Photo: Anisha Shah
to bring severe bad luck, so I’m
warned. Some tombs are elaborately painted and surrounded by
Zebu horns and skulls, reflecting
the hierarchy or social standing
of the person. Others are modest
boxes. These tombs are a direct
link between the living and the
dead. They reflect the Malagasy
belief in the dead being the
highest authoritative member of a
family, presiding over the future of
the family and every major decision. The culture revolves around
constant revering and consulting
with the dead. A major tradition in Malagasy tribal culture is
‘Famadihana,’ or the exhumation of
bones. When a family is financially
able, they must dig up and unwrap
the bones of a passed loved one.
The process involves washing their
bones in the river, drying them
and re-dressing in a shroud. A
huge celebration ensues, involving
abundant rum, music and dancing.
The bones are then put back in a
tomb and never touched again.
Not doing this is considered ‘fady’
or taboo.
Circumcision is the other major
celebration, likely owing to the
arrival of Arab traders around
800-900 A.D. Young boys, aged
around two, must have their foreskin removed. This is usually done
at home using a sterilized knife
and medicinal plant leaves to stop
the bleeding. The strangest act
involves the grandfather having to
eat the skin with a piece of banana,
as per tradition. It is a significant
rite of passage and a boy who is
not circumcised can never marry.
A child who passes away before
having it done cannot be buried in
the family tomb. The event is also
marked by riotous celebrations
and is incredible to watch, where
visiting ‘Vaza’ (foreigners) are often
asked to join the dancing. These
two celebrations take place from
July to September.
The road to Isalo
Isalo National Park is a world apart.
On the road south, we come across
snakes of various sizes sunning
themselves on the single baking
black tarmac road. Some have
been run over. The surrounding
scene is of vast bleached grasslands with dusty sandy foundations. Few families live here, with
very little, amidst startling isolation
and the harshness of desert. It’s
here that I meet a young woman
walking barefoot in beautiful
bright fabrics, a striking vision
against the blonde grass. I stop to
talk to her and she proudly shows
off her 1-month-old daughter,
wrapped in her arms. She shares
the same name as my guide. She
is walking home to her village,
several kilometers off-road in the
savannah. I ask about the snakes
and scorpions to be told that their
feet have developed a thick skin,
relatively immune to stings. But
villagers do get bitten from time to
time.
Jurassic Park
Isalo National Park is home to
stunning scenery, seen nowhere
else in Madagascar. Walking into
the original Jurassic Park, towering
sandstone spires nestle leaping
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