Mehri and their Neighbors

       In 2013 Oxford University surveyed people of Mehri. They interviewed around 2,000 Mehris men and women, even ones living in tents and caves. The results of almost every Mehri person surveyed were the same. The evidence of the study showed that a little over 70% of Mehri people want independence from Yemen and want their own independent state. They do not believe that their rights are being defended. Also, 90% of Mehri people want the different Mehri tribes to unite. There are many different Mehri tribes that are all lead by a sheik. They are all seperate and do not bother each other. Mehri for the most part do not interact with their neighbors, or even Mehri people from other tribes for that matter. The Oxford University study showed that Mehri wanted to unite with eachother to form a stronger Mehri, but they were unaware how to. A delegate from Oxford University went in front of some Mehri people to speak to them about their findings and some steps towards helping them unite. Hopefully the Mehri people could work together in the future to form a stronger group and also make Yemen aware that they are unhappy.

      The Mehri population is 99.9% Muslim. This means that they are not easily influenced by missionaries that come to their tribe and try to convert them to a different religion such as Christian or Evangelical. Their language however is predicted to become extinct in the future due to their neighbors speaking Arabic. Around 70% of Mehri people speak Mehri as their first language but many now speak Arabic to better understand those around them. They do however only marry within their own tribal group, so hopefully they will still use the Mehri language with eachother and teach it to their children so that It never has a chance to go extinct.

                                                http://i-cias.com/e.o/mahra_sultanate.htm

Birds of Mehri

       Mehri people live in the Arabian Peninsula. There are many different birds live in the Mehri people's homeland. Since Yemen is a country that Asia, Africa and Europe come together at, the diversity of birds thrive. There are about 400 different species of birds found in Yemen. The list of birds in this area continues to grow annually.

        Grebes are popular birds that could be found in this area. They are fresh-water diving birds that are medium in size. They are very good at swimming and diving but their feet make it hard for them to travel on land.

         Shear-water and Petrels are also found in Mehri's homeland. Five different species of these birds are found in this area. Storm petrels are the smallest sea-birds who feed on small fish. Other birds that could be found are Tropicbirds, Pelicans,

Boobies, Gannets, Cormorants, and Storks. Boobies are one of the birds that I found most interesting while undergoing my research of types of birds in this region. Their name is unique, but that isn't the only thing that separates them from most birds out there. They dive from tall heights and hunt fish by pushing them far into the water. Boobies also have blue feet, which is also very unique and awesome.

http://www.pumapix.com/tag/arabian-leopard/

http://www.truearabia.com/dtls.php?go=&PageID=118

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Booby

                                                        http://www.forumbiodiversity.com

Mehri's Cosmos

  

    Most Mehri people are Muslim. They believe in the teachings of Mohammed and strictly follow their holy book, the Koran. They follow the five pillars of Islam as well. They strongly believe that their religion is the only righteous one and the best religion. 

       They are aware that there are other religions in the world and few have converted to the religion of Christianity. Most Mehri people stay in their villages or only travel to graze their animals, so they do not get much of an opportunity to travel and see the world. However, many Mehri people make a trip to Mecca at least once in their life so they do get to see another part of the world that attracts many different people. Christian missionaries have also reached out to some Mehri people so they do have a sense that the world contains ideas and people different from what they are used.

       Oxford University did a study on the Mehri people and got to ask them questions about their beliefs and ways of life. I think it was really important for them to know that other people around the world care about them, and want to know more about their culture. Hopefully the Mehri people believe that the rest of the world is eager to learn about them.

                                                     http://www.nhrfindia.org/aims.aspx

World of the Mehri

     

         Most Mehri are a part of tribes. There is a sheik who is the ruler of the tribe. The sheik is wise, is looked up to, has much knowledge of the outside world and Islam. The sheik protects the tribe, governs the tribe and provides land and territory for the tribe members to graze and heard their animals. 

         The Mehri are divided into two groups that both revolve around their animals. The semi-nomads are one of the groups. This group lives in the desert. Winter is when the semi-nomads graze their animals. Once it begins to get dry and summer hits, the semi-nomads move back into their villages. The settled Mehri are the second group that Mehri's could be divided into. These tribe members live in villages where they raise their camels and goats. They also keep farm animals to make eggs and milk. They work to provide themselves what they need to survive. 

 

 https://www.pinterest.com/pin/492370171732894988/

Yemen: Homeland of the Mehri

        

          The Mehri are found mostly in Yemen and Oman. They live in the southern part of the Arabian Peninsula. Mountains with high peaks surround the Mehris. There is a desert that lies to the North of them. The atmosphere most of the time is very dry. They are sometimes hit by sandstorms, which can cause negative effects to their crops. The homeland of  the Mehri’s is sometimes affected by a monsoon that causes their atmosphere to be moist and foggy. The mountains also become water filled when they are hit with the monsoon. Between the monsoons and sandstorms it is hard for the Mehri to harvest crops. The temperatures are very high for most of the year.

           Mehri people are semi-nomadic people. Since the resources they need are scarce, they move around to different regions in search of grazing areas and food. Overall the Mehri’s live in a difficult area to live in but they have adapted and came up with ways to live with what they have.

                                              http://www.travellerspoint.com/guide/Yemen/

History of the Mehri Yemen

      

       Mehri people are one of the largest tribes in Yemen. They are also referred to as Meheri, Mahri or Mahra which is Arabic. I will refer to them as the Mehri. The Mehri are known as the Arab Salah. They are known as by scholars to be the original Arabs. 

       This culture is derived from nomads that lived in the Arabian Desert. Their main area of living is Yemen, but they also reside  in other countries in the Arabian Peninsula. 

         Some of the countries this tribe could be found are United Arab Emerites, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. They have lived in these areas for thousands of years and stick with their own traditions. They speak their own language which is called the Mehri language. This language is similar to the language that was spoken in the 7th century CE before the spread of Arabic. There are a little over 136,000 Mehri people in the world today. It is estimated that 50,000 of them reside in Yemen. 

                                          http://joshuaproject.net/people_groups/13220/YM

References Used

"Mahra in Yemen." People Group. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"Mind Your Language- Linguistics Expert Is Saving Southern Arabian Language Mehri from Extinction." News. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"A Syntax of Mehri." Research Groupings. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

"Thread: Meheri or Mahra People (آل المهرة/العرب صالح) – 604 Days Old." ForumBiodiversitycom Anthropology Biodiversity Forum ABF RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.

Tutwiler, Richard N. Tribe, Tribute, and Trade: Social Class Formation in Highland Yemen. N.p.: n.p., 1987. Print.

"Yemen’s Eastern Province: The People of Mahra Clearly Want Independence." Yemen's Eastern Province: The People of Mahra Clearly Want Independence. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Apr. 2014.