Lamalmin in Beidane Tribal Society
Despite significant advances in the study of the social structure of the Beidan, knowledge of the lamalmin(2) (craftsmen) remains relatively modest. This paper attempts to rectify this gap by highlighting some problematic issues related to the origins of the Beidan craftsmen, who over the ages have formed one of the components of the Saharan tribal society. It also considers the problems raised by the categorizations that they have been subject to. The paper concludes that the Lamalamin, in as much as they formed a virtually closed class, had also a relationship with Bedouin Saharan tribal society that determined their social origins. The findings thus reveal how social status, can sometimes go beyond the constraints of genealogy and profession.