Culture of Madagascar

The culture of Madagascar reflects the origins of the Malagasy people in Southeast Asia, East Africa and Oceania. The influence of Arabs, Indians, British, French and Chinese settlers is also evident.

The most emblematic musical instrument of Madagascar, the valiha, is a bamboo tube zither carried to the island by early settlers from southern Borneo, and is very similar in form to those found in Indonesia and the Philippines today.^[1] Traditional houses in Madagascar are likewise similar to those of southern Borneo in terms of symbolism and construction, featuring a rectangular layout with a peaked roof and central support pillar.^[2] Reflecting a widespread veneration of the ancestors, tombs are culturally significant in many regions and tend to be built of more durable material, typically stone, and display more elaborate decoration than the houses of the living.^[3]

The production and weaving of silk can be traced back to the island's earliest settlers, and Madagascar's national dress, the woven lamba, has evolved into a varied and refined art.^[4] The Southeast Asian cultural influence is also evident in Malagasy cuisine, in which rice is consumed at every meal, typically accompanied by one of a variety of flavorful vegetable or meat dishes.^[5]

African influence is reflected in the sacred importance of zebu cattle and their embodiment of their owner's wealth, traditions originating on the African mainland. Cattle rustling, originally a rite of passage for young men in the plains areas of Madagascar where the largest herds of cattle are kept, has become a dangerous and sometimes deadly criminal enterprise as herdsmen in the southwest attempt to defend their cattle with traditional spears against increasingly armed professional rustlers.^[6]

^ Blench, Roger (1982). "Evidence for the Indonesian origins of certain elements of African culture". African Music. 6 (2): 81–93. doi:10.21504/amj.v6i2.1118. JSTOR 30249759.
^ Kus, Susan; Raharijaona, Victor (2000). "House to Palace, Village to State: Scaling up Architecture and Ideology". American Anthropologist. New Series. 1 (102): 98–113. doi:10.1525/aa.2000.102.1.98.
^ Acquier (1997), pp. 143–175
^ Kusimba, Odland & Bronson (2004), p. 12
^ Cite error: The named reference Antal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^ Campbell, Gwyn (1993). "The Structure of Trade in Madagascar, 1750–1810". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 26 (1): 111–148. doi:10.2307/219188. JSTOR 219188.

[Blench,_R._1982_pp._81-93-1] Blench, Roger (1982). "Evidence for the Indonesian origins of certain elements of African culture". African Music. 6 (2): 81–93. doi:10.21504/amj.v6i2.1118. JSTOR 30249759.

[2] Kus, Susan; Raharijaona, Victor (2000). "House to Palace, Village to State: Scaling up Architecture and Ideology". American Anthropologist. New Series. 1 (102): 98–113. doi:10.1525/aa.2000.102.1.98.

[Acquier,_Jean-Louis.-3] Acquier (1997), pp. 143–175

[4] Kusimba, Odland & Bronson (2004), p. 12

[Antal-5] Cite error: The named reference Antal was invoked but never defined (see the help page).

[Camp93-6] Campbell, Gwyn (1993). "The Structure of Trade in Madagascar, 1750–1810". The International Journal of African Historical Studies. 26 (1): 111–148. doi:10.2307/219188. JSTOR 219188.

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