CRUEL TREATMENT OF WIVES. 255 



is given by others ; and fourth, a piece of wliiU gun-io adding, 

 to signify that she is to continue in that state until her hair 

 is white with age" {History of Madagascar, vol. i. p. 174). 



The Sih^naka have a curious custom with regard to widows. 

 Upon the death of any man of position or wealth, on the day 

 of the funeral the wife is placed in the house, dressed in all 

 her best clothes, and covered with her silver ornaments, of 

 which the Sihanaka wear a considerable quantity. There she 

 remains until the rest of the family return home from the 

 tomb. But as soon as they enter the house they begin to 

 revile her with most abusive language, telling her that it is 

 her fault that her vintana or fate has been stronger than that 

 of her husband, and that she is virtually the cause of his 

 death. They then strip her of her clothes, tearing off with 

 violence the ornaments from her ears and neck and arms ; 

 they give her a coarse cloth, a spoon with a broken handle, 

 and a dish with the foot broken off, with which to eat ; her 

 hair is dishevelled, and she is covered up with a coarse mat, 

 and under that she remains all day long, and can only leave 

 it at night ; and she may not speak to any one who goes into 

 the house. She is not allowed to wash her face or hands, 

 but only the tips of her fingers. She endures all this some- 

 times for a year, or at least for eight months ; and even when 

 that is over, her time of mourning is not ended for a consider- 

 able period ; for she is not allowed to go home to her own 

 relations until she has been first divorced by her husband's 

 family. 



The word hdvana, meaning strictly "relative," is also 

 used widely and vaguely for friends and acquaintance ; a 

 " distant relative " is called lidvan-teUzana, literally, a " rela- 

 tive (reached by) stepping " (over intermediate links). A 

 sarcastic native proverb describing " cupboard love," says : 

 Hdvaho ralia ifnisy pdtsa, fa raha lany ny patsa, hdvan-teU- 

 zana, i.e., " He's my relative while the -pdtsa last [a minute 

 fresh- water shrimp, much lilted as laolza or accompaniment to 

 rice], but when the pdtsa are eaten, he's quite a distant rela- 

 tive." The proper word for friend is sakaiza, but this again 

 cannot be used between persons of the opposite sex, as it 

 implies a paramour in such connection. 



