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adimbilany enough to fill a pot (metaphor for minimum wage) akanga Guinea fowl ala fady sacred forest; site of familial tombs aleo maty amaraiñy toy izay maty iniany “Better dead tomorrow than dead today.” ambanivolo/ambanivôlo countryside; outback ambava by word of mouth amboa dog ambôra type of large tree (Tambourissa sp.) formerly used by Betsimisaraka as coffins anakolokoloko a type of wild plant with small purple flowers named after the sound of a turkey gobbling angatra ghost angivy a bitter green fruit resembling a tomatillo ankôba garden or grove ankodiavitra millipede antaniloha euphemism for “boar” on islet of Nosy Antafaña antitra old, elderly antsantsa shark aomby zebu; cattle (Betsimisaraka) Aza matahotra . . . Mino fotsiny ihany “Do not fear . . . Only believe.” Passage from Mark 5:36 in the New Testament used by Marc Ravalomanana during his presidential campaign babakoto Indri lemur bakôra a trumpet-shell horn used to convene people to the village bakose a gait used by porters consisting of elongating the stride and advancing with outstretched legs baliña dance party (Fr. balle) banansandrata a disagreeable gait used by porters resembling a limping horse that gave the impression that one was going to crash and fall with each step baromeny a meter-long metal rod used for searching crystal betsa fermented sugar cane juice betsimisay a gait of porters that employed an uneven step and resulted in passenger fatigue biby animal bisikilety bicycle bôka leprosy borizano porter of luggage or cargo in the nineteenth century eponzy sponge; foam used for bedding (Fr. éponge) fady taboo; proscription established by ancestors or elders fahahôva period of Merina rule fahavazaha period of French rule; colonialism falafa split-bamboo siding used for walls in rural houses famòvo “the barker” (euphemism for ambóa [dog]) gLossary oF MaLagasy words 191 192 Glossary of Ma lagasy Wor ds fandròaka “the driver away” (euphemism for ambóa [dog]) fangatahaña lalaña “request to pass through”; part of the ritual performed to enable the cultivation of land lying next to tombs ( fanómo) fanómo land lying next to tombs; its cultivation requires the performance of a special ritual fanompoana a system by which individuals perform obligatory labor for the sovereign fasana/fasaña tomb(s) fiaroaomby “protection from cattle,” or a small fence of quickset trees planted around a buried coffin fiarovana atiala forest protection fihavanaña familial relations; an ethos of treating village members like kin filanjana the Malagasy palanquin (raised seat carried by porters) fisokina a wooden stake on which evidence of sacrificial offerings (zebu horns or chicken heads) to the ancestors is attached fitoana time fokonôlona an administrative collective of adjacent villages fokontany an administrative unit of a hamlet folera flower folo andro obligatory “ten days” of labor for public works required of citizens after Madagascar’s Independence fomba manner; custom fombandrazana/ fombandrazaña ancestral customs, traditions hasimbola type of quickset tree used for marking boundaries around land or burials hasina/hasiña generative hazo coffin wood (hazo means “tree” in the Merina dialect) hazovola species of palisander tree hintsy species of tree called the “teak of Madagascar” (Intsia bijuga) hôngotra/tongotra foot or leg hôraka rice paddy hôrita heart of the ravinala palm Hôva Merina person (Betsimisaraka); amongst the Merina, hova refers to persons of free but not royal status Iray Aina “One Life,” an evangelical workers’ association jinja swidden plot (Betsimisaraka variant of tavy) jiny evil or capricious spirits (Merina) jirofo cloves (Fr. girofle) kabary formal speech, delivered at rituals or to welcome visitors kabone lavatory, toilet (Fr. cabinet) kakazo tree (Betsimisaraka) kalanoro/kalañoro a type of spirit described as short, hirsute, and fanged that establishes a relationship with a living person and imparts clairvoyant powers on him or her or that does the bidding of its human owner kamo lazy, sluggish, unwilling to work kapoaka a standard measure used in Madagascar equivalent to a fiveounce tin can karama vary masaka “cooked rice wages” (metaphor for bare minimum wage) kavilava moonshine alcohol kermesse all-night dance party set up in villages by traveling DJs who bring generators kesikesiky type of quickset tree used for marking boundaries around land or burials kiranily plastic, gel sandals that are good for walking the rain forest terrain kisoa pig lamba cloth, clothing lambo wild boar lamboharano dugong lasa adaladala to go crazy lava-bato natural cave or dug-out earth, sealed with stones, where the dead are interred...

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