Betafo ("many roofs) is a village and fokontany in the municipality Arivonimamo II,[2] in the district of Arivonimamo, in the region of Itasy, Madagascar.
Betafo, Arivonimamo | |
---|---|
village (fokontany) | |
Coordinates: 18°59′S 47°06′E / 18.983°S 47.100°E | |
Country | Madagascar |
Region | Itasy |
District | Arivonimamo |
Municipality | Arivonimamo II |
Elevation | 1,320 m (4,330 ft) |
Population | |
• Ethnicities | Merina |
Time zone | UTC3 (EAT) |
Postal code | 112 |
Population
editThe village's inhabitants are said to be divided between descendants of nobles (andriana) and descendants of former slaves (olona mainty, literally "black people"). This aspect was the subject of a study by anthropologist David Graeber.[3] His book, Lost People: Magic and the Legacy of Slavery in Madagascar, contains a detailed recounting of the village's oral traditions, full of stories of scandalous murders, magical battles, forbidden romances, and spiteful ancestors sending fires and hailstorms from their tombs.
References
edit- ^ Estimated based on DEM data from Shuttle Radar Topography Mission
- ^ Mindat.org
- ^ All Africa