A. Glossary of Malagasy Terms

ADALA; ADALAN̂A

“Madness,” “to be insane”; the diminutive form is adaladala, which means “to be odd” or “silly.”

ANDRIAMANITRA

“Ruler of Heaven”; the Christian God; compare Zanahary, below.

ANDRIAN-/NDRAM-

Prefixes used to designate royal descent. When Sakalava royalty die they receive a new praise name (fitaha) which generally begins with this prefix. This new name will also be the one used if a person becomes a tromba spirit.

ANDRIANTOMPOENIARIVO

The founding ancestor of the Bemazava-Sakalava dynasty.

ANTANDROY^[1]

Malagasy peoples from southern Madagascar; they are, for the most part, pastoralists. Sometimes this term is used generally to encompass other peoples such as the Bara and Mahafaly.

ANTAISAKA, ANTAIFASY, ANTAIMORO

Malagasy peoples of the southeast coast.

ANTAKARANA

Northern neighbors of the Sakalava. They share common origins with and, culturally, they are very similar to the northern Sakalava.

AMPANJAKA; AMPANJAKABE

“Royalty” or member of a royal lineage, “ruler.”

ASA, MIASA

“Work,” “to work,” as in miasa ny tromba, “the tromba [spirit or medium] is working” (compare to fanompoan̂a, below).

BAKA ANDRANO

“Coming from the water,” referring to the spirits of Sakalava royalty who chose to drown themselves rather than serve under the Merina. These are Zafin’i’fotsy spirits (see below).

BAKA ATSIMO

“Coming from the south,” that is, tromba spirits that are entombed near Mahajanga. These are Zafin’i’mena spirits (see below).

BEMAZAVA-SAKALAVA

The northernmost dynastic branch of the Sakalava kingdoms; the people who are indigenous to the Sambirano Valley.

BEMIHISATRA-SAKALAVA

Neighbors of the Bemazava who occupy the territory to the south of Ambanja as well as the the small island of Nosy Be, where one of their rulers is located.

BETSILEO

Malagasy peoples of the southern high plateaux.

BETSIMISARAKA

Malagasy of the east coast.

BORZANY

A derogatory term used by Sakalava to refer to the Merina.

CÔTIERS

“People of the coast,” a term applied to virtually all Malagasy except the Merina and Betsileo of the high plateaux.

DADY, DADILAHY, DADIBE

“Grandparent,” “grandfather,” “great-grandparent.” These kinship terms are used to refer to the oldest (and greatest) of the tromba spirits. Sometimes they are also used to refer to the medium (saha) as well; see also zanaka and zafy.

DEUXIÈME BUREAU

Lit. “the second office” or mistress. An older term for this is bodofotsy, lit. “bedcover” or “blanket.”

DOANY

“Royal residence”; also a form of possession brought to the south by Antandroy migrants who have worked in the north.

DRAKÔ, ZALAHY, KAMARADY

Terms of endearment used between women (drakô) and between men (zalahy); kamarady (from the French camarade) is a general term used for either gender.

ENCULTURATION

A policy of the Catholic church which encourages the tolerance of local beliefs and customs, emphasizing syncretism over orthodoxy.

ENTERPRISES (FR: ENTREPRISES)

Large-scale state-owned plantations.

ÉTRANGER

French for “foreigner,” “stranger.” Malagasy also used vazaha (see below) when referring to North Americans and Europeans, especially if they are Anglo.

FADY

“Taboo”; faly (which can also mean “happy”) is an older form of this word (as with Nosy Faly or “Island of Taboos”).

FANAFODY

“Medicine.” There are several categories of fanafody: fanafody-gasy or “Malagasy medicine” and fanafody vazaha or “foreign/European medicine” (that is, clinical medicine). There is also fanafody tsara or “good medicine” and fanafody raty/ratsy or “bad medicine” (sometimes translated in French as magique or poison).

FANOMPOAN̂A, ASAMPANJAKAN̂A

“Royal service” or “royal work” that is performed by Sakalava out of obligation to their rulers. This is distinct from other forms of work (asa).

FATIDRA

“Blood brotherhood” or “sisterhood.”

FIFOHAZANA; MPIANDRY

“[Those who] rise up”; “shepherds”: Protestant exorcists.

FJKM

Abbreviation for Fiongonana Jesosy Kristiany Malagasy (Malagasy Church of Jesus Christ). Formed in 1970, it is actively involved in exorcist activities.

FOMBA-GASY, FOMBANDRAZANA/-RAZAN̂A

“Malagasy customs” or “customs of the ancestors.” These terms refer to aspects of Malagasy culture which predate the colonial period. They are often contrasted to fomba vazaha.

FOMBA VAZAHA

“European [usually specifically French] customs.”In the context of religion, fomba-gasy refers to indigenous reli-gion, as opposed to religions of foreign origin, such as Islam and Christi-anity.

HITADY HARENA/VOLA/ASA

“to search for fortune/money/work.” These are expressions that are used frequently by migrants when they give their reasons for coming to Ambanja.

