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Glossary of Malagasy Words
Borizano:
a term of multiple meanings referring to the people of the highlands or trades requiring intense physical effort.
Some say it is derived from the French word ‘bourgeois’.
Fady:
forbidden, taboo.
Fahagola:
literally means from the time of Gola. This is a generic term to mean ‘distant past’. Gola is a mythical population
who lived before the
Vazimba
.
Fasana:
a generic name for a burial place.
Feraomby:
an enclosure that protects a sacred site from being trampled on by zebu and, by extension, any form of
destruction. The term includes both the enclosure and its contents. In general, it is the grave of an individual
who, for some reason, did not have access to the family tomb or burial place. A stranger or a person who passes
away outside his place of residence can also be buried this way, as a temporary measure while waiting for a
permanent transfer to his family tomb.
Fijorona:
a sacred place conducive to meditation.
Filanjana:
palanquin; a covered litter carried on poles on the shoulders of four or more bearers.
Fisokina:
wooden pole or post, between three to four meters high, planted in the middle of the village. It is the protective
emblem of a clan. It is also a place for incantation during important ceremonies calling ancestors and their allies.
Such rituals require the presence of a Tangalamena, who ensures the strict application of customary rules.
Haolo:
abandoned village. A site known as ‘
Haolo
’ is not necessarily old.
Jiro:
a family altar erected in the northeastern area of the courtyard to place offerings (sweet food items, honey, etc.).
It is usually a small flat stone beside a plant known as hasina
(Dracaena marginata)
. In the area around Ankay, it is
a sacred pole erected in the village or aligned with a standing stone.
Joro:
an incantatory ritual dedicated to the ancestors and often requiring the sacrifice of one or more zebu, known as
‘volavita’.
Malata:
from the French word
"mulâtre"
meaning mulatto; a population of mixed ancestry on the East Coast.
Maromita:
emissary in the 19th century; also derived from the French word
‘marmite’
, meaning cauldron or cooking pot.
Masina:
sacred. Places or objects that are sacred for various customary reasons. They continue to be respected and
votive worship rituals and other traditional ceremonies are practiced there.
Riana:
waterfall. The waterfall symbolizes the power to purify. People will go to waterfalls to cleanse themselves before
going to a sacred site.
Sampy:
Trial by ordeal or protective talisman. Talisman were destroyed or burnt after Queen Ranavalona II converted to
Christianity in 1868. They were banned, but have never really disappeared.
Savoka:
grassy vegetation with scattered trees.
