The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1906-05-15
TRIBE DANCES ALL THE TIME.
Strange People Who Inhabit the Interior
of Madagascar.

Strange People Who Tnhabit the Interior
of Madagascar.
tribe that dances, and dances all
the time except when sleeping or rest
ing, is the Tanala, the forest people,
of the north central part Of Madagas-
car. They dance instead of walk
ing, and instead of running they only
dance faster; their religious ceremonies
are dances; their amusement is dane
ing; they dance even while hewing
trees, erecting houses or gathering rice.
They have danced SO long for many
| generations. that they have forgotten
other gaits and other motions and
go through life in one long delirious
whirI.
Besides dancing in quantity it is
declared that their dances, or some OF
them, are the most expressive and
meaningful, as well as the most beau
tifully and gracefully executed in the
world.
Every emotion of the human race is
expressed in their dances, and the
forms of the dance are as numerous
as the emotions of the dancer, says
the Chicago Tribune. They dance with
| arms, with legs, with bodies and with
faces, posing in every conceivable at
titude, and doing steps and executing
movements that would make the most
skilful Of stage dancers wild with
envy.
Every form of the dances, almost,
is used among these forest people,"
At the beginning of one of their dances
the warriors, thrilling with pride and
the lust of battle, go forth to meet
the foe. Then comes the conflict, the
wild struggle, in which the dancers
work themselves up to a pitch of
frenzy, screaming rhythmically, while
the musical instruments rise higher and
higher, and the crowd Of spectators.
resting from their own efforts in other
dances, join in the cries, urging the
dancers to wilder exertions. The de-
feat, the rout, the capture Fl low rap
idly. made so plain and SO clear in
meaning that any one of any land
could understand. Then the torture, in
which the bodies of the dancers writhe
and tremble. and their faces express
acute agony and fear, the awful sup
plication, and then woe and disgrace
as they dance away into captivity.
The musical instruments which are
used in their ceremonial dances, such
as the arrival of distinguished visitor,
the installing of new official or the
burial of a gread dancer, are of in
terest. The greatest is sort Of zlther,
and next is a primitive form of the
violin, with four strings, which is
shaped like huge melon. Also they
have flute called valiEa, which is
made Of bamboo. They have a bam-
boo drum, the heac of which is hide,
and also bamboo, covered at both
ends with hide, inside Of which round
stones are shaken rhythmically.
Their chants and their wild, weird
music from the odd orchestra furnish
a remarkabl accompaniment for the
dances; but with or without music,
these odd people dance
1t is common sight according to
the French explorers, to see scores of
men working in the rice fields, shut
fling their feet, swayinc their bodies
and chanting melodiously while work
ing. Iii Sahaslnaka, the principal town
Of the ,fanala. the men can be seen
dancing along the streets in a sort of
swinging two step; and the carriers
when packing heavy loads through the
great forests dance along nder their
burdens, for time swaying their bod
les, thea doing a little crow Jig with
their feet as they advsnce, and, al
though four, men may be carrying
priest or an importar. man in litter,
they dance ali the way, ceming never
to tire.
The children begin to dance almost
as soon as they can toddle, and liter
ally dance to the grave. The explorers
saw funeral. four men carrying the
body of a petty chief on their shoul-
ders, with procession of mourners
following, the entire crowd dancing to-
ward the big burial pit, where the
bodies of all who die in that village are
thrown.