The largest group on the island is known as Merina.
Merina children sometimes have blond hair when they are young. It darkens as they grow older. Some have blue eyes and are quite beautiful.
When they are older...their skin/hair darkens but the striking blue eyes remain.
The Malagasy are generally divided into two groups...
The Highlanders:
Which include the Merina.
and
The Coastal.
Differences in culture include hunting as opposed to fishing. Construction and housing. Music. Hair and clothing. And local customs and taboos.
The Merina traditionally were hunters and gatherers. The Coastal built fishing villages.
Thatched Merina Village.
and a Coastal fishing village.
Merina Music
https://youtu.be/IED0DYpOUeU
Coastal Music
https://youtu.be/8w5d_kJ84m4
Traditional Merina Attire
Coastal Attire
A little on
Madagascar Culture
https://youtu.be/EjvlU_0wQu0
https://youtu.be/yfrEiPtrHE0
Fady (Fah-Dee) is the word for Taboo here.
And there are many.
From never wearing red at a funeral to lemurs who point an elongated finger at you...and you will die.
Each tribe and village comes with its own set of fady.
Some villages believe that twins are fady and women who keep their twin children are excluded from the community.
Often these children are seen as hoodoos and simply abandoned in the forest to die.
Some fadys concern the forbidding of medical treatment.
Some animals are considered fady. Some can be hunted but not eaten...others can be eaten but not actively hunted. Some are just strictly forbidden.
Cultural tips:
What NOT to do...
https://youtu.be/wOrJqrMX8eM
More soon...