saririaka — Wikipedia

Saririaka (or Sariariky ) is a large village in the southwest of Madagascar, located in the old province of Toliara, in the district of Toliara II.

SariKy Est un village de brousse de la commune d’Andranohly ou bien de ankilimalinika ^{[ first ]} . The climate is semi-arid, rarely watered by a few leftovers of cyclones.

The Masikoro are a people from the Sakalava ethnic group.

In Saririaky, the population lives on agricultural and craft production. Production is limited to feeding the village: cassava, corn, sweet potato and tomato are grown in dry soil on small plots of red sandy soil; These foodstuffs are also dried and stored for periods of not rare scarcity in these regions.

The breeding of zebus, goats, sheep and some bass-cours, is also one of the activities of the Masikoro; Meat consumption is reserved for special occasions during traditional sacrifices.

Cotton is also produced when the rains are sufficient, but with climate change they are becoming increasingly rare, so production is never guaranteed. The good years are rare (one in six).

An irrigation channel dug and maintained by cultivators over hundreds of kilometers feeds each plot. The right of water is determined by a very complex and respected calendar to the letter.

Large mango trees also produce excellent fruits, they are harvested, sold or exchanged on the markets in Tuléar. Wooden coal produced in the surrounding countryside is also part of the extra production which allows food to be cooked, the surplus being sent to Tulear. The villagers are starting to understand the effects of deforestation in this already very affected environment.

The ancestral distillation of sugar cane produces rum; It is transported by zebus cart to Tuléar. Local crafts are mainly made up of some raffia products made by the women of the village such as mats, hats, baskets and other small trinkets that are offered on various local markets.

Each traditional event, an ox is sacrificed. Here, during the tradition of the recognition of the child

The procession that leads to the great sacred mango

Breakfast before women go to field work

Masikoro is a people of traditions and beliefs. The main one is the circumcision of little boys from 1 to 3 years old: it is generally practiced every three years. The party begins a Friday evening of September, Friday chosen by the Marabout (Pisoro) of the village, depending on the position of the stars. She is animated by traditional bush music and songs, accordions, mandolins, drums.

After the Pisoro ceremony under the Grand Mangoier, a procession of all the inhabitants leads the beef to the sacred mango where all the sacrifices take place. The beef is chosen by the marabout and paid by all the participants who go to the mango tree dancing to the sounds of the mandolins and drums, the fire, the water, the tools and the pots that will be used for tradition are swept away on the head women. The beef is put to death by slaughter, it is cut and shared between the parents of the circumcised.

At sunset, the party moves to the village in front of the chef’s house where the orchestra will not stop playing all night. After the midday meal in the village, everyone returns to the sacred mango to finish tradition on Sunday evening at sunset. If the party continued beyond, the curse would take hold of the village and its inhabitants.

“Recognition of the child” born during the year is very similar to the tradition of circumcision but only lasts one day. The vital organs of the beef are cooked in a pot under the sacred mango, a small piece of each organ is wrapped in a small basket of raffia and is suspended from the frame of the Marabout house, it will stay there until the House disappears. At the birth of a child, the placenta of the newborn is buried in a place around the house of the nativa , this for the sake of joining the land of the country to which the Masikoros are very attached.

Beef is also sacrificed to the death of a family member, a whole tradition revolves around this event. The number of oxen slaughtered in front of the deceased’s house will depend on the greatness of the family and its richness, but honor is also for something. Masikoros are very sensitive to wealth and honor towards others.

The boys of the family dressed in a pareo (Lambahoany) leave the village to announce the death of their loved ones in the surrounding countryside. The deceased will remain in his death bed for 2 days, all his knowledge will pay tribute to him and participate in the farewell ceremony. The next day, he will be put into coffin and led to the family tomb a few hundred meters from his home. There a last beef will return his soul and will be shared to everyone.

The ancestor of Masikoro is very respected by the living, the spirit and the soul of the deceased always alive will be asked very often by his family for all kinds of complaints. Occasionally, the honors will be returned to him by a specific ritual, it is a question of going around the tomb, of pouring a bottle of rum around the mausoleum, of thanking the ancestors and for claiming protection and health.

Every morning, we buy green coffee, it is grilled in the pan, crushed and ground by hand. (Mandisa Café)

Field work and livestock farming are the main activities of the people of Saririaka. The Tsianisiha market at 9 km takes place every Monday and attracts the peasants of Saririaky who will sell or swap their harvests or their cattle against basic necessities.