Xᵉ siècle – XVᵉ siècle
Interior plateau of Madagascar
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Vazimba were a population living on Madagascar’s interior plateau during the early second millennium. Their name suggests African ancestry, but the passage describes their language as purely Malagasy and identifies the prevailing interpretation as descent from earlier Indonesian settlers, possibly mixed with African ancestry. They lacked chiefs and were gradually displaced or absorbed by later arrivals associated with the Hova, whose expansion brought fortified villages and irrigated rice cultivation into the plateau.
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Le récit
The Vazimba occupied the interior plateau of Madagascar during the period when new populations were moving inland from the eastern coast. Their identity remains difficult to define because their name has been associated with Africa, while linguistic evidence points toward a Malagasy-speaking population. The prevailing interpretation presented here connects them with earlier Indonesian settlers rather than with a wholly separate African people.
The passage describes the Vazimba as lacking chiefs and as living in a landscape increasingly pressured by incoming groups from the east. These newcomers included the ancestors of the Hova, who gradually moved into the interior. Their expansion altered the demographic and political balance of the plateau, where older communities were displaced or absorbed.
The transformation of the plateau was accompanied by distinctive settlement practices. Hova communities fortified their villages with ditches in an Indonesian fashion, unlike the African-type palisades found in western Madagascar. The extension of irrigated rice cultivation across the Merina plateau eventually became associated with the rise of the Imerina kingdom.
Xᵉ siècle – XVᵉ siècle
Interior plateau of Madagascar
Traduction non disponible · Original (anglais) · français indisponible
The Vazimba were a population living on Madagascar’s interior plateau during the early second millennium. Their name suggests African ancestry, but the passage describes their language as purely Malagasy and identifies the prevailing interpretation as descent from earlier Indonesian settlers, possibly mixed with African ancestry. They lacked chiefs and were gradually displaced or absorbed by later arrivals associated with the Hova, whose expansion brought fortified villages and irrigated rice cultivation into the plateau.
Poursuivre l’exploration
Le récit
The Vazimba occupied the interior plateau of Madagascar during the period when new populations were moving inland from the eastern coast. Their identity remains difficult to define because their name has been associated with Africa, while linguistic evidence points toward a Malagasy-speaking population. The prevailing interpretation presented here connects them with earlier Indonesian settlers rather than with a wholly separate African people.
The passage describes the Vazimba as lacking chiefs and as living in a landscape increasingly pressured by incoming groups from the east. These newcomers included the ancestors of the Hova, who gradually moved into the interior. Their expansion altered the demographic and political balance of the plateau, where older communities were displaced or absorbed.
The transformation of the plateau was accompanied by distinctive settlement practices. Hova communities fortified their villages with ditches in an Indonesian fashion, unlike the African-type palisades found in western Madagascar. The extension of irrigated rice cultivation across the Merina plateau eventually became associated with the rise of the Imerina kingdom.
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