278 
HISTORY OF MADAGASCAR, 
The two principal articles of dress worn by the Hova 
race are, first, the salaka, or piece of cloth about a yard in 
width, and two yards long. The salaka is worn in a man¬ 
ner similar to the maro of the South Sea islanders, being 
fastened round the loins, passing under the body, and 
having the extremities in front reaching to the knees. This 
article of dress is generally of white cotton, hemp, or rofia 
cloth, ornamented at the ends with borders of various 
colours. The salaka worn by the nobles, the chiefs, and 
the more wealthy of the natives, is of the purest silk. 
The kitamby of the females resembles the pareu of the 
South Sea islanders. It is of the same materials as the 
salaka, but considerably broader, and is worn round the 
person immediately below the breast, and reaches nearly to 
the feet. The females of the Betsimisaraka, Batanimena, 
and other tribes, especially those bordering upon the 
eastern coast, wear, in addition to the kitamby, a sort of 
upper garment, which covers the breast and descends 
sometimes to the ankles, clothing the arms, in some to 
the elbow, and in others to the wrist. This part of their 
dress, which is called the akanzo , is of white hempen or 
cotton cloth, made in the island, or of variously coloured 
foreign cloth, either of the dark indigo-coloured Indian 
cottons, called Pondicherry cloth, or white or coloured 
linen or cotton cloth of European manufacture. The 
akanzo is worn by the females only; and for those of rank 
or wealth, it is, like the salaka, often made of silk from 
India or Europe 
The most important and characteristic part of the native 
dress of the people, is the lamba or mantle, which varies in 
dimensions and quality with the rank and circumstances 
of the w r earer. The lamba is worn by both sexes and all 
classes, both adults and children; for adults it is usually 
