The Asian settlement

Even before the landing of the Arab slave traders on Madagascar, according to the reports of various researchers, there have been an Asian settlement of the island given. This phase began between the second and the fifth century after Christ and probably took place within the framework of the so-called Austronesian expansion. In all likelihood, the settlers came from Southeast Asia and probably reached Madagascar by sea without a prior stopover in Africa. The Austronesian expansion ensured that many islands were discovered and conquered by the Asian settlers. Among them were the Malay Archipelago, Hawaii and the Pacific islands up to Rapa Nui.

The African settlement

A major influence on the Development of the island of Madagascar and its population was primarily due to the African wave of colonization, in addition to the Asian wave. This arises simply because of the proximity of the island to the African mainland. The settlement by the Arabs mentioned in the introduction to this text, as well as their companions held as slaves, began in the 7th century and takes place across the Strait of Mozambique. In particular, people from the Bantu people had a pioneering role in this respect. With regard to archaeological findings, the records of the Arabs, who recorded their own settlement of the island in writing and, in parallel, also provided information about the settlement by the Bantu, are of great importance. Archaeologists today assume that African tribes settled the island only in the tenth century. In particular, excavations on the northwest coast of Madagascar near Mahilaka confirm this theory. The settlement of the island of Madagascar by the Arabs in the 7th century is now considered certain from a scientific point of view. At that time, the Arab sailors were much in the northwestern sea near Madagascar, because the island of Unguja, which is now known as Zanzibar, belonged to the Emirates of Oman. Also can be First settlements and permanent establishments on the west coast of Madagascar relatively precisely. The Arabs, however, were not only intent on bringing slaves from various countries of origin to the island, but were also, in all likelihood, there Self-resident or at least passed on their enormous knowledge and many cultural aspects. Thus, even today on the west coast of the country you can find the Antaimoro peoplewho live as Muslims and are known for the production of high quality paper. In addition, the Antaimoro have a so-called sacred script called Sorabe. This script is composed of Arabic characters and Malagasy words, is used mainly by astrologers and healers and is accordingly a clear sign of the influence of Arab settlement.

Also in the Malagasy language can still be found today numerous testimonies of the Arab settlement discover. In particular, the designations for the months and the days of the week can clearly be traced back to an Arabic word origin from a linguistic point of view. Another relic from this bygone era that is still clearly noticeable today are the so-called Ombiasy. These are Healers and medicine menTheir activities are still quite unknown today. What is certain, however, is that the Ombiasy not only devote their activities to healing people, but that they also produce poisons. Here, too, the Arab influence can consequently still be clearly detected today.

The European settlement

The European settlement of Madagascar initiated a new phase as well as a strongly changing age on the island of Madagascar. Even today, many traces of that time can be discovered on the island. For youre trip to Madagascar or your vacation in Madagascar could go to numerous stations that are of great interest from a historical point of view. Feel free to contact us.

The Dutch

The guest appearance of the Dutch on the island of Madagascar lasted only very briefly. In 1596, Captain Cornelis de Houtman sailed from the Netherlands to Madagascar and docked in Antongil Bay. He wanted to use Madagascar primarily to replenish his supplies there, but showed himself to be anything but diplomatic. He burned down whole villages of the native inhabitants and plundered violently everything that caught his eye. Two years later, Adrimal von Neck landed in the same bay and experienced the extent of the disaster initiated by de Houtman. After the bad experiences, the Madagascans not only showed themselves closed, but fled and took all their belongings with them. Adrimal von Neck was thus unable to replenish his supplies and had to sail on. He then settled on Mauritius and established a Dutch trading company there.

The French

From today's perspective, the French were probably the most important colonialists to settle in Madagascar and even today the influence from that time can be felt in many different areas on the island. The early settlement by the French started in 1642, when they established a base in Fort Dauphin for the first time. The coexistence with the Madagascans living there was initially characterized by mutual respect and responsible interaction. For a good thirty years, the French settlers married the Malagasy women, fathered children, and ensured an ever-stronger fusion. Then, however, there was a turnaround when, in 1672, numerous French women from the homeland also landed on Madagascar. Fourteen settlers separated from their Malagasy wives from the Antanosy people and remarried with the women who had arrived from France. Understandably, the Antanosy people took this as an insult. 13 French wives were killed. Subsequently, the Antanosy decided to lay siege to the French base, which ended only when the people were evacuated from the East Indies by the French trading company. Only 13 of the French were able to leave Madagascar alive. It was not until the later stages of the colonial period that the French would again play an important role in Madagascar.

The British

Besides the French, the Portuguese and the Dutch, the British also had an eye on Madagascar. In 1646, about 200 sailors from Great Britain arrived on the island with the intention of building a fort in Tulear. In doing so, they turned on the native tribes, leading to bitter warfare and a heavy toll in human lives. Unknown tropical diseases also plagued the British settlers. Only twenty British sailors were able to survive the settlement attempt in the end and turned their backs on the island. But this was by no means the end of the British efforts in Madagascar. Again and again ships from Great Britain settled over. The Handel with slaves and various colonial goods flourished on the island, especially under the supervision of the British, but the settlers did not succeed in gaining a long-term and large-scale foothold there. Again and again there were fierce conflicts and the still untamed nature on the island also caused problems for the British. Although acted English in the 19th century for a time even as a second official language on Madagascar, but apart from the pirates, foreign nations from Europe did not succeed in actually taking the island for themselves and settling it extensively until the end of the 18th century