SAKALAVA CUSTOMS. 169 



a new name on his or her accession. Thus, the late queen, 

 who was named Rabodo, became Rasoherina, and the present 

 ■ sovereign, who was known as Ramoma, was called Ranavalona 

 II. To these names is added the word manjdka, i.e., " reign- 

 ing," so as to become almost an integral part of the name ; 

 thus, Rasoheri-manjaka, Ranavalo-manjaka, the last syllable 

 of the first name being omitted for euphony. 



The sacredness attached to the royal names among the 

 Hovas is extended, after the death of the sovereign, to every- 

 thing connected with their tombs and funeral ceremonies. 

 Thus, they do not say of a king that he has died, but has 

 " retired," niarriboho, literally, " turned his back " upon his 

 subjects, or, has " gone home to lie down," nodimdndry. His 

 corpse is not called faty, the usual word for that of a subject, 

 but ny mdsina, " the sacred " (thing) ; and it is not " buried " 

 (aUvina), but " hidden " (afdnina) ; and his tomb is not a 

 fdsana, but trano masina, " the sacred house," in which is 

 hidden the silver coffin, which is termed lahambdla, " the 

 silver canoe." Everything, in short, is specialised by a name 

 different from that applied to the same thing in connection 

 with the people generally, whether nobles or otherwise. 



The Sakalavas along the west coast of Madagascar have 

 a different and very curious custom with regard to the names 

 of their kings. After their death they give them a new 

 name, by which from that time they are always known, it 

 being considered as sacrilegious to speak of them by the name 

 by which they were known while living. Thus, Andrianda- 

 liifotsy, a king of Menabe^ was afterwards called Andrianani- 

 narivo, and Ravahiny, a queen of Iboina, was known after 

 her death only as Andriamamilonarivo. The posthumous 

 names of Sakalava chieftains almost all ended in the word 

 arivo, "thousand," and with the other portions of the name 

 signified that the deceased monarch was loved by, feared 

 by, or desired by, thousands (of his subjects). This custom 

 appears to have been general among all the tribes of the 

 west and south-west of Madagascar. 



Since the wide acceptance of Christianity in central Mada- 

 gascar many Scriptural names have been introduced, and 

 some have become quite naturalised among the Malagasy, 



