on January 5 at age 88 in Jerusalem due to heart failure, as confirmed by his son Michael. Originally from Buffalo, Dr. Bailey devoted nearly 50 years to documenting the oral poetry, tribal wisdom, rituals, and customs of the Bedouin people throughout the southern Negev Desert and the Sinai Peninsula.
Using a Jeep or sometimes traveling on camels for weeks, Bailey immersed himself in Bedouin communities, capturing their stories, proverbs, weddings, and other significant traditions through audio recordings and photographs. In a 2021 interview, he recounted the urgency of his work, acknowledging that the nomadic lifestyle of the Bedouin was rapidly changing due to external pressures such as urbanization, modern technology, and governmental restrictions.
Dr. Bailey's extensive personal archive, consisting of around 350 hours of audio tapes and numerous photographic records, was donated to the National Library of Israel, where it is regarded as a priceless documentation of a largely unwritten culture. The library described his contributions as an “irreplaceable treasure,” emphasizing that younger generations of Bedouin, exposed to modernity, lack access to the rich oral traditions captured in Bailey's work.
His commitment to the Bedouin people has earned him respect and reverence among the tribes he chronicled, serving as a vital link to their boundless cultural heritage at a time when voices from within the community were beginning to fade amidst modern influences. Bailey's legacy ensures that future generations can still access and appreciate the deep roots of Bedouin traditions.
