In a changing society, the well remains a resource for Bedouin women

Bedouin society is collective and has unique characteristics. In Israel, it has been undergoing far-reaching changes-in way of life and territory-since the establishment of the state in 1948. These changes, including the concentration of the formerly nomadic Bedouins in urban localities, the shrinkage of pasture, and the limitation of control over land and natural resources, have affected Bedouin women in particular by limiting their sphere of mobility and their roles. The aim of this qualitative study, conducted between 2015 and 2018 according to a phenomenological paradigm, was to examine the meaning of natural resources in the environment of Bedouin women, with a focus on a key resource-the well-and the loss of such resources. Therefore, the research question was, What is the meaning of the well in the lives of Bedouin women of three generations? The participants were 30 Bedouin women of three generations, recruited by the snowball method. The findings show that in the first generation the well ensured mobility and served as a meeting place. In the second generation it was experienced as a frightening and exhausting place. And in the third generation the family and the workplace replaced the experience formerly provided by the well. The loss of this natural resource was linked to a loss of connection to place.