The Antambahoaka are the least numerous
ethnic group in Madagascar, numbering around 50,000 in 2013. They inhabit a small region along the southeastern coast of
Madagascar
Madagascar (; mg, Madagasikara, ), officially the Republic of Madagascar ( mg, Repoblikan'i Madagasikara, links=no, ; french: République de Madagascar), is an island country in the Indian Ocean, approximately off the coast of East Africa ...
near
Mananjary
Mananjary is a city located in Vatovavy, Madagascar with a population of 25,222 inhabitants in 2018.
It is the chief city of the Mananjary district.
It contains a town of the same name, situated on the southern part of the east coast, where the M ...
and share their origins with the partially
Arab
The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...
Antaimoro
The Antemoro (or Antaimoro) are an ethnic groups of Madagascar, ethnic group of Madagascar living on the southeastern coast, mostly between Manakara and Farafangana. Numbering around 500,000, this ethnic group mostly traces its origins back to Ea ...
people, from whom the group split in the 15th century under a leader named Ravalarivo. Very little is known about the history of this group after its founding. The Antambahoaka speak a dialect of the
Malagasy language
Malagasy (; ) is an Austronesian language and the national language of Madagascar. Malagasy is the westernmost Malayo-Polynesian language, brought to Madagascar by the settlement of Austronesian peoples from the Sunda islands around the 5th ce ...
, which is a branch of the
Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the
Barito languages
The Barito languages are around twenty Austronesian languages of Indonesia (Borneo), Southern Philippines, plus Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar. They are named after the Barito River located in South Kalimantan, Indonesia.
The ...
, spoken in southern
Borneo
Borneo (; id, Kalimantan) is the third-largest island in the world and the largest in Asia. At the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia, in relation to major Indonesian islands, it is located north of Java, west of Sulawesi, and eas ...
.
The Antambahoaka are widely known for their Sambatra festival, a ritual group circumcision ceremony that occurs every seven years. This festival has been the focus of two short films released in 2008 and 2010. Their society is highly homogenous with little external migration and a strong sense of unified identity. Patriarchy, ancestor veneration and adherence to ancestral taboos (''
fady'') are core elements of their social structure. There is a long-standing taboo against raising twins that historically led them to be killed immediately after birth or left to die of exposure in the forest. Human rights groups and the Malagasy government are working to provide support for twins and their parents in the effort to put an end to this tradition.
Ethnic identity
![Ethnic groups of Madagascar Map](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/02/Ethnic_groups_of_Madagascar_Map.png)
The Antambahoaka are the least numerous ethnic group of Madagascar, numbering around 50,000 people in 2013. Like the
Antaimoro
The Antemoro (or Antaimoro) are an ethnic groups of Madagascar, ethnic group of Madagascar living on the southeastern coast, mostly between Manakara and Farafangana. Numbering around 500,000, this ethnic group mostly traces its origins back to Ea ...
from which they are derived, the Antambahoaka, while mostly of Black African ancestry, they also have some Arab ancestry
and bear some Arab physical features. The largest Antambahoaka town,
Mananjary
Mananjary is a city located in Vatovavy, Madagascar with a population of 25,222 inhabitants in 2018.
It is the chief city of the Mananjary district.
It contains a town of the same name, situated on the southern part of the east coast, where the M ...
, is located on the southeastern coast.
History
The Antambahoaka share their origins with the Antaimoro people, who believe they are the descendants of an Arab named Raminia who migrated from Mecca to Madagascar between the 10th and 12th centuries. Oral tradition offers two explanations for Raminia's emigration. It is commonly said that he left to escape an increasingly rigid application of Islamic law; others attribute the departure to his search for fertile land to cultivate.
[ The Antambahoaka split off from the Antaimoro in the fifteenth century when an Antaimoro named Ravalarivo established a new community called Masindrano that later grew to become the town of Mananjary; the neighborhood of Masindrano exists to the present day. Among some Antambahoaka it is said that Ravalarivo came to be called ''Ratiambahoaka'' (beloved by his people), and the community he founded derived its name from a deformation of this title - Antambahoaka.][ Very little is known about their history from the 16th to the 18th centuries.
