People and Culture - Madagascar - page 60

of the Sakalava, but are more artistically decorated. The Mahafaly aloalo bear figures
depicting scenes from the person's life, and the entire length is often carved with in-
tricate designs. These tombs are carefully maintained, and it is probably the Mahafaly
tombs in the southern interior which are the most colourful and striking symbols of
Malagasy culture. Antandroy tomb paintings tend to be merely decorative and do not
represent scenes from the deceased person's life.
Bylawa famadihana maytakeplaceonlyinthedryseason(June-September).Itcanlast
up to a week and involves the family in considerable expense, as befits the most important
celebrationforanyfamily.Inthe hautsplateaux thepracticeof famadihana isembracedby
rich and poor, urban and rural, and visitors fortunate enough to be invited to one will find
it a strange but very moving occasion; it's an opportunity to examine our own beliefs and
rituals associated with death. For an account of what famadihana means to a sophisticated
London-based Merina woman, see box on Click Here .
Variations of famadihana are practised by other tribes. The Menabe Sakalava, for ex-
ample, hold a fitampoha every ten years. This is a royal famadihana in which the remains
of deceased monarchs are taken from their tomb and washed in a river. A similar ritual, the
fanampoambe , is performed by the Boina Sakalava further north.
HEALERS,SORCERERSANDSOOTHSAYERS The'WiseMen'inMalagasysociety
are the ombiasy ; the name derives from olona-be-hasina meaning 'person of much virtue'.
Traditionally they were from the Antaimoro clan and were the advisors of royalty: An-
taimoro ombiasy cametoAntananarivotoadviseKingAndrianampoinimerinaandtoteach
him Arabic writing.
The astrologers, mpanandro ('those who make the day'), work on predictions of vin-
tana . There is a Malagasy proverb, 'Man can do nothing to alter his destiny'; but the
mpanandro will advise on the best day to build a house, or hold a wedding or famadihana .
Thoughnowadays mpanandro donothaveofficialrecognition,theyarepresentinalllevels
of society. A man (or woman) is considered to have the powers of an mpanandro when he
has some grey hair - a sign that he is wise enough to interpret vintana . Antandroy sooth-
sayers are known as mpisoro .
The Malagasy have a deep knowledge of herbal medicine and all markets display a vari-
ety of medicinal plants, amulets and talismans. The Malagasy names associated with these
are ody and fanafody . Broadly speaking, ody refers to fetishes such as sacred objects in
nature, and fanafody to herbal remedies (nowadays it is used for medicine of all kinds, as
in the word for a pharmacy: fivarotam-panafody , literally 'medicine shop'). Travellers will
sometimes comeacrossconspicuous ody intheformofstonesortreeswhicharesacredfor
a whole village, not just for an individual. Such trees are called hazomanga ('good tree')
and are presided over by the mpisoro , the senior man of the oldest family in the village.