Son of Tarhuna - Thoughts About my Tribal Origin

"You don't even know your roots? What a shame." It was when talking with a stranger in front of me on a shop line that I started thinking about it.

Here in Libya. Lineage is a big thing, with people being proud of their family name, and one bad person's reputation could put a whole family in shame. That's the case in most of the Libyan cities. We're a tribe-based society, though you won't get that vibe at first glance.

My city, Tripoli, is odd in that regard. It's a bit more "modern." Most families here aren't of native tribes to the city.

Even here in Tripoli, you can tell where someone is from by their family name. My family "Al-hemmally" comes from Tarhuna. It's not always an indicator, though. Some families get famous by other names not associated with the place they came from.

Only in middle school, did I realize that "I'm from Tripoli" wasn't a good answer to the question "Where are you from?"

The majority of Tripoli's population is from other parts of the country so everyone wanted to know the actual place your family came from, not the place you were born in.

My family is from Tarhuna but we're separated from them from in grandfather's time. Tarhuna is adjacent to Tripoli, only 50km or so away, but it's still a trip.

My father, like me spent all of his life in Tripoli. My father's siblings and his cousins are the only people from my Tarhuna side of the family that I know. All of them live in Tripoli. I know the name of my great-grandfather, but that's it.

I lived my whole life in Tripoli, and I consider myself from there, but I have to answer Tarhuna when I get asked "Where are you from?" So I always tell people, "But I never visited Tarhuna and I don't know any family there."

Apparently, you're supposed to visit your roots (tribe's city) from time to time, but I never went there. I don't have a connection with the tribe.

I don't consider it a problem, but when people know they say "What a shame" I kind of feel bad.

Apparently, the tribe is what helps you when you get into trouble, (like big accidents or debt situations.) Apparently, being from a huge tribe brings a sense of pride. I can imagine that one since we too are proud of the "Al-Hemmally" name and try to not bring shame to it even though we're disconnected from the tribe itself.

Writing all of this made me appreciate being of a tribal society in a modern world like this. Here in Tripoli people don't feel tribal, but we are to some degree.

What do you think?

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