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People of Madagascar: The Malagasy
Contrary to what you might expect, there is some debate over who first settled Madgadascar. Some anthropologists believe Madagascar was first settled 2000 years ago by Indonesians, not black Africans, and that mainland Africans did not arrive in Madagascar until a later date. Others suggest that the people of Madagascar descended from Indonesians and Africans who mixed prior to their arrival on the isolated island. Regardless, most experts agree that Madagascar's inhabitants arrived relatively recently (there is no evidence of a stone age in Madagascar) and that subsequent migrations have brought other groups (like Arabs and Indians) into the mix. Peter Tyson, in The Eighth Continent, describes the irony of humans' late arrival to Madagascar:
The irony is especially think considering that humans appear to have evolved less than a thousand miles away on the African savanna. It wasn't until long after humans has colonized the entire globe, including such inhospitable regions as the Arctic and the Mongolian steppe, that they finally reached Madagascar... It is astonishing to think that some of the most advanced civilizations that ever existed -- the Assyrian and Mycenaean civilizations, the Egyptian dynasties, the Olmex of Central America, the Shang of China, the Indus civilization of Indian -- all rose and fell before a human being likely ever set foot on Madagascar. [source]
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The mixed origins of Malagasy (the name for the people of Madagascar) has produced an interesting set of cultures that draws from southeast Asia, India, Africa, and the Middle East. Peter Tyson (The Eighth Continent) notes that "The Indonesian element in Malagasy culture is the most predominant, with the langauge [Malagasy is most closely related to a dialect from Borneo], rice culture, and belief in the ancestors [see "razana" below]" but the African influence is evident with the widespread obsession with Zeba cattle (Zebu are "humped" cattle originally from India and known by the scientific name Bos indicus), while Arab origins can be seen in some of the belief systems, trading patterns, and Arabic language elements (names of months and days of the week; words for money, books, and musical instruments). Within the country, people's physical appearance, religious practices, and traditions are highly regional -- the strongest bond between Malagasy is sharing a common language.
Today there are more than 20 ethnic groups in Madagascar from the Indonesian-looking Merina in the highlands to Arabic Antaimoro on the eastern coast. To learn more of Madagascar's ethic groups, I highly recommend the Bradt guide along with The Eighth Continent.
Malagasy have a complex system of customs tied largely to their belief in the power of dead ancestors (called razana). Everyday life is governed by a set of taboos (called fady) which dictate what people can and cannot do. Fady vary from tribe to tribe, location to location, and family to family and can include such things as banning vegetation clearing in specific areas to what days funerals can be held. Consult the the the Bradt guide along with The Eighth Continent for more on these unique practices.
Malagasy Language
Malagasy History
Coming soon
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