JORO

Ceremonies that honor ancestors and where omby (cattle) are sacrificed.

KALANORO

A nature spirit that lives in the forest and eats raw food. It is described as being short with long hair, red eyes, and feet that point backward. Mediums for kalanoro must capture them and this enables them to become powerful healers. While a kalanoro medium is working he or she can not be seen by clients, but must sit behind a drapery.

KITAMBY, KISALY, SALOVA; LAMBAHOANY

Forms of Sakalava dress: The kitamy is a waist wrap worn by men; the kisaly and salova (also called salovan̂a) together form the clothes worn by Sakalava women. The kisaly is draped over the head or shoulders and is generally accompanied by a matching salova, which women wrap around their bodies and tie at the waist or chest. A lambahoany is a factory-made cloth that can be used as any of these three pieces of clothing (lamba is the general term used for cloth throughout Madagascar).

LOLO

Spirits of lost souls, ghosts.

MAHABO, ZOMBA

The royal tomb(s) of the northern Sakalava and the Antaka-rana. Zomba is also the name for the royal residence.

MAFANA, MIFANA

“Hot” postpartum practices followed by the majority of Malagasy; see also ranginalo.

MALAGASIZATION (MALGACHISATION)

National policy of Madagascar that emphasizes Malagasy language, customs, and so forth over those of foreign origin.

MAKARELY

“Prostitute.”

MAPINGO

Wooden staff held by tromba spirits. That of more powerful spirits is usually tipped with embossed silver.

MAROVAVY, AMBIMANAN̂Y

Female tomb guardian; see also ngahy.

MERINA

The dominant ethnic group of Madagascar, both in terms of numbers and political influence.

MÉTIS, MÉTISSE

Offspring of unions of mixed origins (male and female forms); for example: Arab-métis: male child of Malagasy (usually Sakalava) and Arab parents.

MOASY (HP: OMBIASY)

A type of healer, usually one who specializes in herbal remedies.

MORENGY

Public boxing matches.

MPAMOSAVY

A “witch” or “sorceror.”

MPISIKIDY

“Diviner.”

NGAHY

Male tomb guardian; see also marovavy (compare to rangahy).

NGAOMA

“Homesick,” “malcontent”; the opposite of tamana. One might also say te ho mody, which expresses the desire to return home.

NJARININTSY, MASOANTOKO, SHAY-TUAN, BILO

Types of evil spirits that cause possession sickness.

RANGAHY

Interpreter for a tromba spirit (compare to ngahy).

RANGINALO

“Cold” postpartum practices followed exclusively by Sakalava; see also mafana, mifana.

RAZAN̂A, RAZANA

“Ancestors” (generic term).

REBIKY

Dance held to honor royalty.

ROMBA NY TROMBA

Tromba ceremony, distinct from a private consultation with a medium.

SAHA

Mediums for the greatest of the royal tromba spirits. In general, this term is only applied to mediums who have been tested to make sure their spirits are authentic; they live in the village near the royal tomb of their spirit(s).

TAMANA

To be “content” (for example, where one lives); the opposite of ngaoma.

TANY FOTSY/MALANDY

“White earth” or kaolin, which has cool healing properties.

TANINDRAZAN̂A, TANINDRAZANA

The “ancestral land.”

TERA-TANY (HP: TOMPONTANY)

“Children of the soil” (HP: “masters” or “possessors of the soil”); the indigenous people of a region. In the Sambirano, these are the Bemazava-Sakalava.

TSIN̂Y

A nature spirit that is generally associated with a sacred tree. Tsin̂y mediums are powerful healers.

TROMBA

Sakalava royal ancestral spirits. This term is also used to refer to the institution, the possession experience, and mediums for such spirits.

TSIMIHETY

Migratory pastoralists of Madagascar. They form one of the most established and best documented of the migrant groups that have moved into northern Madagascar.

VADY

“Spouse.”

VAHINY

“Guests”; Malagasy migrants.

VAMBA

“Adultery,” “adulterer.”

VAZAHA

“Strangers” or foreigners, especially those of European origin.

VINTANA

Malagasy cosmological zodiac system.

ZANAKA

“Children;” the second of the three generational categories of tromba spirits; see also dadilahy and zafy.

ZAFY

“Grandchildren”; the most recent and least powerful of the three generations of tromba spirits; see also dadilahy and zanaka.

ZAFIN’I’MENA, ZAFIN’I’FOTSY

these are abbreviated forms of Zafinibolamena and Zafinibolafotsy, or “Grandchildren of Red metal/Gold” and “Grandchildren of White metal/Silver.” These labels correspond to two major descent groups of Sakalava (including both living royality and tromba spirits); Antakarana are also members of the Zafin’i’fotsy dynasty. See also baka atsimo and baka andrano, above.

ZANAHARY

Collective term for all ancestors, also used to refer to the more distant original ancestors. Compare to Andriamanitra, above.

Notes