To talk about the Tribal and National Identity in Yemen A large majority of Yemen’s population self-identifies as qabili /pl. qaba’il, terms normally glossed in English as “tribal.” Although the term is problematic in anthropology, its use in Yemen and elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa refers to rural territorial groups that have long co-existed with cities and states. In Yemen, tribes and tribal units are held together by reciprocal obligations of cooperation among their members. This talk, based on long term field research, explores Yemeni tribal organization, ideology (qabyala), and customary law and suggests ways in which Yemeni tribes can contribute to peacebuilding and national development in Yemen.