Fady
Sunday, January 22, 2006 at 01:03PM Fady is the Malagasy word for taboo. It is used quite often. Whereas I can´t remember the last time someone used the English word taboo in a sentence, I usually her fady everyday. As an interesting (perhaps?) side note, "excuse me" in Malagasy is "azafady" which literally be translated as "don't taboo."
There are 18 major ethnic groups on the island. The major distinguishing factors between them are language (dialects), ancestry (claimed or speculated) and fady. Some tribes, for instance don't eat pork, others some don't eat goat, still others dig up their dead every few years, through them a big party and dance around a fire with the bones. However fady differs not just between ethnic groups but also within. In fact, fady is so pervasive and diverse that many families and even some individuals have their own specific rules and fady-related customs. Fady seems to be (and most probably are) completely arbitrary, though some of them seem to be rooted in practicality (for example inbreeding, or eating raw beef). Really, the most interesting thing for me about fady is the the Malagasy's complete and unquestioning acceptance of their arbitrary nature. No one ever questions why people hold certain fady, where they came from, or how they change over time (although they are assumed never to change, even in the face of evidence to the contrary, for example fady applied to the use of automobiles). Actually, to inquire to their origins is not so much rude as confusing. It is a question they seem to have never thought of. Nevertheless, they do get a little annoyed at the question.
You might think that all this would make working in Madagascar difficult and frustrating. Well the work is difficult and frustrating, but not really because of fady. Once you know the fady it is easy to avoid crossing them and even cases of accidental transgression, the Gasy are rather forgiving toward foreigners in this regard. Actually, there is a nice upside to this whole fady business. It is not just I who must respect the local fady, but the local villagers must also respect my fady. At first, I didn't have any fady, but then I discovered that I certainly do have fady, though before Madagascar I didn't have a word for it. What follows is a list of some of my villagers fady and some of my own. I think you may recognize some of my own. Remember, no wondering why!
Some of Village Fady
No farming on Tuesdays of Thursdays (the "bad" days)
No collecting cow manor on the "bad" days
No tying rope on people
No eating pork, eel, lemurs
Baby's are strictly forbidden from looking in the mirror
No eating pork and then going on a boat
No dogs in the house
Some of Shawn's Fady
No sitting on my pillow
Cover your mouth when you sneeze, cough
Fady (for me) to eat (although I may taste) Dolphin, sea turtle, animal brains, raw shrimp
No Washing dishes with water I would not drink
No urinating in my yard
No killing wild birds with slingshot, thrown sticks
Keeping lemurs as pets
Polygamy
No putting guitar picks, pencils, pens, sewing thimbles in nose
Reader Comments (2)
Lots of love from your big sis,
JoLynn
You sure have some strange fady. At school, I often see pencils and pens (not too many guitar picks) in noses. What is the matter with you?
When you return home, 15 months from now, you MUST write a book about your not so common Malagasy adventures because you are quite entertaining, humorous and quite sassy with words.
We love you ,
Mom and Jerry