A Photograph of Ibrahim abu Sitteh, His Sons and His Daughters in Deir Jarir Village, Circa 1962

Taken in 1962, this photograph captures Ibrahim Saleh abu Sitteh, the Sheikh of the Abu Sitteh Family, with his sons and daughters in front of their home in the village of Deir Jarir in Ramallah. Appearing in the photograph are, from the left: Ahmad, Mahmoud, Ali standing on a Buick car and the daughters.  Abu Sitteh Family originates from Be’r as-Sab’ and is part of the at-Tarabin Tribe. They identify as Bedouin Sheikhs; which refers to still Bedouins who live constantly in their lands, unlike other nomads. They distinguish their Bedouin identity by staying away from villages and cities; they are neither villagers nor city residents, but residents who do not move. The family sought refuge with Sheikh al-Jarmi in Hebron following a disturbance in Be’r as-Saba’ 150 years ago, during which, al-Auja was under the rule of a Jiftlek Prince, who was known for his cruelty against refugees, therefore, they sought refuge with Sheikh al-Jarmi. Al-Jarmi commanded troops of youths from his clan and exiled the Prince from al-Auja to Jiftlek, as they returned, they sang “we freed our land with crooked swords, oh Prince, your path is crooked, turn to al-Brobeta [which is a land at the end of al-Auja]”, thus the name al-Auja (crooked). After that, al-Jarmi divided the lands amongst its people and gave Abu Sitteh a piece of it.