Andriana
Encyclopedia
Andriana is a title of nobility in Madagascar
and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders. Among the Merina
of the central highlands of Madagascar, the emergence of a noble class is attributed to its decree by Andriamanelo
(1540–1575), later subdivided into four sub-castes by King Ralambo
(1575–1612) and eventually six sub-castes by King Andriamasinavalona
(1675–1710).
The use of the word "andriana" to denote nobility occurs among numerous Malagasy ethnic groups including the Zafiraminia, the Merina, the Betsileo
, the Betsimisaraka
, the Tsimihety
, the Bezanozano
, the Antambahoaka
and the Antemoro. Linguistic evidence suggests its origin is traceable back to an ancient Javanese nobility title, although alternate theories have been proposed.
, the term became Randryan and later Randriana or simply andriana.
Other propositions have also been given on the possible etymology of "andriana", though none has seriously challenged the principal hypothesis cited above, which is based on solid linguistic arguments. Nonetheless, these alternative hypotheses include the Sanskrit
aryan
, meaning "noble"; the Sanskrit raja
, meaning "king" or "prince"; the Hebrew adri; the Sanskrit kshatriya
, the noble caste in India—a term that became satrian in Malay, meaning "knight" or "warrior";—or the modern Javanese
raden, which itself also probably derives from the Old Javanese rahadyan defined above.
In Madagascar, the name of a Malagasy sovereign, prince or nobleman was often historically composed by placing "Andriana" as a prefix to the remainder of the name. For example, the name of Merina king Andrianampoinimerina
is a composite of "Andriana" and "Nampoinimerina", while that of the celebrated Sakalava
warrior Andriamisara is formed from "Andriana" and "Misara".
In Madagascar
today, names beginning with the "Andria" prefix are common. However, unlike in Western cultures where children automatically inherit the family name of a parent, Malagasy
parents are free to choose their child's first and last name as they please. Following the end of the monarchy in Imerina, many parents have chosen to give their children names including the "Andriana" prefix, despite lacking any family connection to the former aristocracy.
(1540–1575) is credited with establishing the andriana as a separate class in early Merina society. This class was sub-divided into four groups by his son, King Ralambo
(1575–1612) and further divided into six groups by Ralambo's great-great-grandson King Andriamasinavalona
(1675–1710) based on locality and genealogical proximity to the ruling family. The andriana class was divided again into seven groups by King Andrianampoinimerina. In rank order, these groups are:
The Andrianamboninolona, the Andriandranando and the Zanadralambo amin'Andrianjaka are often subsumed under the label Andrianteloray.
The valiha
, the national instrument of Madagascar, was originally an instrument of the masses but came to be affiliated with the noble class in the 19th century. The valiha featured heavily in the music of the Merina royal court
performed at palaces such as Ambohimanga
or the Rova
at Antananarivo
. The strings of the valiha were more easily plucked with the fingernails, which were commonly grown long for this purpose; long fingernails became fashionable and symbolic of belonging to the andriana class within the Kingdom of Imerina.
At Antananarivo, only andriana tombs were allowed to be constructed within town limits. Hovas (freemen) and slaves were required to bury their dead beyond the city walls. The highest ranks of andriana were permitted to distinguish their tombs by the construction of a small, windowless wooden tomb house on top of it, called a trano masina (sacred house) for the king and trano manara (cold house) for the Zanakandriana, Zazamarolahy and Andriamasinavalona. This tradition may have originated with King Andriantompokoindrindra, who is said to have ordered the first trano masina to be built on his tomb in honor of his memory.
Andriana were also subjected to certain restrictions. Marriage outside the caste was forbidden by law among the lowest three ranks of andriana. A high-ranking woman who married a lower-ranking man would take on her husband's lower rank. Although the inverse situation would not cause a high-ranking man to lose status, he would be unable to transfer his rank or property to his children. For these reasons, intermarriage across andriana caste divisions was relatively infrequent.
