| Abstract: |
Because of its insularity, the island of Madagascar has preserved, as if in a sanctuary, survivals that have disappeared in the homeland of the protoculture. This observation can be made for certain facts in the language as well as for material culture remains. Present Madagascan pottery and pottery of the nineteenth century retain morphological types that have been in use for centuries. For example, note the duality in cooking vessels: a globular pot is used for meat, fish, and vegetables, while a cook pot with a flat bottom is designed and used essentially for cooking rice. The technological regression that seemed to affect Madagascan pottery since at least two centuries ago (Vérin and Boulfroy 1964) continues until today in the quality of the manufactured goods and the variety of forms. Three types of objects that are still in use from the nineteenth century have actually almost disappeared. They are the footed plate, the vessel with vertical side walls slightly enlarged at the bottom, and the oblique bowl called <i> tasitasy </i> by the Bezanozano. (To simplify the text, illustrated artifacts (Fig. 1-Fig. 5) are referred to by alphabetical identification, rather than the laboratory catalogue numbers that also appear on the drawings.
|