]
Society
The Antambahoaka live in a highly homogeneous community with relatively few immigrants and lower rates of emigration than neighboring peoples. They have a strong sense of unified identity around descent from their common ancestor, Raminia. There are numerous local kings who exert authority over one or more villages. At an annual festival called ''hosin'ny mpanjaka'', villagers gather to prepare the local king's paddy field for planting rice. Antambahoaka society is strongly patrilineal and patriarchal.[
]
Family affiliation
The eldest male is typically the head of a household. The head of an extended family of 8-10 households is called a ''lohatrano'' (head of the house), and he in turn submits to the authority of the local ''mpanjaka'' (king) who governs approximately 8-10 ''lohatrano''. In addition, Amtambahoaka society recognizes ''soman-drazana'', a "joking relationship
In anthropology, a joking relationship is a relationship between two people that involves a ritualised banter of teasing or mocking.
In Niger it is listed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Structure
Ana ...
" - a connection between two clans reflected in the familiarity of their tone of speech in addressing each other - that is viewed as equivalent to a blood relationship.[
Grandparents have an important role in the family. For instance, a child's first haircut is performed by the grandparents. In some Antambahoaka communities, during the Sambatra ceremony the grandparents will eat the foreskin of their newly circumcised grandchild. Little do people know, certain indigenous tribes in Northern Canada also follow the same tradition.
]
Class affiliation
Traditional Antambahoaka society was divided into the classes of nobles (''andriana
Andriana refers to both the noble class and a title of nobility in Madagascar. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the ''andriana'' were the highest strata. They were above the ...
''), commoners and slaves. The two Antambahoaka noble sub-groups were the Onjatsy and Tsimaito, who were the keepers of scientific knowledge, magic and charm-making and mastered the use of ''sorabe
Sorabe or Sora-be () is an alphabet based on Arabic, formerly used to transcribe the Malagasy language (belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian language family) and the Antemoro Malagasy dialect, dating from the 15th century.
History
Researchers ar ...
'', the local language
*
A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area.
Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
transcribed using Arabic script.
Religious affiliation
The Antambahoaka, like the majority of Malagasy people, venerate their ancestors through a variety of rituals and rites; the most significant of these among the Antambahoaka remains the ''sambatra'' celebration. They believe that a community member who dies becomes an ancestor capable of watching over their living descendants and intervening for good or ill depending on whether the living show them proper respect and practice the rites and ''fady'' they had established. It is believed that an ancestor grows stronger the more time has passed since their death.[ Catholicism was introduced by French missionaries during the French colonial period (1896-1960) but to limited effect. Certain Islamic practices have been incorporated into the local culture. Village chiefs may not eat pork, and animals must be fully bled when butchered for eating.][
]
Culture
Clothing called ''tafitsihy'' was traditionally made of sedges (''harefo'') or beaten bark woven into mats that were then stitched together. Women traditionally wore harefo reed mats stitched to form a tube dress that was knotted at one shoulder or belted at the waist. Mahampy reeds were also woven to form a bandeau top that adolescent and adult women wore under their dress. For men, a beaten bark loincloth was worn under a woven sedge tunic or jacket. During special occasions the ''mpanjaka'' (kings) often wear traditional, Islamic-inspired dress consisting of a red fez and a loose garment with wide red and black stripes.[
The homes of local ''mpanjaka'', called ''tranobe'' (big houses), are used as community meeting space as well as a temple for the worship of ancestors. These houses are unusually large by Malagasy standards, built in a rectangular form with no veranda, and are raised on low stilts and have a gabled roof covered in ''ravinala'' leaves. The floor is also typically made of ''ravenala'', and the walls are constructed of braided ''falafa'' leaves.][ There are ten such ''tranobe'' in Mananjary and twelve in the historic village of Ambohitsara, but most Antambaohoaka villages have three or four.][
The Antambahoaka use amulets for protection. Incest between brother and sister used to be somewhat common among the Antambahoaka, who considered these relations to bring good fortune.
