Clinton Bailey: Preserver of Bedouin Culture Passes Away at 88

Clinton Bailey, renowned for his extensive work in documenting the oral traditions and lifestyles of nomadic Bedouin tribes, has passed away at the age of 88. His significant contributions over five decades ensured the preservation of a unique and disappearing culture.

Clinton Bailey, an American-Israeli academic recognized for his lifelong commitment to documenting the traditions of the Bedouin tribes in the Middle East, passed away on January 5 at his home in Jerusalem at the age of 88 due to heart failure.

Born in Buffalo, New York, Dr. Bailey dedicated nearly 50 years to the preservation of Bedouin culture, capturing the tribe's oral poetry, wisdom from elders, traditional weddings, and various rituals. His work primarily focused on the tribes of the southern Negev Desert in Israel and the Sinai Peninsula, where he often ventured by Jeep to visit remote encampments, sometimes joining the tribes on migratory camps on camel back, all while armed with a camera and a tape recorder.

Dr. Bailey felt a sense of urgency in his mission, particularly as Bedouin society was on the brink of change due to modern influences. With the encroachment of urbanization and technology, the then largely illiterate society was at risk of losing their traditional ways. “I decided to try to capture that culture,” he remarked in a 2021 interview when he donated his archive, which includes 350 hours of audio tape along with countless prints and slides, to the National Library of Israel.

The library referred to his extensive collection as “a treasure of orally transmitted ancient culture,” emphasizing how crucial these records are as many younger Bedouin no longer engage with their ancestral customs due to exposure to contemporary lifestyles.

Dr. Bailey is remembered as a vital figure in preserving the Bedouin way of life, revered by many within the tribes he documented over decades of dedicated research. His legacy will undoubtedly live on through the invaluable records and insights he provided into a culture that's rapidly changing.