ATR in Madagascar

[WombanAuset]

My ancestors on my paternal side are from Madagascar..that's where the family began..here is a brief summary (from a google search lol) of the ATR that is practiced there..

Madagascar: ATR is practised by a good percentage of the Bara people — one of the major tribes of Madagascar. The religion is far from going into extinction. It will not disappear, they say, until the last survivor of the Bara tribe is gone. Thus, ATR, "source of ancestral customs", constitutes an important element of the identity of the tribe. The Bara man lives in a religious universe. The main stages of life are marked with religious ceremonies in order to maintain the harmony between the world beyond or the "extra-natural" and the human being in the world. In traditional prayer, there is always invocation of Zanahary (Creator God), and the ancestors and of Tansy Masyt (the sacred land, the land where for generation upon generation, is buried the raza, that is to say, the placenta). This attachment to the ancestral land (the tanin drazana — the land of the placenta) becomes as such a visceral attachment to all the customs inherited from the ancestors in the land where the past generations received life.

Religious practices / ceremonies: The Bara pray to "Zanahary who made hands and feet", and numerous sacrifices are made for the living and the dead. The hazomanga velona or mpisoro officiates during rituals at the hazomanga (sacrificial altar place; also refers to the person who officiates, the patriarch). The ombiasa (divine, witch-doctor, traditional healer, astrologer) also leads some ceremonies.

Only members of the same hazomanga can sit down before the sacrificial post and participate in ceremonies. The hazomanga is found a few metres to the north-east of the patriarch�s house (tra�on-donaky). The house is easily distinguishable from others, as it is often the highest of the village and is built in the north-east, while the other houses in the village are built to the south and the west. The importance of this house is shown by the slaughtering of a cow during its inauguration. The sacred objects inherited from the ancestors are kept in the north-eastern corner of the tra�on-donaky and consists of the long knife (vy arara, verara, vy lava, vy mengoky) for cutting the victim�s throat, the tin beaker (fanovy) for sprinkling water or a water-blood mixture and the marine conch shell (atsiva) for the convocation of the blood relatives. These objects are hidden and only brought out (in some areas by a special little door) when a sacrifice is to be made.

There are varieties of interpretation of the hazomanga. Among the Zafindrendriko, the Bara Iatsatsa and the Bara Imamono, the word hazomanga has a wider meaning. They do not erect a sacrificial post, but keep a special space swept and clean for the purposes of sacrificial ceremonies. To them hazomanga refers to the person of the patriarch, to his house (also called fatora) and to the three sacred objects. Faubl�e (1954:68) mentions that the Bara Vinda have a hazom-b�to, which commemorates circumcision and serves as sacrificial post.

Rites practiced by the Bara include the bilo (a type of healing through exorcism of the helo), savatse (circumcision), different sacrifices (soro and saotse), funeral rites and divination (sikily). The soro is sacrificial prayer offered to Za�ahary and the patrilinear ancestors, and can only be officiated by the patriarch. This is done on behalf of the whole lineage or family at the hazomanga. In the case of the bilo, sacrifices for marriage or when there has been a serious fault committed - such as incest or breaking some taboo - the required sacrifices to prevent any disastrous consequences from such transgressions are not made at the hazomanga, but somewhere else in the village.

Anybody can call on superhuman powers, especially on the helo, which are spirits of living nature, spirits of life, to make a vow (sareky) and ask a favour, in exchange for the sacrifice of a chicken or a sheep, for which the patriarch�s intervention is not required. In some cases a person becomes a medium for the helo and is then consulted by those in need. The helo are small dark spirits who live in particular trees or in particular water spots, or in particular creatures such as eels, that get fed with locusts, frogs or meat from a sacrificed cow. They sometimes haunt a person and sometimes show their favour of a child, who is then consecrated by abstention from certain foods and other soiling elements. Usually veneration of the helo concerns sterility or wealth or a guilt offering for having offended them by desecrating their dwelling place. This type of prayer is called saotsy.

Three elements are present in all sacrificial rites (Elli:93), namely tata (prayer, calling on Za�ahary and the ancestors, explaining the reasons for the occasion and the request made); soro (the sacrifice of the victim, usually a cow; or some rice and honey in the case of a pregnancy); and tsipirano (blessing - sprinkling with water during the tata, or with a mixture of water and blood after the soro). The three terms are used interchangeably to indicate the total rite.

