HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR. 
235 
those on whom the duty of mourning will devolve in the 
morning. 
For those appointed to watch the corpse, the meat is 
minced, cooked in a large vessel, and then brought into 
the house. 
The mourners assemble in the morning, and the females, 
having wept over the deceased, retire to the adjoining 
house, called “Tranolahy,” to partake of the provisions. The 
men collect a little money to present to the chief mourner, 
called the fahankanina, i. e., 66 causing food.” In pre¬ 
senting it, they offer some apology of this kind :—“ Do not 
attach any blame to us on account of the mere trifle which 
we offer in wiping away the tears of the family.” The 
person accepting the donation, replies, “ No ! there is no 
blame, no censure whatever; and may the like calamity not 
befall you!” This finished, the men retire to partake of the 
provisions, and then send to the grave, to prepare it finally 
for the interment. 
In the greatest number of instances, the body is in the 
mean time wrapped in the cloth used as the grave-clothes, 
or shroud, which is always a red lamba, or cloth. The 
corpse is then placed on a bier, and carried to the grave. 
As it is taken out of the house, it is lifted over a bullock 
recently killed for that purpose, and over another, (sup¬ 
posing in both cases the party can afford the expense,) 
before it is immediately lowered into the grave. The 
females sing a funeral dirge as the corpse is carried to 
the grave; and at the time of the interment, on reaching 
the place of sepulture, the corpse is placed in the grave 
without any further observances or delay. It is then 
covered with earth, so that it resembles a newly-made 
grave within the tomb, and a quantity of fresh charcoal 
placed on the corpse to resist the too rapid process of 
