People from Madagascar?

What are the poeple from Madagascar like?

They are close relatives of the Indonesians, as amazingly people from the Far East travelled all those thousands of miles to this vast island in small boats, also bringing with them plants (they can't survive without rice, for instance!) and cattle (there are said to be twice as many water buffalos as people in Madagascar!) I once had the great pleasure of travelling in the Netherlands with Malagasy friends, who almost collapsed with amazement when they saw an Indonesian gentleman in the street, as he looked (to them) so completely Malagasy! It was fascinating too to introduce them to an Indonesian friend to compare notes over ancient traditions, particularly the tradition of turning the dead, as it is known. People save up for years to be able to dig up the bones of relatives and hold a party in celebration lasting several days. They wrap up the bones of the deceased and parade them about the village, telling him all the news since he died. It is forbidden to be sad on these occasions and people feast on zebus and other delicacies, laugh and make music. Malagasy people are remarkably musical and sing in four part harmony. They have a number of indigenous instruments: the jejy voatova - a Betsileo instrument with a calabash resonator, large block frets on the neck and two sets of strings set at a ninety degree angle; the kabosy (mandoliny) - a four to six-stringed simple guitar; the lokanga - a three-stringed fiddle, found among the Antandroy and Bara; the marovany - a wooden box with a set of strings on both sides, common particularly in the south; the sodina - an end-blown flute; and the valiha - a kind of zither with 21 strings, traditionally made of bamboo. Another musical tradition is that of choral recitation to the accompaniment of music as a group of people move in a circle before an audience relating tales of their ancestors.
There are dark skinned Malagasy to the west of the country, the descendants of people who have come from the African mainland. Many of the people on the western coast are Moslem, although the predominant religion is Christianity (originally brought by Welsh missionaries). One recognises traditional Welsh hymn tunes in church. In the days of those early missionaries there were monarchs on the throne of Madagascar and each of them built his orher individual palace within the palace complex in Antananarivo, but alas! the palace complex was burnt down in about 1994.
The Malagasy people are creative and do the most wonderful handcrafts. It is a joy to walk in the vast market in Antananarivo (the capital) and see the wonderful things which are on sale there. The market is called the Zoma (Friday) beause it really comes into its own on that day.
The Malagasy love rice and eat it three times a day. They also love their land and will take a small amount of red earth with them when they travel abroad. Men and women wear the traditional lamba (a kind of white stole) and men are as likely to be doing the family cooking as women. Their cuisine owes more to the East than to Africa. They venerate their ancestors and have great respect for the dead -- to the extent of spending more on their ornate graves than on their houses! They have taboos and will often talk about something being "fada" - i.e. forbidden by ancestral tradition. They are friendly and generous and laugh a great deal. They are lovely people to know.

Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian and East African origin. Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Malay seafarers arrived around the first century A.D., probably by way of southern India and East Africa. Other historians believe that the Malays crossed the Indian Ocean and only reached the African mainland after having established durable communities on Madagascar. Subsequent migrations from both the Pacific and Africa further consolidated this original mixture, and 18 separate tribal groups emerged. Malay features are most predominant in the central highlands people, the Merina (3 million) and the Betsileo (2 million); the remaining 16 tribal groupings are coastal peoples (c么tiers) who are predominantly of East African origin, with various Malay, Arab, European and Indian admixtures. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka (1.5 million) and the Tsimihety and Sakalava (700,000 each). Malagasy society has long been polarized between the politically and economically advantaged highlanders of the central plateaux and the c么tiers along the coast. For example in the 1970s there was widespread opposition among c么tiers against the policy of Malgachisation which intended to phase out the use of the French language in public life in favour of a more prominent position for the Malagasy language, whose orthography is based on the Merina dialect. Identity politics were also at the core of the brief civil unrest during 2002.

The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesian origin and is spoken throughout the island. French also is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony, primarily as a prestigious second language.

Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. This spiritual communion is celebrated by the Merina and Betsileo reburial practice of famadihana, or "turning over the dead." In this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honor. In the festivities, they eat, drink, and literally dance with the dead. After one or two days of celebrating, they shower the body with gifts and re-bury it.

About 45% of the Malagasy are Christian, divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant. Many incorporate the cult of the dead with their religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana. .

A historical rivalry exists between the predominantly Catholic masses, considered to be underprivileged, and the predominantly Protestant Merina aristocrats, who tend to prevail in the civil service, business, and professions. A new policy of decentralizing resources and authority is intended to enhance the development potential of all Madagascar's provinces. Provincial Council members were elected by popular vote in December 2000. In March 2001, the new Provincial Council members joined mayors and communal council members in each province in electing Senators to represent them in the national parliament. Governors were elected by Electoral College in June 2001. Transfer of duties and establishments of budgets are in progress.

Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian and East African origin. Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Malay seafarers arrived around the first century A.D., probably by way of southern India and East Africa. Other historians believe that the Malays crossed the Indian Ocean and only reached the African mainland after having established durable communities on Madagascar. Subsequent migrations from both the Pacific and Africa further consolidated this original mixture, and 18 separate tribal groups emerged. Malay features are most predominant in the central highlands people, the Merina (3 million) and the Betsileo (2 million); the remaining 16 tribal groupings are coastal peoples (c么tiers) who are predominantly of East African origin, with various Malay, Arab, European and Indian admixtures. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka (1.5 million) and the Tsimihety and Sakalava (700,000 each). Malagasy society has long been polarized between the politically and economically advantaged highlanders of the central plateaux and the c么tiers along the coast. For example in the 1970s there was widespread opposition among c么tiers against the policy of Malgachisation which intended to phase out the use of the French language in public life in favour of a more prominent position for the Malagasy language, whose orthography is based on the Merina dialect. Identity politics were also at the core of the brief civil unrest during 2002.

The Malagasy language is of Malayo-Polynesian origin and is spoken throughout the island. French also is spoken among the educated population of this former French colony, primarily as a prestigious second language.

Most people practice traditional religions, which tend to emphasize links between the living and the dead. They believe that the dead join their ancestors in the ranks of divinity and that ancestors are intensely concerned with the fate of their living descendants. This spiritual communion is celebrated by the Merina and Betsileo reburial practice of famadihana, or "turning over the dead." In this ritual, relatives' remains are removed from the family tomb, rewrapped in new silk shrouds, and returned to the tomb following festive ceremonies in their honor. In the festivities, they eat, drink, and literally dance with the dead. After one or two days of celebrating, they shower the body with gifts and re-bury it.

About 45% of the Malagasy are Christian, divided almost evenly between Roman Catholic and Protestant. Many incorporate the cult of the dead with their religious beliefs and bless their dead at church before proceeding with the traditional burial rites. They also may invite a pastor to attend a famadihana. .

A historical rivalry exists between the predominantly Catholic masses, considered to be underprivileged, and the predominantly Protestant Merina aristocrats, who tend to prevail in the civil service, business, and professions. A new policy of decentralizing resources and authority is intended to enhance the development potential of all Madagascar's provinces. Provincial Council members were elected by popular vote in December 2000. In March 2001, the new Provincial Council members joined mayors and communal council members in each province in electing Senators to represent them in the national parliament. Governors were elected by Electoral College in June 2001. Transfer of duties and establishments of budgets are in progress.

hope this helped