326 ANCESTORS' COMMANDS HELD SACRED. 



party must be employed as a go-between (see Gen. xxiii. 

 8-16). 



Turning from the blessings to the curses used by the 

 Malagasy, many points of similarity might be noted between 

 them and those found in Scripture ; but one only need be 

 mentioned here, namely, a close analogy between the peculiar 

 Hebrew form of imprecation by the use of " If," as in the 

 words, " So I sware in my wrath, if they shall enter into my 

 rest" (see margin of Bible, Ps. xcv. 1 1), a specially solemn 

 form from its vaguely indefinite terms. In like manner, there 

 are certain Malagasy imprecations with the same conditional 

 particle. 



Amongst all the tribes of Madagascar the commands of a 

 father or an ancestor are held as most sacredly binding upon 

 his descendants ; and so one frequently meets with tribes or 

 families who are prohibited from passing a certain place (as 

 the royal family are bound not to pass along a particular 

 road in the capital), or from doing certain acts, or from eating 

 some kinds of food. One of my bearers was bound by the 

 injunction of an ancestor not to eat pork, and another not to 

 eat onions. We have examples of this in Scripture in the 

 commands of Jacob to his sons, and of Joseph concerning 

 his bones (Gen. xlix. 1-25); and also in the injunctions of 

 Eechab to his descendants not to drink wine, or plant or sow, 

 or live in houses (Jer. xxxv. 6, 7) ; and something similar in 

 the abstinence of the Jews from a certain sinew in the thigh 

 (Gen. xxxii. 32). 



Brass and Food. — The native dress of the Malagasy, like 

 that of the inhabitants of all warm countries, is much more 

 loose and flowing than the stiff and ungraceful fashions of 

 Western peoples. But the specially national article of dress 

 is the lamba, a piece of cloth about three yards long and two 

 wide ; this is folded round the body above the arms, and one 

 end thrown over the shoulder, and as worn by the people, and 

 falling in graceful folds, is most elegant and dignified in its 

 effect, somewhat resembling the Roman toga. It is made of 

 various materials, — silk, cotton, hemp, banana or rof/a palm fibre, 

 according to the rank and wealth of the owner; and is common 

 to both sexes, although there are numerous slight differences in 



