THE MALAGASI.
Locality.—Madagascar.
Physical Conformation.—Generally speaking, African rather than Amphinesian; in some cases Amphinesian rather than African.
Language.—Amphinesian rather than African.
Religion.—Feticism.
Name of one of the Malagasi Deities.—Vintana. Compare this with the Australian Wandong.
The Malagasi have already been enumerated amongst the Oceanic Mongolidæ. Why were they, then, only mentioned by name, and why do they now find a place at the end of the Atlantidæ? The reason lies in the antagonism between the evidence of their language and the evidence of their physical conformation; the first pointing exclusively towards Malacca, the latter partly towards Malacca and partly towards the opposite coast of Africa. The phænomenon of intermixture is, in this ease, so likely, that the doctrine that the Malagasi are Africans speaking a Malay language, or, at least, that there is a strong African intermixture, almost forces itself upon the investigator.
There is nothing, however, in what has hitherto been noticed which induces me to admit any African element at all; since after considerable reflection and hesitation I have come to the conclusion that the differences in physical form, as described by many excellent observers, are not greater than those which occur within the pale of the Amphinesian populations themselves.
On the other hand it is difficult to imagine that the first human pair who set foot in Madagascar, were from beyond India rather than from the coasts of Mozambique, or Zanzibar. To which must be added the tradition—perhaps we may say the existence—of the Vazimbers.
Drury writes that in his time the interior of the island was inhabited by undersized Negroes, called Verzimbers.