Communicate with ancestors

I - Reasons

Well, Malagasy people believe that, when you die, you rise to an invisible and sacred life. You then get a higher status (after all the needed rituals during your exhumation afterwards you'll commonly be called as a " Razana " (or Ancestor)) because you are nearer to God than to the living people. The ancestors are able to guide living people's life. Therefore, in order to have our dreams and wishes come true (good health, children, prosperity, protection …) or just to be forgiven, we communicate with our ancestors which will commune with God.

II - How do people communicate

a. Taking care and cherish

People usually take care and cherish their ancestors in order to be protected, to thank or to be forgiven. We usually take care of their tombs or give gifts and offerings such as honey, fruits, rum, and usual tools; and we place them near the ancestor's tomb. In the northern part of Madagascar for instance, where Ancestors are believed to be reincarnated in crocodiles, people give them sacrificed animal. If the crocodiles eat it, it means they, as ancestors, have forgiven their descendents, and they therefore accept their offerings.

We lay the table with these different elements in order to cherish the ancestors (usually to get benedictions or before any possession rituals): a plate (made of earthenware) with diluted kaolin (with shiny water) and 100 Fmg, a bowl, a pot of honey, a glass, a bottle of perfume, an ashtray with a packet of cigarettes, gifts symbolized by the money, a towel and liturgical clothes.

b. Tromba

In Sakalava tribes (a tribe in the north west part of Madagascar), people directly communicate with their ancestors during a special ceremony where some chosen person will be possessed by an ancestor's spirit. It usually happens at nights and begins with a nervously way of dancing (followed by traditional music with drums and accordions). The ancestor's spirit gets into the possessed person to expresse her/his pieces of advice, recommendations as well as the charms to use through him or her. People are then free to interfere with the ancestor themselves. Some mediums directly communicates with ancestors as well after cherishing them (as noticed before) so that the ancestors get tempted to possess the person

The ancestor's spirit gets into the possessed person

The ancestor's spirit leaves the possessed person

c. Dreams

Let's not forget that ancestors can also enter into our daily lives. They may do so by interfering with our dreams. For example, people have to organize a "famadihana" (renewal of the ancestor's shroud) after one of the ancestor's relatives has dreamt about the ancestor, who complained to be cold.

III - Reactions

As most of our country citizens are Christians, it is quite difficult to share the belief that ancestors can guide people's life (especially in big cities like Antananarivo). Let's take a look at some of these reactions :

Tatiana (a 23 years old Malagasy girl) says : "I personally think that communicating and doing the cult of ancestors is unneeded and we should not do such things. Why ? well, we all believe in God and, wherever we can search, ancestors aren't proven to have the ability to bless us or to guide our lives. God only can. We transfer God's power and role into the ancestors and that's definitely wrong"

Catherine (a 25 years old Chinese girl) says : "People in China are acting the same way so I'm used to these customs. Anyway, I must say that I have some doubt about them. Concretely, dead people are just like other living people but just not moving. I mean they don't get a superpower from elsewhere after they die. We shouldn't get confused on getting to know who guides us … God or the ancestors ? Furthermore, as we always say "rest in peace" when someone dies, why do we still need to keep in touch with them and ask them for help, we can ask God as well !"

Written by Gaël

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