From Austronesian cannibalism to Early Kingdoms in Madagascar

[♥Dany♥]

The Madagascar's funerary habits show vestiges of cannibalism : the zebu meat consumed during the funeral is called bad meat (hena ratsy). The late's family eat some or no according to the areas. No salting or culinary preparation is done. The Mahafaly and Antandroy tombs are decorated with zebus' horns. Where some claim that they show the late one's richness, I would think rather than this habit returns us to more warlike customs. Neither more nor less the zebus bucranes replaced human's. Symbolic substitution realized by king Ralambo (17th century) when he convinced the Imerina inhabitants that the omby (zebu) was eatable.
Conveying a more advanced civilization the African Islamic merchants (14th -17th centuries) helped to the unification of Austronesian clans which became kingdoms. Thus the direct practices of anthropophagies were gradually banished. They were replaced by their derived avatars, as zebu "bucranes" on tombs, famadihana (shrouds replacement), fandroana (bath of the sovereign) or fitampoha (bath of royal relics).

[Daniel Leuck]

I found the Mahafaly and Antandroy tombs very interesting. The first time I saw one decorated with zebu horns I made the mistake of pointing. I was informed that pointing with a straight finger at a tomb is fady, and that I should always use a bent finger.

[♥Dany♥]

Right. Pointing a tomb, or peeing, splitting, or doing other dirty things near a tomb is faly (or fady, its the same word with dialectal variations).
Malagasy taboos are dictated by the respect that one must to the God (Zanahary = the Creator), the ancestors (Razana or Raza), the monarch, the older (Zoky raiamandreny) , the Earth which nourishes us, the Vazimbas (first occupants of the central highlands).