TURNING OF THE BONES

Malagasy Funeral

Africa
Madagascar

Photos

Marking the Grave
Mahafaly carved wooden grave markers, called Aloalo, feature imagery significant to the deceased’s life.
Traditional Transport
Young boys with an ox-drawn cart, typical of transport in the remote regions of southwest Madagascar.
Flight to the Afterworld
The Mahafaly tomb of a traveler is constructed in the shape of an airplane, surrounded by Aloalo grave
markers and scores of sacred cattle horns.
Funeral Procession
A funeral procession of the casket to the burial ground.
Honoring the Deceased
Along way to the burial ground, family and friends pay homage to the deceased. At right, grave markers are prepared for the burial.
Burial Ground
At the burial ground the casket is positioned under a bed of rocks on top of which cattle horns and grave markers will be placed.
Three Story Tomb
A three-story tomb resembling a hotel signifies the wealth and status of a deceased man. The tomb is vastly larger than the wooden house he lived in during his lifetime.
Tomb of Vontaly
At left: the Mahafaly tomb of Vontaly, a revered elder, is surrounded by walls covered in paintings depicting scenes from his life. At righ: a portrait of Vontaly is featured at the top of the staircase to his tomb.
Painted Memories
The paintings on the walls surrounding Vantaly’s tomb depict scenes from his home and lifetime.
Tomb Architecture
The style of Malagasy tombs varies largely according to
ethnic group and location, often featuring lifesized sculptural representations of twins or paintings of the deceased.
Betsileo Mausoleum
In the southern highlands, the Betsileo people wrap their
dead in lengths of handwoven cloth with the deceased’s
name written on each shroud for identification. The
bodies are placed in a collective tomb and taken out
every two years for a ceremony called Famadihana, a
ritual rewrapping of the bones.
Famadihana Ceremony
Betsileo people gather to prepare for the Famadihana
ceremony. They collect new Lamba shrouds for the
rewrapping, and woven mats for carrying the body.
Procession of Portraits
Portraits of late loved ones are carried in procession to
the tomb.
Celebration of the Deceased
Bodies are then taken out of the burial chamber and lovingly rewrapped in lengths of fine handwoven silk or
cotton. At the height of the ceremony, family members carry the deceased in woven mats around the burial
chamber and dance with them to the accompaniment of Malagasy musicians.
Dances Honoring the Dead
Throughout Madagascar, women perform celebratory
dances in honor of the deceased. Mahafaly women wear colorfully printed lambahoany cloths knotted and draped
around their bodies. The cloths feature repeated patterns with a contrasting border, and often contain a proverb printed along the lower edge.
Feeding the Guests
Throughout the night, women prepared food for the scores of guests attending the funeral.
Honoring Kings
The Mahafaly royal graves, some four hundred years old, are found deep within a spiny forest at the desert’s edge
in southwest Madagascar.
Horns and Grave Markers
The Mahafaly burial sites feature carved and painted
grave markers placed alongside sacred zebu horns from
animals sacrificed to honor a king or a noble.
Grave Markers Old and New
Mahafaly grave markers depict scenes from the life of the deceased. The images at top are ancient grave
markers, the images at bottom have been recently carved.
Departing the World
A Mahafaly Grave marker depicts a man loading a bus
filled with passengers.
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