The andriana have been key players in the Madagascan political and cultural life after independence as well. The andriana were deeply affected by the 1995 destruction of the royal palace, the Rova, in Antananarivo, and their approval and participation were periodically solicited throughout the reconstruction process. In 2011, the Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar adopted an increasingly active stance to promote a return to traditional roots and a spiritual-cultural revival to underpin a revival of a Fanjakan'i Madagasikara for the modern age. The Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar is led by Rev. Dr. Ndriana Rabarioelina, an andriana who earned a doctoral degree in Theology from a university in the United States.
under the title "Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois)" in 1908. Tantara ny Andriana constitutes the core material for the historians studying the Merina history, and has been commented, criticised, and challenged ever since by historians from Madagascar, Europe
, and North America
. For examples, refer to Rasamimanana (1930), Ravelojaona et al. (1937), Ramilison (1951), Kent (1970), Berg (1988) or Larson (2000). The work is complemented by oral traditions of other tribes collected by Malagasy historians.
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
and often traditionally formed part of the names of noblemen, princes and kings. Historically, many Malagasy ethnic groups lived in highly stratified caste-based social orders in which the andriana were the political and/or spiritual leaders. Among the Merina
Merina
The Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
of the central highlands of Madagascar, the emergence of a noble class is attributed to its decree by Andriamanelo
Andriamanelo
Andriamanelo was King of Alasora in the central highlands region of Madagascar. He is generally considered by historians to be the founder of the Kingdom of Imerina and originator of the Merina royal line that, by the 19th century, had extended its rule over virtually all of Madagascar...
(1540–1575), later subdivided into four sub-castes by King Ralambo
Ralambo
Ralambo was the ruler of the Kingdom of Imerina in the central Highlands region of Madagascar from 1575 to 1612. Ruling from Ambohidrabiby, Ralambo expanded the realm of his father, Andriamanelo, and was the first to assign the name of Imerina to the region...
(1575–1612) and eventually six sub-castes by King Andriamasinavalona
Andriamasinavalona
King Andriamasinavalona , also known as Andrianjakanavalondambo, was a King of Imerina in the central part of the highlands of Madagascar.-Early life:...
(1675–1710).
The use of the word "andriana" to denote nobility occurs among numerous Malagasy ethnic groups including the Zafiraminia, the Merina, the Betsileo
Betsileo
The Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
, the Betsimisaraka
Betsimisaraka
The Betsimisaraka make up approximately fifteen percent of the Malagasy people and are the second largest ethnic group in Madagascar after the Merina....
, the Tsimihety
Tsimihety
The Tsimihety are a Malagasy ethnic group located near the north-central coast of Madagascar. Their name means "those who do not cut their hair," in reference to their refusal to adhere to the customs imposed by the rule of Merina King Radama I., numbering around one million The Tsimihety are a...
, the Bezanozano
Bezanozano
The Bezanozano are believed to be one of the earliest Malagasy ethnic groups to establish themselves in Madagascar, where they inhabit an inland area between the Betsimisaraka lowlands and the Merina highlands...
, the Antambahoaka
Antambahoaka
The Antambahoaka are the least numerous ethnic group in Madagascar. They inhabit a small region along the southeastern coast of Madagascar near Mananjary and share their origins with the partially Arab Antaimoro people....
and the Antemoro. Linguistic evidence suggests its origin is traceable back to an ancient Javanese nobility title, although alternate theories have been proposed.
Etymology
According to K.A. Adelaar, the Malagasy title "andriana" probably originated from the ancient Javanese nobility title Rahadyan (Ra-hady-an), "hady" meaning "Lord" or "Master." In Malagasy the term became Rohandryan and later Roandriana, mainly used in the Southeastern part of the island among the Zafiraminia, Antemoro and Antambahoaka ethnic groups. In the central Highlands among the Merina, Betsileo, Bezanozano, and SihanakaSihanaka
The Sihanaka are an ethnic group in Madagascar concentrated around Lake Alaotra and the town of Ambatondrazaka. Their name means the "people of the swamps" in reference to the marshlands around Lake Alaotra that they inhabit...
