132 BETSIMISARAKA—SAKALA VA. 



more inland), the Taimdro, the Taifdsy, the Taisuka, i\\QTandsy, 

 and the Tandrdy, who reach down towards Caj)e St. Mary, 

 the southernmost point of Madagascar. There are numerous 

 subdivisions of these tribes, as shown in the tabular state- 

 ment appended to this chapter, and possibly there are others 

 not properly included in any of the above-mentioned peoples. 



Of the east coast inhabitants the Betsimisciraka are the 

 lightest in colour, with straight hair, and have most affinity 

 with the Hovas ; the Taimoro are much darker and have 

 frizzly hair ; the Taifdsy again are lighter coloured than the 

 preceding ; and then the more southerly tribes are mostly 

 dark, like the Taimoro. These coast tribes are, on the whole, 

 gentle and docile people, although some of them made a 

 strenuous resistance to the Hova invasion of their country ; 

 but since their conquest they have submitted quietly to the 

 central government. Among some of these tribes, as the 

 Taifasy and Taisaka, there exists a much higher state of 

 morals than is found among the Malagasy generally. The 

 Arab influence in this part of the country has already been 

 spoken of in the preceding chapter. Among the Betsimisa- 

 raka there has been some little educational and Christian 

 work going on ; but among the more southern tribes hardly 

 anything has been yet done for the people in this direction, 

 the only advance being found in the neighbourhood of the 

 Hova military posts at the chief towns and ports. 



8. Tlie Sdkaldva or Western Tribes. — The people who 

 inhabit the whole of the western side of Madagascar, and 

 who also overlap the northern and southern ends of the 

 island, are commonly termed Sakalava, and are often sup- 

 posed to be a single tribe of people. This is, however, a 

 popular error, for the inhabitants of this extensive region 

 consist of a number of separate tribes, all having their own 

 name, and, until about 200 years ago, each having its own 

 government. For more than two centuries the people of the 

 west coast have been divided into two great sections or distinct 

 nations, called respectively the Sakalava of Menabe, or of 

 the south, and the Sakalava of Iboina, or of the north. 

 But these two nations derive the name they bear in common 

 from a small tribe coming originally from the south-west, 



