Bezanozano
Malagasy groups; Austronesian peoples, Bantu peoples |
The Bezanozano are believed to be one of the earliest
The slave trade and commerce with European trading vessels along the east coast of Madagascar in the 18th century greatly enriched the Bezanozano and led to the emergence of major trading towns such as
Ethnic identity
The Bezanozano were only briefly an organized polity and do not share a strong internal cohesive identity.[1] Their name means "those of many small plaits" in reference to their traditional hairstyle.[2] The center of the Bezanozano community at its height in the late 18th century was the town of Ambatondrazaka.[3] There were around 100,000 Bezanozano living in Madagascar in 2013.[4]
History
The Bezanozano inhabited the fertile forested land between the plains of Imerina to the west and the lowland coastal rainforest to the east in an area historically called Ankay. They lived in fortified villages governed by local chiefs. Their original source of unified identity was the worship of 11 protective sampy (idols) said to have been brought from Sakalava territory.[5] According to popular belief, the Bezanozano may be descendants of the island's earliest inhabitants, the Vazimba. Oral history relates that the Bezanozano historically lived in small communities governed collectively by village elders. Matters of justice were handled collectively through public deliberation to reach consensus.[6]
Bezanozano society reached its golden age in the 18th century, acting as intermediaries in trade between the
The wealth of the region had encouraged several other kingdoms to attempt to conquer this territory, but none were successful until King
Following the
Society
Family affiliation
Gender roles in traditional Bezanozano families are strictly defined. Men are the active participants in discussions about public affairs, and are responsible for house construction, earning money to pay for basic family needs, and preparing the paddy fields for planting. Women are responsible for weaving, tending crops, collecting water, tending the hearth and preparing meals. Similarly, women were traditionally expected to follow behind when walking with a man. Bezanozano men working as porters used to believe that if a woman passed in front of him while he worked, he would be injured the next time he attempted to carry a load.[22]
Religious affiliation
Most Bezanozano practice the veneration of ancestors (razana), who in ritual were sometimes referred to as zanahary (gods). They recognized the existence of male and female zanahary, who were effectively the most ancient and most powerful of all the ancestors, and who were invoked anonymously and collectively under the zanahary title in order to avoid excluding and thereby offending any ancestor.[23] The tompontany (masters of the land) are the vazimba, the island's earliest inhabitants; they are distinct from the razana in that it is believed impossible to trace the descendants of these ancestors. All ancient tombs or earthen tomb-shaped mounds are believed to be those of vazimba and so are sites of pilgrimage, sacrifice and ritual to appease their spirits and request their favorable intervention.[24] The Bezanozano also believe in sorcery and fear witchcraft.[20] Although Protestant missionaries and churches became established in the Ankay region particularly in the later 19th century, Merina settlers constitute the majority of Christians in the region; very few Bezanozano have converted to Protestantism.[25]
Culture
The Bezanozano cultivate rice in terraced, irrigated paddies and prefer not to cut down virgin forest, as they contain vazimba tombs and other natural sites favored by spirits and are the home of the fady-protected indri lemurs. The neighboring Betsimisaraka, however, tend to seek out new forest to cut down for fresh pasture and planting, and consider uncultivated land as unclaimed. This difference of perspective has led the Betsimisaraka to encroach on land that the Bezanozano believe belongs to them, producing some tension among bordering communities.[26]
Indirect speech, discretion, tact and avoidance of conflict mark verbal expression and social interactions among the Bezanozano, similar to the highland Merina but in contrast with the Betsimisaraka of the east coast.[20]
Fady
In Ambatondrazaka and among certain other Bezanozano communities, consumption of pork has historically been fady.[27] The Indri was probably considered taboo in many Bezanozano villages, where it may not be killed or eaten, must be freed if trapped, and must be buried with the same rites as a person.[28]
Funeral rites
The Bezanozano traditionally bury their dead in stone tombs.[21] Like the Merina, they practice the famadihana reburial ceremony. Funerals are celebrated by drinking large quantities of rum.[2]
Dance and music
The Betatoato is a dance that is unique to the Bezanozano.[29]
Language
The Bezanozano speak a dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo.[30]
Economy
Honey is collected from the forest and sold at market or roadside stands. Historically honey had an important role in Merina royal rituals, and the Bezanozano were considered the best honey collectors.[31] Agriculture remains the principal livelihood for Bezanozano villagers, who grow rice, corn, beans and other staples; a practice specific to this region is vary verina, the growing of rice on a higher terrace and the growing of beans and corn on the terrace below it.[32] The historic impact of Merina colonization of the Ankay region continues to be felt, with the majority of wealth and much of the most valuable land concentrated in the hands of Merina families.[20]
Notes
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 89.