[WombanAuset]

The traditional religion of the Malagasy is based on reverence of the ancestors, or razana. The cult is perhaps best known through bone-turning ceremonies, or famadihana, where remain of a selected relative are exhumed, passed among the guests and filled in on all the latest development. These are joyful occasions, including much partying, drinking and dancing. Some Merina and Betsileo families are now accepting tourists at their famadihanas, but be sure to arrange this in advance – one family might be happy to have guests and allow you to take pictures, but another family at a tomb a few metres away may be against it.
The Malagasy call the soul ambiroa. It can separate from the physical body in the dream state and leaves forever at death. At this point it becomes a razana, which is immortal. It is believed that if a person happens to die far from their hometown, the body must be brought back to that town for burial or else the soul will wander aimlessly until the remains are returned home.



Deities
Almost all Malagasy combine the Christian faith (either Catholic or Protestant) with their traditional religion. Two groups, the Antalaotra in the northwest and the Antaimoro (‘Arab-Malagasy’) of the southeast, have adopted Muslim practices. In traditional religion, the Highest Being or Creator is Zanihari, or Andriananahary, now referred to Andriamanitra, who is neither male nor female.
There are a vast number of secondary gods or nature spirits, which inhabit certain trees, rocks or rivers. These spirits can influence the lives of people, who may then visit sites to pray to spirits reportedly residing there. Spirits can also possess humans, sending them into trances (an important and regular phenomenon in some tribes), and also animals, particularly crocodiles and certain lemurs.

Burial Practices
Tombs are regarded by Malagasy as permanent homes, while houses of the living are only temporary. Thus time, money and effort is spent improving the tombs as an investment for the future. After a death in the family, a ritual known as sasa is performed. The living relatives go to a fast-flowing river with all their clothes (including the garments they are wearing on their backs), which are then washed to rid them of any impurities. Zebu are sacrificed as a gesture of respect. In other places, such as among the Antaisaka tribe, the ceremony involves gluing money onto the corpse.

Not everyone is entitled to a tomb or burial. Sorcerers are dumped to the west of their villages, and barely covered with soil, so that their bodies can be eaten by feral dogs and other animals. Their necks are twisted so that their heads face south. Also, in the Antaisaka tribe, twins were usually killed or abandoned in the forest after birth. Today this is against the law but twins may still not be buried in tombs.


A Mahafaly tomb in arid southwestern Madagascar depicting typical funerary artwork
A Mahafaly tomb in arid southwestern Madagascar depicting typical funerary artwork



Fady
The Malagasy follow a vast, complex system of beliefs pertaining to all aspects of everyday life. These very from village to village and even family to family. Fady are not taboos, as is popularly believed, but beliefs related to action, objects or social events.

There are three category of fady: those related to actions - for example believing it is fady to sing while you are eating and if you do you will develop elongated teeth; those related to objects - for example, the Merina will not have funerals on Tuesdays as this may bring about another death in the family. Foreigners are exempt from having to adhere to fady , although it is sensible and considerate to find out as much as possible about this in regions you are visiting so as to avoid offending people.

Ody and Fanafody
Ody are fetishes and fanafody herbal medicines or remedies. About 60% of Madagascar’s vast array of plants (over 8500 have been catalogued to date, with the total estimated to be 12 000) have medicinal properties. There are three categories of ody: collective fetishes, for example, a sacred stone, proclaimed as such by a chief or other high-ranking member of the community; individual fetishes, amulets or objects used just by one person; and talismans, worn when someone has broken a promise.

Ody can also be used as ‘white magic’, for example, to gain someone’s love. Sorcerers sell various ody for negative purposes, in exchange for money, zebu or poultry. A red rooster is preferred. Only with Christianity was the concept of hell (elo) introduced to the Malagasy.

Malagasy Dress
The most conspicuous element in traditional Malagasy clothing is the lamba, a wrapround sheet often printed with designs depicting everyday scenes. Some cheaper lambas also have slogans on them which should be checked before the cloth is paid for – some can be suggestive ! In the highlands, particularly among the Betsileo people, lambas are worn on the shoulder. If it trails off to the person’s right, it symbolises mourning. Lamba mena (red Lambas) are reserved for special occasions and are also used as burial shrouds.

The other noticeable element in Malagasy dress is the straw hat. These vary regionally, from broad-rimmed hats to brimless, tight-fitting, cone-shaped hats which can be seen in the south and central-west. Western influence is increasingly apparent and fashion (especially urban areas like Tana) tends to follow trends set by fashion magazines such as Elle and Vogue. There is therefore a huge demand for trainers, jeans and leather jackets.

[WombanAuset]

Can't You See The Malagasy in Me


1st picture is some malagasy people 2nd picture my father..3rd picture me

[Revolutionary_Student]

Originally Posted by WombanAuset

Can't You See The Malagasy in Me


1st picture is some malagasy people 2nd picture my father..3rd picture me

Before I read the captions I was gonna say "Damn! That guy looks just like you!" LOL! but yea I see it, REALLY!