Salama e!

1. Salama e! Hello

2. Madagascar Dance and Culture the Macabre Dance Toe & Skyler

3. The Culture • The Island of Madagascar houses 18 tribes and the culture is mixture of all the tribes. • Religion in Madagascar: 51% African Religion, 41% Christian, 7% Islam, and 1% Other • The inhabitants of the Island respect their ancestors a lot and see them as next to gods • There is a soothsayer or magician in every tribe. Funerals involve dancing and Feasting.

4. Macabre • The Macabre is the is a dance that is normally performed during the festival Famadihanaalso known as the “Turning of the Bones.” • This is more like a party rather than a formal dance. • This dance and festival is like the Day of the Dead ceremony. • One major difference is that the “Turning of the Bones” is preformed with the bones of the families dead Ancestors.

5. Macabre Continued… • Vendors may set up stalls to sell cigarettes and ice cream to the crowed. • The departed are retrieved from the tomb as guests of honor. • After the celebration is over the corpses are reburied with gifts from the living, including bottles of alcohol. • This is usually performed ever 3, 5, and 7 years. • A feast must be served at every Famadihana celebration. “Zebu”

6. The Dancers • This dance is not performed by a select few. It is performed by the family members of the dead, friends, and the entire community. • The guest of honors at this dance is the family ancestors. They emerge covered in their shrouds, known as lambas.

7. Description • The dead emerge wearing their shrouds, known as lambas, and are laid out on the ground ready to be unwrapped and the bones lovingly cleaned. • It involves food, drink, and music. • Attendees gather to drink and dance to live bands that will continue to play for almost the entire ritual. • This dance is more of a social free for all then a normal dance.

8. Music Description • Traditional and contemporary music revolves around dance rhythms which are influenced both from the African as well as the Indonesian mainland. • Music is a very important portion of the festival. • It is a very jaunty sound of mainly brass instruments. • The music is preformed by: • Whistle • Flutes • V ahila • LokangaVoatovo • Kabosy

9. Evolution of Cultural Expression • The Macabre has been a dance that has been performed for thousands of years. It was a ritual that went back over 2000 years ago according to ancient writing. • Not much change.

10. Changes and Contributions • One of the largest contributions of Madagascan culture in America is that the sounds of the music is a precursor to Jazz in New Orleans. • Not much change.

11. Acculturation • The churches have tried to change this dance. But it has been almost unchanged for 2000 years. • The celebration is open to anyone.

12. Oppression Vs. Privilege • Some Malagasy have called for an end to the Famadihana ritual because it places a great financial strain on the family. • The Christian Church and Muslim clerics in Madagascar have also tried to end the ritual. • The ritual has stated to lose its popularity.

13. Conclusion • Famadihana holds an important place in the hearts of the Malagasy people. • Famadihana is an act of love – anthropologist Professor Maurice Block. • Famous for being very friendly and hospitable.

14. Veloma Good Bye

15. References Cactus Tours. (2008). Madagascar overview, the malagasy culture. Retrieved from http://www.cactus-madagascar.com/culture.php Gupta, R. (2008, October 20). Culture of Madagascar. Retrieved from http://www.articleswave.com/cultures-and-civilizations/culture-of-madagascar.html Kamarudin, Y. (n.d.). Madagascar's macabre dance of the dead. Retrieved from http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-dancing-dead-madagascar?image=17 Randrianja, S., & Ellis, S. (2009). Madagascar a short history. Chicago: The University of Chicago Publishing Singer, C. (1997). The traditional dances of Madagascar. Retrieved from http://www.taiaf.de/html/traditionaldances.html