The Antanosy are a Malagasy ethnic group

Ethnic groups of Madagascar

The number of ethnic groups of Madagascar has long been a point of contention and debate. The island of Madagascar is predominantly populated by people broadly classified as belonging to the broader Malagasy ethnic identity...

 who primarily live in the Anosy

Anosy

-Introduction:Anosy is a region in southeastern Madagascar. It borders Androy region in west, Atsimo-Andrefana in north-west, Ihorombe in north and Atsimo-Atsinanana in north-east. This region runs from approximately Manantenina in the northeast corner of the region, west to Ranomafana, west to...

 region of southeastern Madagascar

Madagascar

The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...

, though there are also Antanosy living near Bezaha

Bezaha

Bezaha is a town and commune in southwest Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Betioky, which is a part of Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 19,000 in 2001 commune census....

, where some of the Antanosy moved after the Imerina conquered Anosy. According to Lyon (2003), The Antanosy speak a dialect of the Malagasy language

Malagasy language

Malagasy is the national language of Madagascar, a member of the Austronesian family of languages. Most people in Madagascar speak it as a first language as do some people of Malagasy descent elsewhere.-History:...

, which is a branch of the Malayo-polynesian language group

Malayo-Polynesian languages

The Malayo-Polynesian languages are a subgroup of the Austronesian languages, with approximately 385.5 million speakers. These are widely dispersed throughout the island nations of Southeast Asia and the Pacific Ocean, with a smaller number in continental Asia...

 derived from the Barito languages

Barito languages

The Barito languages are a score of Dayak languages of Borneo, and most famously Malagasy, the national language of Madagascar. They are named after the Barito River....

, spoken in southern Borneo

Borneo

Borneo is the third largest island in the world and is located north of Java Island, Indonesia, at the geographic centre of Maritime Southeast Asia....

.

Of the 18 ethnic groups in Madagascar, the Antanosy are among the smallest in both
population and geographical range.... Just 362,000 Antanosy exist in a country of
16.5 million, thus making up a mere 2% of the total population (Ministerio de Educatión
2003). Located in the far southeastern region of Madagascar, the majority of Antanosy
people are subsistence farmers living in small, rural villages. [They] rely on the harvests of
rice ... and manioc ... and forest products such as honey, wild game, roof
thatch, fruit, and reeds to consume or sell at weekly regional markets.... (p. 53)

The ancestors of today's Antanosy migrated from the north about 150–200 years ago. According to MAEP (2003), they are divided into three groups in the region:
- The Antavaratra Region of Manantenina (an alliance between Antanosy & Antaisaka).
- Those occupying the Antambolo Valley in the region of Ranomafana and Enaniliha,
- The Antatsimo who live in the southwest region of Anosy, from Ranopiso to the Mandrare river.

While one source indicates there are 5 sub-ethnic groups of the Antanosy people (the Tesák, Ivondro, Tevatomalama, and Terara Temanalo) Rakotoarisoa indicates from the north of Anosy they are known as the Tavaratra (Manantenina region, though some indicate the people in Manantenina are the Temanantenina, with the Tavaratra located between the Temanantenina and the Tambato), the Tambolo (Ranomafana region), the Tambato (Mahatalaky and Manafiafy region), the Tanosy (Fanjahira region) and the Tatsimo (Ranopiso region). However, this is still a simplification of a more complex reality, as in central Anosy alone there are 30 village clans.

Another way to describe the Antanosy, is to focus on the Zafiraminia people who arrived in Anosy in the 16th Century, conquering those already living there, and whose former dynasty is bounded by cemetaries named Enosiavaratse (Manarivo), Enosy atsimo (Andromira) and Samby Anosy (Ifarantsa).

Timeline

9th to 12th Centuries - Maliovola phase of Anosy with evidence of both cattle herding and fishing. Gardening and hunting also assumed.^[]

13th Century

• Ambinanibe phase of Anosy shows introduction of iron working and some signs of connections with broader Indian Ocean exchange networks with little evidence of settlement hierarchy or social differences and little change in population.^[]
• Began importing "celadon" from China, which lasted until the 15th century.

14th Century

• Arrival of the ZafiRaminia in Madagascar according to Racoube, grand ancestor in Anosy.

15th century

• Tranovato phase of middle and upper Efaho valley of Anosy where communities were fortified and stratified, with rise of 'Paramount Chiefdoms.' This was a time of military campaigns and rice cultivation. Ceramics were imported from China, England, France and Portugal. Cattle were exported.^[]

16th century

• Continuation of Tranovato phase of Anosy.

