Mahafaly Tombs
Madagascar

The burial site of a very important Mahafaly person, judging by the size and number of zebu horns around the plot.

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The Mahafaly are an ethnic group living in far south Madagascar near Ampanihy that build dramatic and hugely expensive tombs for their chiefs and leaders, with traditionally carved wood mini-totems that are being replaced these days by more prosaic concrete models. The number of zebu horns around the site is a fair indication of the importance of the person buried there. The Sculptures depict scenes from the deceased's life so we can infer that the deceased above either once took a taxi or was a taxi driver, or owned a taxi fleet.

A modern classic Mahafaly tomb.

This character had either delusions of grandeur or a rabid sense of humour judging by the adoring wife and winking portrait but we're having trouble figuring out the symbolism of Rambo there on the left. Hero? Natural born killer? Soldier boy? Next life goal?

A more traditional grave sporting zebu and aloalo or 'message' sculptures connecting the dead with the living. Maybe.

An artistic rendering of the traditional Mafafaly aloalo totems with depictions of the life of the deceased.

These obelisks are in the Mahafaly region but we have no idea if they belong to a different ethnic group or just a non traditionalist or perhaps an entire sort-of-Christian family.

And finally, a zebu giving us the eye.

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