Betsimisaraka of Madagascar

Below are resources related to Douglas W. Hume's “Betsimisaraka of Madagascar” chapter of Native Nations: The Survival of Indigenous Peoples, 4th Edition, edited by Sharlotte Neely and Douglas W. Hume.

Agencies & Organizations

Discussion Questions

  • Explain the cultural changes that have occurred among the Betsimisaraka due to external forces on them.
  • Describe the threats to Betsimisaraka cultural survival by outsiders in their recent history.
  • How have the different political periods impact Madagascar's ecosystems?
  • What are the key topics in current conservation research in Madagascar?
  • What challenges do the Betsimisaraka people in Andasibe face?

Documentary Films

Further Reading

  • Nielssen, Hilde. Ritual imagination: a study of tromba possession among the Betsimisaraka in eastern Madagascar. Vol. 40. Brill, 2011.
  • Sodikoff, Genese. "Land and languor: Ethical imaginations of work and forest in northeast Madagascar." History and Anthropology 15, no. 4 (2004): 367-398.
  • Rajaonah, Faranirina V. "Forget Colonialism? Sacrifice and the Art of Memory in Madagascar." (2004): 943-946.

Contemporary Betsimisaraka People

Andasibe, Madagascar
Andasibe, Madagascar (M M [CC BY-SA 2.0])

Betsimisaraka Historical Range

Ethnic groups of Madagascar Map
Ethnic groups of Madagascar Map (Lemurbaby [CC BY-SA 3.0])

Betsimisaraka Ethno-historical Photograph

Femmes Betsimisarakas puisant de l'eau, 1890-1910
Femmes Betsimisarakas puisant de l'eau, 1890-1910 (Unknown [Public Domain])

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