86 
MADAGASCAR 
Strange customs relating to sickness and death prevail 
in Madagascar. Among the Sakalava the sick are taken 
secretly to a secluded place, and no one visits them with 
the exception of the nurses. The Tanala are said to 
expose their sick relatives in the forest and to receive 
these unhappy people with showers of stones if they 
happen to return to the village. The approach of death 
is generally thought ol as frightful and terrifying, but 
cases were known in the time of the persecution of the 
Christians when natives endured martyrdom with great 
steadfastness. 
Concerning burial, customs differ greatly in the several 
tribes, yet we may remark a great reverence for the 
dead throughout the whole island, springing indeed from 
the religious belief that the deceased acquires divine 
power and may be propitiated by prayers and sacrifices. 
Among the Hova the body is enveloped in dark red 
silk; without a coffin. The funeral , takes place as a 
rule on the first day after death. The bier is followed by 
people with paper fans which are then stuck in the earth 
on the grave; the bier is held thenceforth to be unclean 
and is never made use of as firewood. The Hova graves 
are cubical chambers with walls formed of hard basalt. 
The heavy slabs have often to be brought from a great 
distance, thus giving employment to a great number of 
people. The well-to-do Hova begins the building of his 
grave years before his death, and often spends consider¬ 
able sums of money on it. His relations and fellow- 
villagers are at his disposal without pay for this labour 
of love, yet the expense is often considerable, as their 
keep, amounting to many oxen, has to be supplied. Of 
old the graves were of loose stones roughly put together, 
but the best modern graves are made of masonry and 
often provided with rich architectural ornamentation. When 
the kingdom of Madagascar was still in existence, ex¬ 
traordinary mourning ceremonies were held on the 
