Tribes: Vezo

The Malagasy people are generally divided into eighteen tribes. The
Vezo are people who live in the coastal villages of southwest
Madagascar. The Vezo refers to people who used to live from the sea
fishing and it is difficult to determine the population. They have
their own culture, dialect and society.

According to the history, Vezo does not often protect their property
and are often attacked by other tribes. The Vezo literally means the
people who fish or struggle with the sea. This means their life
depends of fishing. The people who inhabit the Andavandoaka are the
Vezo tribe in the north of the southwest of Madagascar. The fishermen
make use of mangrove to manufacture canoes for fishing. In their
society the family is the most important and the elders are greatly
respected in their community. Families afford to the young the
building of the boats. When they fish they use line nets.

An elder in the family called the Hazomanga who proceeds as an
intermediary between the family members and their ancestors. He takes
responsibility of overseeing the ceremonies and asks advice from the
ancestors. Sometimes they take a zebu and kill it to sacrifice
because zebu is an identifiable simple—it indicates wealth of statues
so that is why people kill the zebu to be sacrificed during some
ceremonies. This is culture of "fomba".

Tromba, or outside power, is very common to Malagasy people but each
tribe has a method for ceremonies. By Vezo tradition, the family of
the possessed person invites relatives and friends from surrounding
communities to be present in the ceremonies. It lasts for one day.
Men and women are separated during the ceremonies. Apart from the
Tromba, the Vezo also gives value to the circumcisions and exhumation
ceremonies. In that time the family member has to kill the zebu to be
sacrificed. After the child is circumcised, of the uncles holds the
child on this shoulder during the ceremony. His uncle should eat the
piece of flesh of the child with a banana. IT can last up to three
days. But exhumation takes one week.

The tribe of Vezo is very culturally interesting. They have
communication with the dead through dreams as well. They ask for help
from their ancestors and get a good response after a few days of their
request. They are easy going people and their life depends of
fishing.