Alisa Zaira Reznick

A Bani Murra child walks around his camp in Jordan's capital Amman as the sun sets on the high-end housing development above. As a historically nomadic group, Jordan's Bani Murra tribe are rarely reocognized by their tribal name. Instead, they're called the "Nawar," meaning "gypsy" in Arabic. July 2013.

A Bani Murra girl pauses before heading into her family's tent at a mobile Bani Murra camp in Amman. Despite a long history similar to Jordan's East Bank tribes, the Bani Murra are largely ignored in Jordanian society and barred from various tribal priveledges like tuition breaks and dispersed parliamentary seats. July 2013.

Bani Murra tribal elder Abu Hussain smokes a cigarette in his home in the outskirts of Amman. The tribe has broader roots in the Arabian Penninsula, where larger groups of Bani Murra began migrating in the early 1800s to settle throughout Jordan, Israel, Syria, Saudi Arabia and Egypt. July 2013.

Abu Husain and his wife enter their home in the outskirts of Amman. While the Bani Murra are regarded as nomadic passersby by their fellow Jordanian countryman, tribal leaders claim historic ties to the country dating back to 1860. July 2013. 

Abo Husain's wife sits with their grandchildren in the family's living room in east Amman. July 2013.

Fathi Moussa's one of Jordan's best known Bani Murra tribesman. Moussa ran for what would have been the Bani Murra's first Parliamentary seat in 2010 but lost by a landslide. He says districting and wide dispersal of the tribe across the country makes political representation nearly impossible. July 2013.

Moussa sits in his living room in east Amman. He is among one of the few educated and financially stable members of Jordan's Bani Murra. His family is widely-respected in the country because of his father's long musical career as a lute player. Musical performance is among the tribe's most well-known historical attributes, but Moussa's father was the last tribes-person to become nationally recognized. July 2013.

Moussa displays his grandfather's Jordanian passport from 1960. Moussa uses the document to prove the Bani Murra's longevity in Jordan and loyalty to the country's ruling Hashemite family. He plans to present it to King Abdullah II to demand better tribal rights. July 2013.

A Bani Murra tribesman from Syria pauses with his son. Since conflict broke out in 2011, Syrian Bani Murra began fleeing the country to stay with fellow tribesmen in Jordan. July 2013.

A Syrian Bani Murra pauses in front of another Bani Murra home outside Amman. Many of the tribe's members speak nearly no Arabic, instead using the tribe's original, Farsi-related dialect. July 2013.