• 1529 - French sailor Jean Parmentier describes the ocean off eastern Madagascar as "La Mere Sans Raison."

17th century

• 1613 - Portuguese land at Manafiafy where they are met by king Andriantsiambany and 500 of his soldiers.
• Ehoala phase of Anosy with focus on irrigated rice, but manioc had also been introduced. Settlements were smaller and located primarily in upper valleys away from coast. Cattle and slaves continued to be exported.^[7]
• mid-17th century - Rise of Zafiraminia rule of Efaho valley as they become key connection between French and the rest of Anosy. Capital was Fanjahira, ruled by king Andriambahoaka Andriandramaka, son of the former king Andriantsiambany who the Portuguese had met at Manafiafy.
• 1643-73 - Several different Governors of Fort Dauphin sought to conquer Anosy, pillaging and then burning hundreds of villages, killing thousands of Malagasy, enslaving others and stealing tens of thousands of cattle. During this time French living there also fought for several of the Anosy kings. At this point there were an estimated 10,000 Antanosy living near Fort Dauphin, with the total population of Anosy several times this number.^[25][26] For more information on these 30 years, see Tolanaro
  Tôlanaro
  Tôlanaro or Tolagnaro is a city in Madagascar. It is the capital of Anosy Region and of Tôlanaro District. It has a port of local importance, and a new port has been built at Ehoala...
  
  . For more information on work by the Roman Catholic Church in Anosy during the 16th and 17th centuries, see Roman Catholic Diocese of Tôlagnaro.
• 1674 - Fort Dauphin evacuated and fort and settlement closed after over half of the French population living there at that time were killed.^[25]

18th century

19th century

• 1811 - Jean Rene, son of a French settler of Fort Dauphin and an Antanosy mom, became Governor of Toamasina, first under British and then under Radama's rule. He took a blood oath with Radama in 1817 and is a powerful ally until his death in 1826.

• 1825 - Anosy, including Fort Dauphin, conquered by the Imerina, led by Ramananolona who was then appointed to head the commercial establishment at Fort Dauphin. When asked by the French to in turn kill the new queen of Imerina, Ranavalona, she secretly ordered Ramananolona's second in command to kill him at which point this junior officer inherited all his commander's land and slaves and became the new Imerina Governor at Fort Dauphin.

• 1840s-60s - The occupation of Anosy by the Imerina resulted in the migration of 80,000 Antanosy who moved west to the Onilahy River
  Onilahy River
  Onilahy is a river in Toliara Province, southern Madagascar. It flows down from the hills near Betroka to the Mozambique Channel. It empties at ....
  
   valley near Betioky
  Betioky
  Betioky is a town in Atsimo-Andrefana Region, Madagascar....
  
   and Bezaha
  Bezaha
  Bezaha is a town and commune in southwest Madagascar. It belongs to the district of Betioky, which is a part of Atsimo-Andrefana Region. The population of the commune was estimated to be approximately 19,000 in 2001 commune census....
  
   to escape Imerina rule, with 30,000 moving together in 1845.
• mid-19th century - Some Antanosy become part of the specialized porterage system of the Imerina kingdom, returning to Anosy with their earnings after completing their contracts.
• 1850s - Leather craft skills introduced by the LMS spread to Anosy when those skilled in this area fled Imerina fanompoana.

• 1895 - Madagascar conquered by France.

20th century

• 1940 - Vichy France takes over control of Madagascar.
• 1942 - British forces replace Vichy France's control of Madagascar with that of the Free French, invading Fort Dauphin in 1942.

• 1959 - 148,132 Antanosy.

• 1965 - Population of the Antanosy estimated to be 148,132.

• 1980s - Anosy region becomes a high priority area for conservation efforts resulting in the influx of a wide variety of international NGOs who begin work in this area.

• 1996 - Anosy region is identified as one of the ecologically most diverse regions of Madagascar

21st century

• 2005 - World Hunger Program responds to malnutrition in Anosy caused by a combination of drought and flooding.

External links

• Anosy
  Anosy
  -Introduction:Anosy is a region in southeastern Madagascar. It borders Androy region in west, Atsimo-Andrefana in north-west, Ihorombe in north and Atsimo-Atsinanana in north-east. This region runs from approximately Manantenina in the northeast corner of the region, west to Ranomafana, west to...
  
  

• Anthropology

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