, the term became Randryan and later Randriana or simply andriana.
Other propositions have also been given on the possible etymology of "andriana", though none has seriously challenged the principal hypothesis cited above, which is based on solid linguistic arguments. Nonetheless, these alternative hypotheses include the Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
, meaning "noble"; the Sanskrit raja
Raja
Raja is an Indian term for a monarch, or princely ruler of the Kshatriya varna...
, meaning "king" or "prince"; the Hebrew adri; the Sanskrit kshatriya
Kshatriya
*For the Bollywood film of the same name see Kshatriya Kshatriya or Kashtriya, meaning warrior, is one of the four varnas in Hinduism...
, the noble caste in India—a term that became satrian in Malay, meaning "knight" or "warrior";—or the modern Javanese
Javanese language
Javanese language is the language of the Javanese people from the central and eastern parts of the island of Java, in Indonesia. In addition, there are also some pockets of Javanese speakers in the northern coast of western Java...
raden, which itself also probably derives from the Old Javanese rahadyan defined above.
In Madagascar, the name of a Malagasy sovereign, prince or nobleman was often historically composed by placing "Andriana" as a prefix to the remainder of the name. For example, the name of Merina king Andrianampoinimerina
Andrianampoinimerina
Ruling between 1787–1810, Andrianampoinimerina , born Ramboasalama or Ramboasalamarazaka at Ambohimanga around 1745 , initiated the unification of Madagascar under Merina rule and is considered one of the greatest military and political...
is a composite of "Andriana" and "Nampoinimerina", while that of the celebrated Sakalava
Sakalava
The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
warrior Andriamisara is formed from "Andriana" and "Misara".
In Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
today, names beginning with the "Andria" prefix are common. However, unlike in Western cultures where children automatically inherit the family name of a parent, Malagasy
Malagasy people
The Malagasy ethnic group forms nearly the entire population of Madagascar. They are divided into two subgroups: the "Highlander" Merina, Sihanaka and Betsileo of the central plateau around Antananarivo, Alaotra and Fianarantsoa, and the côtiers elsewhere in the country. This division has its...
parents are free to choose their child's first and last name as they please. Following the end of the monarchy in Imerina, many parents have chosen to give their children names including the "Andriana" prefix, despite lacking any family connection to the former aristocracy.
Sub-castes among the Merina
King AndriamaneloAndriamanelo
Andriamanelo was King of Alasora in the central highlands region of Madagascar. He is generally considered by historians to be the founder of the Kingdom of Imerina and originator of the Merina royal line that, by the 19th century, had extended its rule over virtually all of Madagascar...
(1540–1575) is credited with establishing the andriana as a separate class in early Merina society. This class was sub-divided into four groups by his son, King Ralambo
Ralambo
Ralambo was the ruler of the Kingdom of Imerina in the central Highlands region of Madagascar from 1575 to 1612. Ruling from Ambohidrabiby, Ralambo expanded the realm of his father, Andriamanelo, and was the first to assign the name of Imerina to the region...
(1575–1612) and further divided into six groups by Ralambo's great-great-grandson King Andriamasinavalona
Andriamasinavalona
King Andriamasinavalona , also known as Andrianjakanavalondambo, was a King of Imerina in the central part of the highlands of Madagascar.-Early life:...
(1675–1710) based on locality and genealogical proximity to the ruling family. The andriana class was divided again into seven groups by King Andrianampoinimerina. In rank order, these groups are:
- Zazamarolahy (or Marolahy): Direct male descendants of the sovereign. It is among the small, elite sub-group of these called the Zanakandriana that the next ruler was selected.
- Andriamasinavalona: Noble descendants of the four sons of King Andriamasinavalona who were not assigned to rule one of the four sub-divisions of Imerina that had been made the fiefs of his other four sons.
