Antemoro people
Encyclopedia
Antemoro people are an ethnic group of Madagascar
living on the southeastern coast, mostly between Manakara
and Farafangana
.
Their number is estimated to 427.000 (3% of the population of Madagascar
). "Antemoro", in the Malagasy language
, means "people of the coast".
from Mecca
.
Like most Malagasy groups of Arab descent, the social structure of the Antemoro was historically feudal
, led by a king (Andrianony) who ruled over vassal
s (Anteony).
, which is a branch of the Malayo-polynesian language group
derived from the Barito languages
, spoken in southern Borneo
.
, who would predict the future based on lunar phases. They were known all across Madagascar and acted as advisers at the court of many Malagasy kings. The pan-Madagascar tradition of the ombiasy (traditional Malagasy court or village astrologers) is probably rooted in this element of Antemoro culture.
Antemoro are also credited with introducing the written word to Madagascar
using the Arabic alphabet
to transcribe the language in a script called sorabe
. This innovation occurred hundreds of years before early 19th-century missionaries from the London Missionary Society
transcribed the Malagasy language
for King Radama I using the Latin alphabet
. The paper they produced for writing, called "antemoro paper" (or "antaimoro paper"), is still being manufactured, especially in the Ambalavao
area.
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...
living on the southeastern coast, mostly between Manakara
Manakara
Manakara is a city in Madagascar.It is the capital of Vatovavy-Fitovinany Region.The city is located at the east coast and has a small port. It is the endpoint of the Fianarantsoa-Côte Est railway , which connects the city of Fianarantsoa with the sea. For those interested in traveling to Manakara...
and Farafangana
Farafangana
Farafangana is a city on the south-east coast of Madagascar approximately 400 kilometres south of the capital Antananarivo.Farafangana is the capital of the Atsimo-Atsinanana region....
.
Their number is estimated to 427.000 (3% of the population of Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
). "Antemoro", in 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:...
, means "people of the coast".
History
Antemoro, like the related Antanosy ethnic group, are most likely descendants of Arabs who settled in Madagascar in the 14th century. The original settlement was probably close to the mouth of the Matitanana river. According to Antemoro oral tradition, the founding father of this group was Ramakararo, a sultanSultan
Sultan is a title with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic language abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", and "dictatorship", derived from the masdar سلطة , meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it came to be used as the title of certain rulers who...
from Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
.
Like most Malagasy groups of Arab descent, the social structure of the Antemoro was historically feudal
Feudalism
Feudalism was a set of legal and military customs in medieval Europe that flourished between the 9th and 15th centuries, which, broadly defined, was a system for ordering society around relationships derived from the holding of land in exchange for service or labour.Although derived from the...
, led by a king (Andrianony) who ruled over vassal
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
s (Anteony).
Language
The Antemoro speak a dialect of the Malagasy languageMalagasy 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....
.
Culture
Antemoro were once widely reputed for their astrologersAstrology
Astrology consists of a number of belief systems which hold that there is a relationship between astronomical phenomena and events in the human world...
, who would predict the future based on lunar phases. They were known all across Madagascar and acted as advisers at the court of many Malagasy kings. The pan-Madagascar tradition of the ombiasy (traditional Malagasy court or village astrologers) is probably rooted in this element of Antemoro culture.
Antemoro are also credited with introducing the written word to Madagascar
Madagascar
The Republic of Madagascar is an island country located in the Indian Ocean off the southeastern coast of Africa...
using the Arabic alphabet
Arabic alphabet
The Arabic alphabet or Arabic abjad is the Arabic script as it is codified for writing the Arabic language. It is written from right to left, in a cursive style, and includes 28 letters. Because letters usually stand for consonants, it is classified as an abjad.-Consonants:The Arabic alphabet has...
to transcribe the language in a script called sorabe
Sorabe
Sorabe, or Sora-be, is an alphabet based on Arabic used to transcribe the Malagasy language and the Antemoro Malagasy dialect in particular dating from the 15th century ....
. This innovation occurred hundreds of years before early 19th-century missionaries from the London Missionary Society
London Missionary Society
The London Missionary Society was a non-denominational missionary society formed in England in 1795 by evangelical Anglicans and Nonconformists, largely Congregationalist in outlook, with missions in the islands of the South Pacific and Africa...
transcribed 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:...
for King Radama I using the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
. The paper they produced for writing, called "antemoro paper" (or "antaimoro paper"), is still being manufactured, especially in the Ambalavao
Ambalavao
Ambalavao is a city in Madagascar.Ambalavao is in the Haute Matsiatra region.The city is in the most southern part of the Central Highlands, near the city of Fianarantsoa....
area.