THE ANTANANARIVO ANNUAL AND MADAGASCAR MAGAZINE. THE RACE ELEMENTS OF THE PEOPLES OF HE ANTANANARIVO ANNUAL for Christmas 1883 contains THE an article by the Rev. L. Dahle on which I propose to make some observations. Mr. Dahle's conclusions, which he modestly terms his "hypothesis with regard to the origin of the Malagasy race elements," are as follows:-(1) The island, or more probably only the coasts of it, was first occupied by East African tribes (i.e. by the Vazìmba and others related to them). (2) There was a series of emigrations "from the island world in the east," peoples from which "took possession of the coasts of Madagascar, conquering the African natives, and afterwards intermarrying and mixing with them to such an extent as to become gradually one people with them,-a mixture of African and Malayo-Polynesian elements." (3) The interior of the island was now first inhabited by the African Vazimba, not very strong in number, who broke through the forests and took possession of the interior, especially Imèrina. (4) The Hova came from the east, and finding the coasts already occupied by a people partly of their own race, and being either unable or unwilling to fight with them, proceeded to the interior. There they settled in Imerina, not mixing with the people of African blood, and as they grew in strength, "the Vazimba, X who found themselves too weak to resist them, and were too fond of independence to submit to them, quietly retired towards the west." No. 9.-CHRISTMAS, 1885. Let us see what the evidence is on which Mr. Dahle's hypothesis is based. The first conclusion assumes (a) that Madagascar was first populated by East African tribes, and (b) that the Vazimba were of East African origin. The only evidence adduced in support of the statement (a) is the opinion of Dr. Hildebrandt that there is "a strong African element in the Malagasy, especially in the coast tribes." Mr. Dahle, moreover, believes that much of a non-Malayo-Polynesian element in the Malagasy language can be traced to African sources. In the paper read by me in 1869 before the Anthropological Society of London on this subject, reference was made to various facts in support of the opinion that the Malagasy are related to the peoples of Southern Africa. This inference, which I still believe to be a fair one, is the widest that the facts will allow, and it is very different from the conclusion which would ascribe to the Malagasy an East African origin. It is Y said, however, that the Vazimba at least had such an origin. Mr. Dahle admits he is not able to prove that the Vazimba came from Africa, although he believes with Dr. Hildebrandt and others that they are identical with the Vazimba of East Africa. The similarity of name is certainly very striking, but unfortunately we know so little of the Vazimba that, even if they were, as Mr. Dahle supposes, the original inhabitants of Madagascar, it is almost impossible to determine their race characters. Dr. Prichard, in his Researches into the Physical History of Mankind, refers to the conjecture made by the Rev. W. Ellis that the Vazimba were the tribe described by Rochon and other writers, under the name of 'Kimos' or 'Quimos,' as a nation of pigmies; a notion more recently entertained by Capt. Oliver in the Memoirs of the Anthropological Society of London (1870). In Dr. Prichard's Natural History of Man (3rd ed., 1848), the Vazimba described by Robert Drury are identified with the Hova. The information as to the Vazimba given by Drury is not altogether satisfactory. After remarking that the Madagascar people probably came first from Africa, he says, "the Virzimbers, indeed, by their woolly heads must come from the more southern part of Africa." He adds, "Deean Tokeoffu told Captain Macket they had a tradition of their coming on the island many years ago in large canoes." This tradition evidently relates to the Malagasy generally, or rather to the Sakalàva branch of them, of whom Tokeoffu was then one of Commander Cameron, however, sees in this name evidence of Malayan influence. See Report of Brit. Assoc. 1879; p. 393. + I quote from an illustrated edition of his Adventures, published at Hull in 1807. Click the kings. As to the 'Virzimbers' themselves, Drury gives another description which would seem to show that he applied the name to different peoples. Thus, while living in the country of Mórondàva, Drury had an attack of sickness, and he was sent to a Vazimba's house on the banks of the river 'Mernee' to be cured. He lived among those people for six months, and he states that they were almost of a different species "from the others," meaning probably the Sakalava. He says, "their heads are of a peculiar shape, the hinder part and the forehead are almost as flat as a trencher;" which he supposed to be owing to "a daily pressure of their children from the cradle;" and he makes the important remark that "their hair is neither so long nor so woolly as that of the other nations." These Vazimba had a peculiar language or, probably, dialect, and their religion was different from that of the other natives, as they had no 'owleys' (òdy; in their houses, but they paid great regard to the new moon and to several animals, among others, a cock and a lizard. At their meals they threw a bit of meat over their heads for the spirits, and they then threw four pieces more "to the sovereigns or rulers of the four quarters of the earth." They dressed their victuals much more agreeably than a "the other people;" they were ingenious artificers in many h particulars; and they made curious earthenware, glazed within a and without. They appeared not to have any general govern-intur ment, but they lived in little towns, each of which was a distinct and independent republic. Drury concludes, "there are some of them, as I have heard, in other parts of the island, scattered up and down, who shift their habitations, which these were wont to do formerly. It is no easy matter to determine whether these are not the original natives, or first inhabitants of the land." This description is of a forest people, of peaceful and primitive habits, but with sufficient intelligence and docility to understand and accept the civilization