Hikaye,orPalestinian hikaye (Arabic: حكاية, romanized: ḥikāya), is a unique form of oral literature from Palestine that is performed by women, particularly those who are older.
Hikaye are a unique form of literature, taking the form of educational folk tales passed down orally by older Palestinian women to other younger women and children.[1][2] Usually performed in the fallahi or madani dialects of Arabic, they are intended for entertainment and education, and are mostly performed in a domestic environment, usually in winter.[2][3]
Typically recited using an expressive tone, these spoken works discuss social issues and histories, particularly those that impact women. They may criticise society to provoke discussion and debate, or may have an archival function recording memories of displacement.[4] Whilst young boys might practice hikaye, as they grow older they are expected to no longer participate.[5]
Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana [ar] collected a total of 45 hikaye from the Gaza Strip, the West Bank and Galilee. These were published in English translation in 1989 under the title Speak Bird, Speak Again and in Arabic in 2001. The anthology was subsequently translated into Spanish and French.[6] In 2007, the Palestinian Ministry of Education confiscated around 1,500 copies of the book from public school libraries on the grounds that the stories used colloquial and sometimes offensive language that was unsuitable for teaching children.[7] However, after a storm of public outrage, this decision was soon withdrawn.[8]
Hikaye is in decline due to the influence of mass media, which often induce people to regard their native customs as backward and inferior. As a consequence, the elder women tend to change form and content of the narrations. The continued disruption of the social life due to the current political situation in Palestine is another threat to the continuation of the Hikaye.[9] However, since 2021 there has been some revival in the practice.[4]
^Seikaly, Zeina. "Speak, Bird, Speak Again: Palestinian Arab Folktales, ed. by Ibrahim Muhawi and Sharif Kanaana (Book Review)." Middle East Journal 44.2 (1990): 337.
