Sombim-piainako

General conception of the after life of one community among the Malagasy

dadasy | 28 Septambra, 2006 18:46

Inty indray ary misy fanadihadiana kely nataoko mikasika ny fahatsapan'ny Malagasy ny fiainana aorian'ny fahafatesana. Ny antony tena nanoratako ity de satria tsy azon'ny olona aty Afrika mihitsy izany hoe mamadika (manao famadihana) izany. Hany ka narosoko ity hevitra ity mba hodinihin'ny rehetra. Ny toerana nanaovako fanadihadiana dia ny Merina tribe. Miala tsiny aho raha voatrery mampiasa io voambolana io. Tsy sanatria fanavakavahana akory, fa ho an'ny Afrikana de mizara ho foko maromaro izy, ka mba hahazoan-dry zareo ny fanadihadiana nataoko de nifidy foko iray aho. Ary izay haiko tsara no nohadihadiako, dia ny foko Merina mba hanehoako @ olona aty Afrika sombiny @ fahalalan'ny malagasy ny fiainana aorian'ny fahafatesana.

Tsy ny Merina rehetra koa anefa no mamadika, satria raha ao @ fianakaviako fotsiny ohatra de ny avy @ papanay no mamadika fa ny avy @ mamanay tsy manao izany. Nefa nifidy ity lohahevitra ity aho mba ahafahako manohana ny hevitra tiako ambara. Raha mety aminao moa ny mamaky azy de vakio tsara, raha toa ka mifanohitra @ fomba fijerinao, ka mety hanafintohina de avereno amiko ny ahy fa tsy maninona.

Hozarazaraiko maromaro koa ity fanadihadiana ity satria somary lavalava ihany, ary ampifandraisiko kely @ hevitra voalazan'ny Baiboly, indrindra ny Testamenta taloha izy, satria izaho koa kristiana ihany.

Indro ary arosoko eto ny Fampidirana sy ny sombiny @ tapany voalohany.

INTRODUCTION

Generally, the Malagasy believe that there is another life after this earthly life. Some tribe, like the Mahafaly, a tribe that lives in the South part of Madagascar, shows that belief in their tombs. These tombs are famous by their splendid sculptures that they put upon them. These sculptures tell the story of the life of those who are buried in them. Also their tombs are well painted and well built. But if you look at their house, even a boy can destroy it. It is made by bush and few woods. This is to show that the house is not the real place of residence. Another tribe, the Antandroy shows their belief in the after-life during the burial. When a man dies, all his cattle are killed by their relatives and they feed the people by the meet. But all the head of the cattle are put upon the tomb where the man is buried. This is to show that his wealth follows him in his life after death. The living people, his relatives did not steal it. They have given it to him. In their culture, the Merina tribe – where I am coming from – has many ways to show this belief of the existence of the after life. Here, in this presentation and short analysis, I am going to show how the Merina tribe conceives this after life through two main concepts. The first is the tomb, which the Merina takes as one among the sacred places, and the second is the “famadihana” or exhumation, a custom which is practiced in this tribe related with the dead. After that I am going to try to show how the Old Testament conceives the after life. And finally, I am going to relate this latter with the Malagasy’s conception (or the Merina’s in particularly) of the life after death.

GENERAL CONCEPTION OF THE AFTER-LIFE AMONG THE MERINA

The Merina tribe

The Merina tribe lives in the center of Madagascar especially in the province of Antananarivo where we find the capital of Madagascar. According to the investigations done by historians and archeologists, the Malagasy came from many parts in the world. The first people who came to Madagascar was from Malaysia, Indonesia and India. The second comers were from Arabia and Persia. And the third one came from Africa.

Because Madagascar is an island, those who came first left little by little the cost and reach the centre, the highland. While they stayed there, the second part came and mixed with them. And the third part did the same. It is worth to stress here that the first comers were with their families and clans. They came in big numbers. And they were able to keep their language. The second were traders. They had to adapt themselves in the customs and language of the first occupants so that they could do their business. The third part came mainly from slaves’ trade. And for this latter, it was an obligation to know the language of those who had already occupied the place. Therefore, the major part of the ancestors of the Merina came from the east but they are a mixed population, like all Malagasy. Rakoto Ratsimamanga, historian and famous Malagasy medicine doctor during the 20^th century, is quoted by Maurice Bloch: “60 per cent of the Merina are of an Indonesian-mongoloid type… the rest of the population is described as European type (30 per cent), Oceanian Negroid type (8 per cent) and African Negroid (2 per cent).”[1] This description is surely not sufficient, but it is one among many descriptions which have been made to show the mixture of the Merina population and the littleness of the African root in it. That is the reason why this type of customs that I am going to explain latter on is not found in almost Africa. But it shows that the Merina believe in the existence of the after life.

[1] Maurice Bloch, Placing the Dead: Tombs, Ancestral Villages, and Kinship organization in Madagascar (New York: Waveland Press, 1994) p. 3-4.