People and Culture - Madagascar - page 65

atedandisanamazingarttowatch.Theweaverwillplacetheirfootonthecentralpart
ofthewovencircleandgraduallyintertwinehundredsofdifferentfibresintoposition.
One of my lasting memories was spending time in Maroantsetra where they make the
most beautiful crochet-style raffia hats. Women sit on palm mats outside their houses
weaving, while children play, plait hair or busily prepare food for the next meal. Oc-
casionally the hats are blocked (shaping acrownorbrim overawoodenblock). There
are places in Tana where they heat steel blocks on a fire and then press the woven hat
into a trilby style for example. This was a fascinating sight to see as normally these
blocks are electrically heated.
The variety of hats is astounding. It can take a day for a woman to weave a hat, and
thiscanbeamainsourceoffamilyincome.IfyouareinterestedingettingaMalagasy
hat, it is worthwhile getting to know a weaver so they may be able to make one large
enough for the vazaha head!
The operation itself is often done surgically, but in some rural areas it may still be per-
formed with a sharpened piece of bamboo. The foreskin is not always simply discarded.
In the region of the Antambahoka it may be eaten by the grandparents, and in Antandroy
country it could be shot from the barrel of a gun!
Different clans have their own circumcision ceremonies. Among the Antandroy, uncles
dance with their nephews on their shoulders. But the most famous ceremony is sambatra ,
which takes place every seven years in Mananjary.
Tsangatsaine This is a ceremony performed by the Antankarana. Two tall trees growing
side by side near the house of a noble family are tied together to symbolise the unification
of the tribe, as well as the tying together of the past and present, the living and the dead.
Fandroana This was the royal bath ceremony which marked the Malagasy New Year.
These celebrations used to take place in March, with much feasting. While the monarch
was ritually bathed, the best zebu was slaughtered and the choicest rump steak presented
to the village nobles. The day was the equivalent of the Malagasy National Day, but the
Frenchmovedthisto14July,thedateoftheestablishment oftheFrenchProtectorate. This
causedmajorresentmentamongtheMalagasyaseffectivelytheirtraditionalNewYearwas
taken from them. After independence the date was changed to 26 June to coincide with
Independence Day. These days, because of the cost of zebu meat and the value attached to
the animals, the traditional meat has been replaced by chicken, choice portions again being
given to the respected members of the community. In the absence of royalty there is, of
course, no longer a royal bath ceremony.