MALAGASY NAMES

from James C. Armstrong, "Malagasy Slave Names in the 17th Century"

(Omaly sy Anio Journal, no. 17-20, 1983-1984)

"The following lists of Malagasy slave names are presented as a contribution to seventeenth century Malagasy onomastics. They are, to my knowledge, the earliest extensive lists of Malagasy personal names. Filtered as they were through Dutch ears and seventeenth century Dutch orthography, many are perhaps today unrecognizable. Yet others are clearly and recognizably Malagasy. Many of these names are descriptive terms, such as Lahe Sara, Laahet Sara, Lahit Sara, Lahetsarae, etc.. from (lehilay tsara, a good man)." (Omaly sy Anio, 1983, page 43)

Probably, the slaves on this list were sent to the Cape of Good Hope in present day South Africa, given that they were bought by the Dutch. The slaving voyages were to northwest Madagascar, to the islands of Massailly and Maningar, which according to present historical knowledge were then in control of the Antalaotra ethnic group. They were traded by the Dutch East India Company (VOC) from 1676 to 1699. In South Africa the Dutch tended to keep names of slaves as an administrative convenience rather than for any humanistic reason. Deaths were also recorded (of slaves) in this way. Armstrong points out that often, the "surname" "van Madagascar" was added to clarify where the slave was from.

The following quote from Armstrong is poignant and to the point: "When we speak of slaves, it is easy to lost sight of their individuality in their anonymity. Too often they are lost under the label that describes their status. Yet every slave was a human individual with a face and a name. A slave is but a slave, an abstraction, but a slave with a name becomes a man, a woman, a child. Hence lists of slave names have an essential and peculiar interest, an actualizing power, that derives from their symbolic intersection with individual existence and social anonymity. As Jean Starobinski has written in another context, proper names are the common denominators between the inner (etre profond) and the social being."

Names: Renecallo (F) Mangabeen (M) Manata (M) Mora (M) Ingora (F) Vollesoor, Vollasoua (F) Volandia (F) Sona (F) Callo (F) Callomenke (F) Leysoua, Lahesoura (F) Sakisa (M) Thiteo (M) Suatomba (F) Voetiara Hombe (F) Lahe Sara (M) Lambo Voela (M) Kinsa (M) Soua (F) Lambaa, Lamboa (M) Callo Houva (F) (page 45) to be continued...