Vazimba
The Vazimba (Malagasy
Stories about the Vazimba form a significant element in the cultural history and collective identity of the
History
First settlers of Madagascar
The facts surrounding the initial settling of Madagascar by oceanic explorers from the region of modern-day Indonesia, including the precise timing and nature of this colonization, remain a subject of ongoing debate and study. It has been theorized that there may have been successive waves of early settlement in Madagascar. According to this theory, the waves originated from the same region of southeast Asia, spoke the same language[1] and shared the same culture. When the second wave arrived, they found the island sparsely populated by descendants of the first wave whose culture and way of life had evolved from the first settlers way of life, reflecting centuries of adaptation to local surroundings in total isolation from outside threats. According to popular belief, the Vazimba did not possess knowledge of metallurgy or rice farming and used weapons made of clay. After Bantu-speaking settlers from East Africa migrated to the island and brought their culture of zebu cattle herding with them, the Vazimba were said to have herded their zebu without eating them for meat. If the multi-wave settlement theory is correct, the indigenous (first-wave) population that the more technologically advanced second-wave settlers would have encountered upon arrival in Madagascar would provide the historic basis for stories of the primitive nature of the Vazimba societies they are said to have encountered there.[2]
Archaeological research and oral histories have provided some indication of how these early inhabitants of the highlands might have lived.
Oral history classifies the Vazimba according to the parts of the island where they are believed to have settled.
Historic rise and decline
The first period of Malagasy oral history is known as the Vazimba period (faha vazimba), beginning with the initial population of the island by the Vazimba and their establishment of kingdoms – often ruled by Queens – in the central Highlands region of Madagascar.
It is commonly believed that the last of the Vazimba were annihilated during the reign of
In the popular imagination
There are many legends and stories in Malagasy oral history relating to important Vazimba figures. For instance, oral history tells of a Vazimba woman named Ramboamana and a Vazimba man named Ramboabesofy, known as tompon-tany (masters of the land) – the earliest inhabitants of Madagascar, who settled in the region of Ankavandra. The couple had two sons named Rangoromana and Zafihisoky whom legend credits as the first to bring zebu to the island.[4] Some Merina trace their genealogy back to a man named Ndrenavoavo or his sister Pelamana who, according to oral history, were the very first non-Vazimba people (i.e. second-wave settlers) to arrive in Madagascar. They are believed to be buried in a forest near Tsirendresaka. It is said that their tomb was venerated by all the Vazimba of Betsiriry, and in return, the people of Tsirendresaka observe a fady (taboo) that forbids the killing of zebu, in homage to the Vazimba and their tradition of herding cattle without consuming them.
In Madagascar today, popular belief maintains that the Vazimba may not have been human at all, but rather a sort of monster or often
See also
Notes
- ^ Hammarström, Harald; Forkel, Robert; Haspelmath, Martin, eds. (2017). "Vazimba". Glottolog 3.0. Jena, Germany: Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History.
- ^ "Vazimba: Mythe ou Realité?" Razafimahazo, S. Revue de l’Océan Indien. Accessed on November 8, 2010.
- ^ a b c Kent, Raymond K. Early Kingdoms in Madagascar: 1500–1700. Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.
- ^ a b "Origine Confuse des Vazimba du Betsiriry." Ravalitera, P. Journal Express. Accessed on November 11, 2010.
- ^ Bloch, M. From blessing to violence: History and ideology in the circumcision ritual of the Merina in Madagascar. Press Syndicate of the University of Cambridge, 1986.
- ^ a b c Callet, F. Tantara ny andriana eto Madagascar. Académie Malgache, 1908.
- ^ "Antehiroka et Royauté Vazimba." Domenichini, J.P. Express de Madagascar. Accessed on November 5, 2010.