of those with whom they came into contact. The woolly-headed Vazimba of Drury are perhaps represented by the people described by Mr. Dahle, on the authority of the Rev. D. Jakobsen, as now dwelling among the Sakalava, and as being not very tall, of a very dark colour, and with rather a flat nose. Dr. Prichard seems to have believed, however, that the Hova were described by Drury under the name of 'Virzimbers,' which agrees with the fact of the latter having less woolly hair than the Sakalava. It is somewhat remarkable that the dwarfs or Kimos, who are thought by x some writers to have been Vazimba, were referred to by M. de Modave, the Governor of Fort Dauphin, as thick and squat, being lighter in colour than the other islanders, while their hair was short and woolly. The particulars given by Drury of the Vazimba are important, as they prove the existence among ef to them of a difference of physical characters, such as are now found among the natives of Ankova; and if the Hova are not a pure race, the Vazimba were probably not so either. I may remark here that there is at least as much evidence that the Vazimba element among the Malagasy is Negrito as that it is African. It is strange, nevertheless, that although Drury goes so far as to say that the Vazimba spoke a different language and had different manners and customs from the other Malagasy, yet at the end of his book, while repeating that they differ in some points of religion, he adds, "but then it is to be understood, in the forms and manner of their worship and ceremonies; for they have owleys as others have, and entertain the same notions of a Supreme God, the lords of the four quarters of the world, spirits, etc." The Rev. W. Ellis refers to this idea of the existence of lords of the four quarters of the earth, which he says is regarded in the interior as fabulous, although it prevailed on some parts of the coast.* In other respects the Vazimba, notwithstanding their physical differences, show little to distinguish them from the other inhabitants of the country. The difference of language spoken of by Drury was probably only one of dialect, such as still exists among the various tribes. Mr. Dahle states that the unity of language must now be considered as a tolerably well-established fact, in support of which he makes the pertinent remark that the Hova have military stations in a good many places amongst other tribes, and people from other tribes often come to the Capital, and yet they appear not to be in need of interpreters in transacting business. When X Drury was living in the island, the Hova could equally well converse with other tribes. He relates that two Hova ('Amboerlambo') ambassadors passed through his town on their way from 'Moherbo' Mahàbo?) to their own country. Drury evidently had no difficulty in conversing with them. Mr. Dahle adduces the fact of the language spoken over the whole island being substantially the same as evidence in favour of the opinion that "the inhabitants of Madagascar, broadly speaking, are one people." There is here a saving clause to provide for the existence of a non-Malayo-Polynesian element in the Malagasy language. He mentions various words which are unquestionably the same in Malagasy as in some of the East African dialects, confirming History of Madagascar, vol. i. p. 394. Mr. Ellis states (p. 369) that among the witnesses summoned on the taking of the Hova oath of allegiance are the four cardinal points of the compass. what was long since pointed out by other writers. But in accordance with the principle laid down by Mr. Dahle, that "similarity in the grammatical structure of the languages of peoples proves more than similarity of vocabulary," I would suggest that the presence of the words mentioned by him, while showing that the Malagasy have had close intercourse with their East African neighbours, is not sufficient to prove the African origin of the primitive inhabitants of Madagascar. Mr. Dahle says (2) that there was a series of emigrations from the Eastern island world, peoples from which conquered the African natives of Madagascar, intermarried with them and finally formed with them one people. Those emigrants are supposed to have belonged to tribes who spoke dialects of the Malayo-Polynesian language, or a language closely related to it, and to have had the Malayan type of feature, which, however, they lost or had much modified by mixture with the African element. Whether or not the peculiar physiognomy of the dark Malagasy is really due to "a mixture of African and Malayo-Polynesian elements" is nevertheless very doubtful. M. Lesson was so much struck with the resemblance of the Papuans to the dark people of South Madagascar as to believe that the former had proceeded from this island; and he appears to have been no less struck with the resemblance between the dark Malagasy and Kafirs of South Africa. What Lesson says of the Papuans applies equally to the Melanesians, agreeing with Mr. Dahle's statement that the Malagasy language is partly related to the Melanesian. In that case, however, we have no occasion to look for the admixture of an African element to account for the physical peculiarities presented by the coast tribes of Madagascar. It is important in this connection to consider certain facts as to the distribution of the people on the western side of the island mentioned by Drury. He states, where speaking of the Sakalava chief Ratrimanòngarivo, that "Saccalauvor was neither richer nor more powerful than other countries, till his accession to the regal state." Drury goes on to say that the Sakalava king having expelled both his brothers, one of them fled to Feraingher (near the river Onilàhy, which runs into St. Augustine's Bay) and settled in the country to the south; while the other proceeded northward, passing through "the fine country where the cattle are kept, and where the Virzimbers at that time resided........the Virzimbers fled from him on his first approach, but finding that his intentions were peaceable, and that he was only seeking a place of refuge for himself, they returned to their habitations, and lived under his jurisdiction." Ratrimanongarivo followed his brother's |