- ^ a b Bradt & Austin 2007, p. 26.
- ^ Campbell 2012, p. 746.
- ^ Diagram Group 2013.
- ^ a b c d Ogot 1992, p. 431.
- ^ "Madagascar: Les sillons du passé - Les Bezanozano, une origine vazimba". Midi Madagasikara (in French). 5 February 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 91.
- ^ a b Rakoto & Urfer 2014, p. 111.
- ^ Ogot 1992, p. 434.
- ^ Campbell 2005, p. 55.
- ^ a b c d e f Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 93.
- ^ Ade Ajayi 1989, p. 414.
- ^ Ade Ajayi 1989, p. 416.
- ^ Ade Ajayi 1989, p. 420.
- ^ Rakoto & Urfer 2014, p. 118.
- ^ Campbell 2005, p. 250.
- ^ Raison-Jourde 1991, p. 47.
- ^ Campbell 2012, p. 420.
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 95.
- ^ a b c d Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 148.
- ^ a b Rakoto & Urfer 2014, p. 116.
- ^ Gennep 1904, pp. 155–156.
- ^ Rahamefy 2007, pp. 38–39.
- ^ Rahamefy 2007, pp. 23–24.
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 149.
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, pp. 146–47.
- ^ Gennep 1904, p. 225.
- ^ Gennep 1904, p. 220.
- ^ "Festival Betatoato". Office de Tourisme Alaotra Mangoro (in French). 2012. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 25 May 2015.
- ^ Campbell 2012, p. 478.
- ^ Campbell 2012, p. 444.
- ^ Aubert, Razafiarison & Bertrand 2003, p. 201.
Bibliography
- Ade Ajayi, J. F. (1989). Africa in the Nineteenth Century Until the 1880s. Paris: UNESCO. ISBN 9789231017124.
- Aubert, Sigrid; Razafiarison, Serge; Bertrand, Alain (2003). Déforestation et systèmes agraires à Madagascar: les dynamiques des tavy sur la côte orientale (in French). Paris: Editions Quae. ISBN 9782915064018.
- Bradt, Hilary; Austin, Daniel (2007). Madagascar (9th ed.). Guilford, CT: The Globe Pequot Press Inc. ISBN 978-1-84162-197-5.
- Campbell, Gwyn (2012). David Griffiths and the Missionary "History of Madagascar". Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill. ISBN 9789004195189.
- Campbell, Gwyn (2005). An Economic History of Imperial Madagascar, 1750-1895: The Rise and Fall of an Island Empire. Cambridge, MA: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521839358.
- Diagram Group (2013). Encyclopedia of African Peoples. San Francisco, CA: Routledge. ISBN 9781135963415.
- Gennep, A.V. (1904). Tabou Et Totémisme à Madagascar (in French). Paris: Ernest Leroux. ISBN 978-5-87839-721-6.
- Ogot, Bethwell A. (1992). Africa from the Sixteenth to the Eighteenth Century. Paris: UNESCO. ISBN 9789231017117.
- Rahamefy, Adolphe (2007). Sectes et crises religieuses à Madagascar (in French). Paris: Karthala Editions. ISBN 9782845868571.
- Raison-Jourde, Françoise (1991). Bible et pouvoir à Madagascar au XIXe siècle (in French). Paris: Karthala Editions. ISBN 9782865373178.
- Rakoto, Ignace; Urfer, Sylvain (2014). Esclavage et libération à Madagascar (in French). Paris: Karthala Editions. ISBN 9782811111335.