Folklife Festival, Take One

This year the focus is on food, Hispanic music, forestry, and Arab culture. And, also, it's the first time that an Arabic country has been featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival. Now, I remember when I was a young teenager, I think, or at least in my late childhood, that Saudi Arabia sponsored a big exhibit of their culture, through the Smithsonian, I think. It was an interesting exhibit, but rather strange, because all of the people were male, and there wasn't really much about women, for instance, clothes, their role in the Saudi culture.

This year, Oman was invited to be part of the Folklife Festival. Oman is to the east of Saudi Arabia, right on the coast of the Arabian peninsula. there are three distinct environments to be found in Oman - the sea, the mountains, and the oasis. These environment has played a very large part of the type of country that Oman eventually became.

At a time when so many countries have rushed on to the future and the old ways are forgotten or not regarded as important as it once was, Sultan Qaboos, who has ruled his country since 1970, realized early on the need to preserve the Omani culture as he continued to modernize the country. So he commissioned a large study of the musical traditions, from instruments to songs. Over the year there have been studies to document craft, from woodworking to embroidery.

As a result, Oman is one of the few Arab countries that have managed to preserve their unique culture. And sometimes, the old ways are the best. Fishermen are returning to usage of dhows as they've learned that these boats can maneuver better at sea than modern boats. They're also diversifying their economy, looking ahead into the future when oil starts to run out. They've made sure to include women as part of their economic development.

Two weeks ago I left work a bit early to get my first view of the culture. Here is what I saw when I arrived at the mall and followed the sound of music. Watching this dance, you could see quite a bit of African influence on the music and dance. On my second visit, I learned that this dance can last 3 days. I was surprised to see a bagpiper player. I'm used to seeing the bagpipe played in solemn occasions and during marches in a military band. This was played energetically, the player dancing as he played the instrument. I learned that bagpipes came to Oman by way of Egypt. Now there are British troops stationed in Oman, and I'm sure there are some from Scotland stationed there. It's hard to see in this shot, but if you see that purple dress to the left of the picture - that's one of the women in this troupe. If I'm not mistaken, women do dance in some of these dance in public view, just not with the men but in their own group a bit to the side. What is interesting to know is that in the towns, women don't cover their face, but out in the desert and oasis, I think, bedu women do cover their faces with a mask; the cut of the mask varies and they will usually choose the mask cut that accents their best features.

There is a certain tree that only grows in south Oman, and it produces this sap that is called frankincense. It's been used for thousands of years, for cosmetic and religious purpose. It was so valuable that the Romans tried to keep the location a secret. And it's one of the gifts that the Wise Men gave to Jesus the Child, as told in the Bible. The Omanis love fragrance, and one of the customs to signal an end to a feast is to offer incense to the guests, who then immediately leave after partaking of it. How do they partake of it? Simply come near to the pot and wave the smoke to themselves so that the scent will linger on their clothes. I think that's a wonderful custom.