- Andriantompokondrindra: Descendents of King Andriantompokoindrindra, the eldest son of King Ralambo, whose rightful claim to the throne was subverted in favor of his younger brother AndrianjakaAndrianjakaAndrianjaka reigned over the Kingdom of Imerina in the central highlands region of Madagascar from around 1612 to 1630. Despite being the younger of King Ralambo's two sons, Andrianjaka succeeded to the throne on the basis of his strength of character and skill as a military tactician...
due to Ralambo's obligation to fulfill Andriamanelo's interpretation of the complex rules of inheritance established by RafohyRafohyQueen Rafohy was a Vazimba queen who ruled at Alasora in the central Highlands of Madagascar until her death. Her name means "The Short One." She succeeded upon the death of Vazimba Queen Rangita, who by different accounts was either her mother or her adoptive sister...
and RangitaRangitaQueen Rangita , also known as Rangitamanjakatrimovavy, was a Vazimba sovereign who ruled at Merimanjaka in the central highlands of Madagascar after her father, King Andrianmpandramanenitra . She was succeeded upon her death by her daughter , Queen Rafohy...
. - Andrianamboninolona ("Princes Above the People") or Zanakambony ("Sons Above"): Descendents of those who accompanied King Andrianjaka on his conquest of AntananarivoAntananarivoAntananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
. - Andriandranando (or Zafinadriandranando): Descendents of the uncle of King Ralambo.
- Zanadralambo amin'Andrianjaka: Descendents of Ralambo's other children who did not accede to the throne.
The Andrianamboninolona, the Andriandranando and the Zanadralambo amin'Andrianjaka are often subsumed under the label Andrianteloray.
Lifestyle in Imerina
The Andriana benefited from numerous privileges in precolonial Madagascar. Land ownership in Imerina was reserved for the andriana class, who ruled over fiefs called menakely. The populace under the rule of an andriana lord owed him—and the king—a certain amount of free labor each year (fanompoana) for public works such as the construction of dikes, rice paddies, roads and town walls. Posts of privilege within the government, such as judges or royal advisers, were likewise reserved for certain groups of andriana.The valiha
Valiha
The valiha is a tube zither from Madagascar made from a species of local bamboo. It is played by plucking the strings, which may be made of metal or the bamboo skin which is pried up in long strands and propped up by small bridges made of pieces of dried gourd...
, the national instrument of Madagascar, was originally an instrument of the masses but came to be affiliated with the noble class in the 19th century. The valiha featured heavily in the music of the Merina royal court
Music of Madagascar
The highly diverse and distinctive music of Madagascar has been shaped by the musical traditions of Southeast Asia, Africa, Arabia, England, France and the United States as successive waves of settlers have made the island their home...
performed at palaces such as Ambohimanga
Ambohimanga
The Royal Hill of Ambohimanga is a site of cultural and historical significance located approximately 24 kilometers to the east of the capital city of Antananarivo in Madagascar...
or the Rova
Rova of Antananarivo
The Rova of Antananarivo is a royal palace complex in Madagascar that served as the home of the sovereigns of the Kingdom of Imerina in the 17th and 18th centuries, as well as the rulers of the Kingdom of Madagascar in the 19th century...
at Antananarivo
Antananarivo
Antananarivo , formerly Tananarive , is the capital and largest city in Madagascar. It is also known by its French colonial shorthand form Tana....
. The strings of the valiha were more easily plucked with the fingernails, which were commonly grown long for this purpose; long fingernails became fashionable and symbolic of belonging to the andriana class within the Kingdom of Imerina.
At Antananarivo, only andriana tombs were allowed to be constructed within town limits. Hovas (freemen) and slaves were required to bury their dead beyond the city walls. The highest ranks of andriana were permitted to distinguish their tombs by the construction of a small, windowless wooden tomb house on top of it, called a trano masina (sacred house) for the king and trano manara (cold house) for the Zanakandriana, Zazamarolahy and Andriamasinavalona. This tradition may have originated with King Andriantompokoindrindra, who is said to have ordered the first trano masina to be built on his tomb in honor of his memory.
