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Malagasy Marriage

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Translation: Marriage of the Cafers. Aine O'Connor
Contents of this annotation:
1. Malagasy Marriage

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A Marriage of the Malagasy Bernard and Picart use several problematic terms about the Malagasy people of whom they wrote. The Malagasy live in Madagascar and the islands of Réunion and Mauritius. The word “Cafre” denotes the Malagasy; it would now be considered an antiquated, if not archaic term. Bernard also refers occasionally to people he calls the “Hottentot.” This is a Dutch word for inhabitants of South Africa, and now has a long history of being used in blatantly racist actions. With these terms in mind and known, it is easier to dive in to the marriage ceremony.

The Approval: The bride and groom must get permission from their fathers before they marry. Per Bernard, before going to get this approval, “there is no familiar intercourse, no ground to suspect the least correspondence between them.” When the need for approval appears, both sides come together in what Bernard calls a Dacha, or small house. In the end, it is the father of the bride who decides whether or not to assent to the marriage (after consulting with his wife). The bride also gets somewhat of a choice in the matter. Should she meet her potential husband’s advances with “coldness and disdain,” he then has to go out and fight all his rivals “until she relents.” Bernard ends this description by saying that the people marry “with sword in hand.”
The Two Circles: Picart’s illustration shows two circles, one of women and one of men. Once the two groups are separated, both the bride and groom sit in the center of their respective circle. The “principal,” most likely an older community leader, walks around both bride and groom three times, “making the same solemn aspersion [Bernard probably means sprinkling with water] on each of them.” Then, there is a “nuptial benediction” which completes the ceremony.
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