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Madagascar Peoples of the Central Highlands
The Merina, whose name means "those from the country
where
one can see far" (an eloquent yet important reference to
their
control of the central highlands) are not only the most
numerous
of the Malagasy peoples, representing more than
one-quarter of
the total population (26.2 percent), but since the early
nineteenth century have been the most organized in terms
of
social, economic, and political structure. During the
nineteenth
century, the Merina almost succeeded in unifying the
entire
island under a centralized administration. Although their
influence declined somewhat during the French colonial
period,
especially after the unsuccessful Revolt of 1947, they are
heavily represented among the country's socioeconomic and
political elite. Merina territory originally consisted
only of
the lands encircling the current capital of Antananarivo,
but as
they expanded in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries,
it came
to include most of the northern central highlands, now the
province of Antananarivo. Many Merina have settled in
other parts
of the island as government officials, professionals, and
traders, and all the major cities have sizable Merina
populations.
The Merina are considered the most "Asian" of the
Malagasy
ethnic groups in terms of their physical characteristics
and
culture. Having relatively light complexions and straight
black
hair, as well as a way of life based on wet-rice
cultivation,
they are strongly reminiscent of the peoples of Southeast
Asia.
It has been suggested that the ancestors of the Merina may
have
preserved their Malayo-Indonesian characteristics through
the
practice of endogamy or intermarriage. Such a practice
would have
discouraged their marrying with African peoples even
during their
hypothesized sojourn on the East African coast, which may
have
lasted centuries. The plausibility of this thesis is
supported by
the fact that the Merina continue to practice endogamy,
although
it is also plausible that Merina ancestors may simply have
migrated directly to Madagascar without settling first in
Africa.
The Merina are sensitive to physical differences and
distinguish
between people who are fotsy (white), with
relatively
light complexions and descended from the freeborn of the
nineteenth-century Merina kingdom, and those who are
mainty (black), descendants of slaves or captives
from
other parts of the island who are described as being more
"African" in physical appearance. Fotsy and
mainty
are not always clearly distinguishable, even to the Merina
themselves, but this racial distinction nonetheless
divides
Merina society into two distinct groups and contributes to
its
highly unequal nature.
The Betsileo, who constitute 12.1 percent of the
population
and live in the central highlands south of the Merina in a
region
of about 40,000 square kilometers, have a culture similar
to that
of their northern neighbors. They are reputedly the best
farmers
in Madagascar, building rice terraces on the slopes of
steep
hills similar to those of Indonesia or the Philippines.
They were
united in the late eighteenth century by King
Andriamanalimbetany
of Isandra, one of the four Betsileo royal principalities,
but
were incorporated into the Merina kingdom in 1830. The
Betsileo
share something of the privileged position of the Merina,
constituting a significant portion of Madagascar's
official,
professional, and skilled artisan classes.
South of the Betsileo live the Bara (3.3 percent of the
population), who are divided into five clans in the dry
regions
at the southern end of the central highlands. They keep
large
herds of zebu cattle and are the most pastoral people in
Madagascar; they also have a reputation of being valiant
warriors.
The Tsimihety (7.3 percent of the population), whose
lands
are located north of Imerina, illustrate rather strikingly
the
birth and development of a Malagasy people. Their name,
"those
who do not cut their hair," refers to the refusal of their
forebears in the early eighteenth century to submit to the
Sakalava custom of cutting their hair when the king died;
rather,
they migrated to the unsettled north-central region of the
island. The Tsimihety are noted for the rapid expansion of
their
population and for their penchant for migration, expanding
the
boundaries of their territory and encroaching on the lands
of
neighboring peoples. Primarily raisers of cattle, they are
divided into a large number of traditional clans with
little
political organization. They are described as the
individualists
of the island, desiring to live a life free of government
control
in the unsettled hinterlands.
Data as of August 1994
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