People and Culture - Madagascar - page 54

of passage, with feasting and the sacrifice of zebu. The mood of the participants alternates
between sorrow and joy.
Fady The dictates of the razana are obeyed in a complicated network of fady . Although
fady isusuallytranslatedas'taboo'thisdoesnottrulyconveythemeaning:thesearebeliefs
related to actions, food, or days of the week when it is 'dangerous to...'. Fady vary from
family to family and community to community, and even from person to person.
FADY AND THEIR ORIGINS
THE INTRUDERS AND THE GEESE During the rule of King Andrianam-
poinimerina, thieves once attempted a raid on the village of Ambohimanga. The res-
idents, however, kept geese which caused a commotion when the intruders entered
thecompound,thusalerting thepeople whocouldtake action. Geese aretherefore not
eaten in this part of Madagascar.
THE BABY AND THE DRONGO Centuries ago the communities of the east coast
were persecuted by pirates who made incursions to the hills to pillage and take cap-
tives.Atthewarningthatapiratebandwasonitswaythevillagerswouldfleeintothe
jungle. When pirates approached the village of Ambinanetelo the women with young
children could not keep up with the others so hid in a thicket. Just as the pirates were
passing them a baby wailed. The men turned to seek the source of the cry. It came
again,butthistimefromthetopofatree:itwasadrongo.Believingthemselvesduped
by a bird the pirates gave up and returned to their boats. Ever since then it has been
fady to kill a drongo in Ambinanetelo.
THE TORTOISE AND THE POT A Tandroy man put a tortoise in a clay pot
of boiling water to cook it, but the tortoise kicked so hard that the pot shattered to
smithereens.Themandeclaredthathisdescendantswouldneveragaineattortoisebe-
cause it broke his pot.
The following are some examples related to actions and food among the Merina: it may
be fady to sing while you are eating (violators will develop elongated teeth); it is also fady
tohandaneggdirectlytoanotherperson-itmustfirstbeputontheground;forthepeople
of Andranoro it is fady to ask for salt directly, so one has to request 'that which flavours
thefood'.A fady connected withobjects isthat thespadeusedtodigagraveshouldhavea
loose handle since it is dangerous to have too firm a connection between the living and the
dead.
Social fady , like vintana (see below), often involve the days of the week. For example,
among the Merina it is fady to hold a funeral on a Tuesday, or there will be another death.