Andriana were also subjected to certain restrictions. Marriage outside the caste was forbidden by law among the lowest three ranks of andriana. A high-ranking woman who married a lower-ranking man would take on her husband's lower rank. Although the inverse situation would not cause a high-ranking man to lose status, he would be unable to transfer his rank or property to his children. For these reasons, intermarriage across andriana caste divisions was relatively infrequent.
History of the Andriana
The Andriana are the gatherers of many villages and many clans which often fought amongst one another. Thus, they are the founders of the Kingdom in Imerina and the Kingdom of Madagascar. King Ralambo created the Kingdom of Imerina Roa Toko with two regions: Avaradrano and Vakinisisaony. Over a century later, King Andriamasinavalona created the Kingdom of Imerina Efa-Toko with four regions: Avaradrano, Vakinisisaony, Marovatana and Vonizongo. At the turn of the 19th century, King Andrianampoinimerina created the Kingdom of Imerina Eni-Toko with six regions: Avaradrano, Vakinisiaony, Marovatana, Vonizongo, Imamo and Vakinankaratra or Imerinatsimo. From this basis, King Radama I (1810–1828) established the Kingdom of Madagascar or Fanjakan'i Madagasikara which ultimately brought nearly the entire island under the rule of the Merina andriana line of sovereigns.Andriana in post-imperial Madagascar
The Andriana, along with the other castes, played a important part in the independence of Madagascar. For instance, Joseph Ravoahangy-Andrianavalona, a Merina nationalist and deputy, was andriana of the Andriamasinavalona sub-caste. The secret nationalist organization V.V.S. (Vy Vato Sakelika) was composed of some Andriana of the intelligentsia. A 1968 study showed that 14% of the population of Imerina was Andriana.The andriana have been key players in the Madagascan political and cultural life after independence as well. The andriana were deeply affected by the 1995 destruction of the royal palace, the Rova, in Antananarivo, and their approval and participation were periodically solicited throughout the reconstruction process. In 2011, the Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar adopted an increasingly active stance to promote a return to traditional roots and a spiritual-cultural revival to underpin a revival of a Fanjakan'i Madagasikara for the modern age. The Council of Kings and Princes of Madagascar is led by Rev. Dr. Ndriana Rabarioelina, an andriana who earned a doctoral degree in Theology from a university in the United States.
Tantara ny Andriana
Much of the known genealogical history of the Andriana of Imerina comes from Father François Callet's book "Tantara ny Andriana" ("History of the Nobles"). This collection of oral tradition about the history of the Merina Dynasty was originally written in Malagasy and published between 1878 and 1881. Callet summarized and translated it in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
under the title "Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois)" in 1908. Tantara ny Andriana constitutes the core material for the historians studying the Merina history, and has been commented, criticised, and challenged ever since by historians from Madagascar, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, and North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
. For examples, refer to Rasamimanana (1930), Ravelojaona et al. (1937), Ramilison (1951), Kent (1970), Berg (1988) or Larson (2000). The work is complemented by oral traditions of other tribes collected by Malagasy historians.
See also
- History of MadagascarHistory of MadagascarThe history of Madagascar is distinguished by the early isolation of the landmass from the ancient supercontinents containing Africa and India, and by the island's late colonization by human settlers arriving in outrigger canoes from the Sunda islands between 200 BC and 500 AD...
- History of the MerinaMerinaThe Merina are an ethnic group from Madagascar. The Merina are concentrated in the Highlands and speak the official dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Their ancestors, the...
s - History of the BetsileoBetsileoThe Betsileo are a highland ethnic group of Madagascar, the third largest in terms of population, numbering around 1.5 million and making up about 12.1 percent of the population. Their name means "The Many Invincible Ones" which they chose for themselves after the failed invasion of Ramitraho...
s - History of the SakalavaSakalavaThe Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar numbering approximately 700,000 in population. Their name means "people of the long valleys." They occupy the Western edge of the island from Toliara in the south to Sambirano in the north. The Sakalava denominate a number of smaller ethnic groups...
s - List of Malagasy monarchs