The Antalaotra People of Madagascar: Made and Unmade by the Sea

Abstract

The territory of Madagascar emerged from the unification of formerly independent kingdoms. These kingdoms were geographically distinct, with one main inland kingdom and several coastal ones. The “Kingdom of Madagascar” emerged in the nineteenth century from political conquests made possible by the trade effervescence taking place along the nearby Mozambique Channel, creating an islandbased unity. The Antalaotra people, or “People from the Sea,” who lived in the Comoros archipelago and the northwest coast of Madagascar, acted as a bridge between the different territories. Over a period of five centuries, they laid a common cultural foundation for a Malagasy society. Their regional trading culture allowed them to penetrate the inland kingdom through economic and cultural exchange. However, their contribution to an emerging national heritage was quickly suppressed and by the nineteenth century the Antalaotra had disappeared in Madagascar as a community. Today, Madagascar’s national identity continues to emphasize the former inland Merina Kingdom, land of the Merina people, making national disparities significant in every aspect, especially culturally. Successive national governments have ignored the role of coastal heritage in the forging of national identity. This article dives into the past and inheritance of the Antalaotra people to argue for the inclusion and acknowledgment of their coastal heritage as part of the national identity.