Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
ETHNIC GROUPS
The different clans of Madagascar are based more upon old kingdoms than upon ethnic
grouping. Traditions are changing: the descriptions below reflect the tribes at the time of
independence, rather than in the more fluid society of today. The groups may differ but a
Malagasy proverb shows their feeling of unity:
Ny olombelona toy ny molo-bilany, ka iray
mihodidina ihany
; 'Men are like the lip of the cooking pot which forms just one circle'.
For English-language anthropological topics about the Malagasy, see
Click Here
.
ANTAIFASY(PEOPLE-OF-THE-SANDS)
Living in the southeast around Farafangana,
they cultivate rice, and fish in the lakes and rivers. Divided into three clans, each with its
own 'king', they generally have stricter moral codes than other tribes. They have large col-
lective burial houses known as
kibory
, built of wood or stone and generally hidden in the
forest.
ANTAIMORO (PEOPLE-OF-THE-COAST)
These are among the most recent arrivals
and live in the southeast around Vohipeno and Manakara. They guard Islamic tradition and
Arab influence and still use a form of Arab writing known as
sorabe
. They use verses of
the Koran as amulets.
ANTAISAKA
Centred south of Farafangana on the southeast coast but now fairly widely
spread throughout the island, they are an off-shoot of the Sakalava tribe. They cultivate
coffee, bananas and rice - but only the women harvest the rice. There are strong marriage
taboos amongst them. Often the houses may have a second door on the east side which is
used only for taking out a corpse. They use the
kibory
, communal burial house, the corpse
usually being dried out for two or three years before finally being put there.
ANTANKARANA (THOSE-OF-THE-ROCKS)
Living in the north around Antsiranana
(Diego Suarez) they are fishermen or cattle raisers whose rulers came from the Sakalava
dynasty. Their houses are usually raised on stilts. Numerous
fady
exist amongst them gov-
erningrelationsbetweenthesexesinthefamily;forexampleagirlmaynotwashherbroth-
er's clothes. The legs of a fowl are the father's portion, whereas amongst the Merina, for
instance, they are given to the children.
