Madagascar - Our Distant Relative

[dleuck]

Hi Folks,

We are spending a month in Madagascar, and we setup a ning site (http://makinet.ning.com) to share pics and videos with our friends in Hawaii. Interestingly, Malagasy is a distant relative of the Hawaiian language. The culture is a mixture of Indonesian and East African traditions. We hope you enjoy the pics!

Dan

[craigwatanabe]

Have fun and don't forget the zoo animals:D

[SusieMisajon]

Many French men marry picture brides from Madagascar.

[buzz1941]

Diego Suarez in Madagascar is one of the few places, like Pearl Harbor, that was attacked by Japanese midget submarines during the war.

[dleuck]

Diego Suarez in Madagascar is one of the few places, like Pearl Harbor, that was attacked by Japanese midget submarines during the war.

Interesting! I didn't know that. One of the most fascinating things on display at Pearl Harbor is the Japanese suicide sub. Its basically a torpedo with a pilot.

These days the Japanese are one of the biggest contributors to conservation and humanitarian efforts in Madagascar. We ran into Japanese aid workers and conservationists at multiple locations.

[craigwatanabe]

We ran into Japanese aid workers and conservationists at multiple locations.

So how many did you take out?:D

Yeah after WWII the Japanese had this thing about defeat so bad they punished themselves with the Godzilla vs Tokyo movies.

[buzz1941]

Madagascar also boasted multiple Queen Ranavalanas, who were quite some characters!

[dleuck]

Madagascar also boasted multiple Queen Ranavalanas, who were quite some characters!

True. Ranavalona III shared many similarities with Liliuokalani. They were both the last monarch to rule their island nations before being forced out by colonial forces in the late 19th century. After a rejected plea to the US for help, Ranavalona was forced out by the French on Feb 28, 1897 just two years after Liliuokalani was imprisoned in Iolani palace.

Ranavalona I (Ranavalona the Cruel), was less Liliuokalani-like. She apparently instituted a court system involving poisoning the accused. People that lived were considered innocent. She also supported punishments such as chopping off legs and arms. Hundreds of thousands died as a result of this system and other draconian practices. They refer to her reign as the "days without light".

[SusieMisajon]

True. Ranavalona III shared many similarities with Liliuokalani. They were both the last monarch to rule their island nations before being forced out by colonial forces in the late 19th century. After a rejected plea to the US for help, Ranavalona was forced out by the French on Feb 28, 1897 just two years after Liliuokalani was imprisoned in Iolani palace.

Ranavalona I (Ranavalona the Cruel), was less Liliuokalani-like. She apparently instituted a court system involving poisoning the accused. People that lived were considered innocent. She also supported punishments such as chopping off legs and arms. Hundreds of thousands died as a result of this system and other draconian practices. They refer to her reign as the "days without light".

Over here, they'd throw accused witches into the river. If they sunk and drowned, it was 'oops, sorry', and if they floated they got burned as witches.

[buzz1941]

A little tune about Ranavalona the Cruel... (http://www.series77.com/Madagascar.mp3)

[dleuck]

A little tune about Ranavalona the Cruel... (http://www.series77.com/Madagascar.mp3)

Great song! Thank you for the link. We added it to our site.