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South-central Madagascar: highlands near Ambositra</li></ul>
== African origins of the Malagasies Malagasy ==''Text by Jeanne Rasoanasy from Passport for Madagascar - 62nd edition January/February 2011''
It is assumed that the population of Madagascar was formed through successive migrations of peoples from southeast Asia, the Arabian peninsula and East Africa and were grafted onto an aboriginal population of unknown origin, called the ''Vazimba''. Once established, all these groups created a common language known as Malagasy, spoken and practiced throughout the island.
Designated under collective name of ''mozambika'', the Africans sold in Madagascar were emancipated by a royal edict signed by Queen Ranavalona II in 1877 forbidding their sale and immigration to Madagascar and those released could choose between staying as free men in Madagascar or going home. But as many did not know where they came from they remained and integrated themselves into the population, forming part of the nation's lineage.
== Arab origins of the Malagasies Malagasy ==''Text by Jeanne Rasoanasy from Passport for Madagascar - 62nd edition January/February 2011''
For centuries the big island was known to the Arab sailors and traders from the Arabian peninsula, and initially some of them had settled permanently in certain areas of the west coast. Other Arab groups were to arrive during the 14th century, settling in south-eastern Madagascar, on the banks of the river Matatana where they would become the ancestors of Antemoro, Antalana, Antefasy, Antambahoaka and Antanosy people - they called themselves the descendants of Raminia, Ibrahim (Abraham). It is the Arabic language that has most influenced the country because this is the language of the months and days, and it is also to the Arabs that the Malagasy owe the introduction of clothing, bedding accessories, coins, writing tools, certain musical instruments and so many others such as our words of greeting. Among the many Arab traditions inherited by the population is the art of divination or ''sikidy'' which is still practiced.
The Arabs have left their mark through the Islamisation of the people with whom thay had lived such as those in north western Madagascar, some of whom are their descendants. They could have spread their religion during the many centuries of their settlement in the country, but apparently this was not the purpose of their presence in Madagascar.
== Malayo-Polynesian origins of the Malagasy ==
''Text by Jeanne Rasoanasy from Passport for Madagascar - 62nd edition January/February 2011''
Researchers place the existence of the waves of migrations of peoples by boat from the countries of southeast Asia to Madagascar to an era dating back to the tenth century or even earlier. Even now no one knows the reasons for these expeditions which took place over years or even centuries, nor the reasons for the choice of the big island located in the Indian Ocean, thousands of miles from their places of origin by the migrants, as their home port.
If these migrations have been highlighted and the actors identified, it is thanks to philology, because according to various researchers, certain words in the Malagasy language have the same roots as the language spoken in the countries of the Malay peninsula, Polynesia, Melanesia and the Philippine islands. As examples of vocabulary common to the Malagasy and these far away peoples, there are those used in the everyday life for numbers, body parts, family, the observed heavenly and earthly phenomena, many plants and other creatures, basic foods and the adjectives designating the five colours. Another basis for thse assumptions made by several researchers is the extraordinary physical resemblance between individuals from Madagascar and these countris, the different skin colours and the habits and customs. In this context there working tools, looms, blacksmithing, irrigated rice fields and terraced fields, use of tree bark for making cloth, mut walls, ''fatidra'' or blood alliance, the achitecture of the houses of Sumatra resembling that of the houses that used to be found in Imerina, outrigger canoes, etc... In short, a culture not found in Africa, providing much evidence for Malayo-Polynesian origins of the Malagasy population in general.
== Additional information ==
* [http://phys.org/news/2016-07-island-history-human-genetic-ancestry.html No one is an island] - The history of human genetic ancestry in Madagascar ''(Jul 2016, phys.org)''