Tribes & Traditions

As we have travelled the hundreds of kilometers south and across the country it has struck me that it is not only the landscape that has changed (from city through mountains, farmland, plains, forests to desert) but also the people.

Madagascar has about 18 distinct tribes of people each with many differences. Our local driver Dave has taught much about this as well as the guides we have met in the national parks that we have visited.

It is very obvious the way that the Malagasy people look is influenced by a range of different settlers from different parts of the world. In the east and north the origin of the first arrivals from Indonesia Malaysia is apparent. However, in the south and west it is more of an African heritage which is prominent.

Although French is the official language and the one of choice for tourists (due to French colonisation), each tribe also has its own local dialect and there is also a united Malagasy language. Dave informed us that most words learnt while in Andavadoaka would not be useful in the slightest in any other region of Madagascar.

While in the national parks we found out about some of the interesting traditions that the local tribes partake in. One such is the way that the bodies of the deceased are buried not once but twice. First they are placed in a traditional coffin and taken into the mountains to a cave which serves as a family grave. However, this isn’t the end. In a few years’ time the family returns to collect the remaining bones and they are taken back to the village. Here they are the centre of several days of celebration, music, dancing, drinking and eating. After this the bones are wrapped in silk and returned to a second, final grave which consists of a hole in the cliffs, which is again closed up by many rocks. This is in contrast to other tribes that construct a more traditional mausoleum type building to bury their dead.

For the Bara tribe another important part of life is Zebu. Zebu are a type of Ox which can be seen across the county pulling carts and as a staple on every restaurant menu. This is because the area in which they live has large grass plains that although are now yellow, in the rainy summer will turn to a lush green. We were told that this makes for the best meat and having tried it myself I have to agree. One tradition is that when a Bara boy comes of age he must steal some Zebu for himself from another family. Apparently this stealing is totally normal and not a crime as such as it is an expected tradition. Of course the more Zebu you steal the more respect you have from you family and the community and therefore the more girls will want to marry you! I’m not sure if this tradition still happens today but even if it doesn’t it’s a great story.

http://www.fotothing.com/marky33/photo/aab1516cf9763529a9bc27b5586d2f0f/

The tribe that is present at the Blue Ventures Site in Andavadoaka are the Vezo. They are traditionally fishing folk and I am looking forward to finding out more about their traditions and learning some of the language.

Despite all these differences something that brings the whole country together is Independence Day. This happened on 26^th June so we were lucky enough to see some of the celebrations.  On the evening before we were still driving though the countryside after it got dark. It meant that we could see the many, many bonfires that had been lit in the local villages. It seemed like everyone was out and about and playing with fire and lots of the children had lanterns or flashing toys. When we stopped for a break you could hear cheering from all over the place. When we got to the hotel there was a party in full swing and the music was pumping. We also saw a firework display. It was nice to see a big community celebration where everyone had come out to have a good time – although I think there would have been some sore heads in the morning.