]
Sambatra
For centuries the Antambahoaka have celebrated the Sambatra, which takes place on the "Friday year" every seven years. The celebration culminates in the circumcision of all boys born in the previous seven years, a rite of passage that transitions the Antambahoaka boy to an adult male and Zafiraminia (son of Raminia). From this moment on, he will be integrated into the paternal clan and initiated into the life of the true Antambahoaka man. It is not only a major moment in the boys' lives but also for the entire community. For the entire month of Sambatra, the Antambahoaka commemorate their origins and Raminia's circumcision of his own son Ndohanina, who passed the practice down to his people. During the month of Sambatra there are war reenactments between "armies" led by the Antambahoaka general for each clan, composed of the boys' fathers and their maternal uncles dressed as soldiers. Sometimes the reenactments contain heightened violence to settle old scores. On one of the Fridays the military units undertake a long march toward the mouth of the Mananjary river to recall Raminia’s exodus.[ Two short films have been produced about the Sambatra among the Antambahoaka. The first, a 52 minute film entitled "''Sambatra''", was directed by Ronan Leroy and Solo Randrasana and was released in 2008. The second was a 24 minute film directed by Quitterie Bienvenu and released in 2010 under the title "''Les Enfants de Raminia''" (The Children of Raminia).
]
Fady
A strong '' fady'' among the Antambahoaka, termed the ''fady kamamba'', prohibits the raising of twins, particularly in the area around Mananjary. Economic and social pressures have led families in neighboring communities to also follow this practice. It is believed that twins will bring bad luck to the family that raises them and to the broader community. Consequently, if a woman gives birth to twins she is expected to abandon them in the wilderness to die of exposure; historically the children were strangled immediately after birth by the village sorcerer. An increasing number of families are unwilling to adhere to this taboo and have been ostracised by the community, typically being forced to leave their home village to live at the outskirts of another. This practice is regularly denounced by national and international bodies as contradictory to the United Nations
The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
' 1989 Convention on the Rights of the Child
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (commonly abbreviated as the CRC or UNCRC) is an international human rights treaty which sets out the civil, political, economic, social, health and cultural rights of children. The Con ...
, to which Madagascar is a signatory, but the custom is deeply rooted. Twins are forbidden from participating in the Sambatra festivities, are not allowed to join the annual ritual of preparing the king's paddy fields for planting, and are excluded both from the family tomb and from being considered a familial ancestor after their death. Local and international human rights organizations are partnering with the Malagasy government to bring an end to this practice.
Funeral rites
The Antambahoaka bury their dead in a ''kibory'', a house in the forest far from the village.
Dance and music
The ''antsa'', a traditional polyharmonic singing style performed by women, is popular among the Antambahoaka. At major festivals, music is played on a conch shell (''antsiva'') that has been drilled with finger holes. Music is typically accompanied by the ''hazolahy'', a large, deep-toned drum.
Language
The Antambahoaka speak the eastern dialect of the Malagasy language
Malagasy (; ) is an Austronesian language and the national language of Madagascar. Malagasy is the westernmost Malayo-Polynesian language, brought to Madagascar by the settlement of Austronesian peoples from the Sunda islands around the 5th ce ...
, which is spoken throughout Madagascar. Several Arabic words have entered the Antambahoaka vocabulary. The local dialect was originally written using ''sorabe
Sorabe or Sora-be () is an alphabet based on Arabic, formerly used to transcribe the Malagasy language (belonging to the Malayo-Polynesian language family) and the Antemoro Malagasy dialect, dating from the 15th century.
History
Researchers ar ...
'', the Arabic alphabet adapted to transcribe the Malagasy language. Today, only a small number of specially educated Antambahoaka have learned to read and write using the sorabe script.[ In addition, a "secret language" using a blend of Arabic, Malagasy and Creole words was historically spoken among ''ombiasy'' to communicate confidential knowledge and rites.
]
Economy
The principal economic activity of the Antambahoaka is fishing, both oceanic and in freshwater inland rivers and lakes. The majority are also subsistence farmers, and some engage in the raising of cash crops like coffee.[
]
External links
Photographs of the Sambatra festivities
Notes
Bibliography
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Ethnic groups in Madagascar