Madagascar natives

[summsi]

Hi,

I´m looking for native musketmen from Madagascar to oppose my pirates.

Are the tribal musketmen from Foundry the right choice? Or are there better figures available?

Tank you!

[Captain Blood]

Just a guess really, since my only information on things Madagascan comes from several readings of Flashman's Lady.
But the Madagascans are not true negro African - more Indian Ocean islanders, with a very peculiar, distinct and isolated culture of their very own...

I'm sure someone - probably Plynkes, who is a fount of knowledge on all things native African - knows better than me, but if it was me, I think I'd plump for the Ruga-Ruga as reasonable proxies for what I imagine Madagascans might have looked a bit like.

Mind you, if your pirates are from 'The Golden Age', viz. 1680-1720 (ish), then bear in mind that all the Foundry Darkest Africa figures are meant to represent late Victorian types from 150-200 years later, so firearms may well be wrong... For instance in the late 1600's, I would have thought any muskets that had found their way to Madagscar would have been matchlocks, although I guess by the early 1700's they may have been flintlocks...

[summsi]

I know that the DA range from foundry is the wrong period.

My time period is 1710 to 1725, so do you think the Ruga-Ruga could work?

[Plynkes]

But the Madagascans are not true negro African - more Indian Ocean islanders, with a very peculiar, distinct and isolated culture of their very own...

A large chunk of them originate from Borneo, and a Malay/Pacific Islander "look" can be seen in many of them. Though most seem to have an African look about them, to a greater or lesser extent, depending on how much of that East Indies/South Pacific type they've got in 'em...





The internet (which knows everything) says that those with African ancestry (or mostly African ancestry) are in the majority, so I think you're safe enough using African figures. The question is, which ones?

I'm sure someone - probably Plynkes, who is a fount of knowledge on all things native African - knows better than me...

I appreciate the vote of confidence, but I don't have a bloody clue. Pictures of Malagasy warriors are a bit thin on the ground. Here's what the King who reigned in the 1790s looked like (or wanted us to think he looked like)...

(He's quite light-skinned as the Merina, who are the ethnic group who came from Borneo, were top dogs at the time, and formed the aristocracy, but they didn't rule in Pirate times.)
Now I imagine most of his men didn't dress as snazzily as him, but I have no idea how they would have been armed (or their ancestors from 70 or so years before) but they might have dressed in the same style. Would they have even have had muskets? I ain't sure, and ain't going to pretend I am.

[summsi]

Thank you Plynkes for the nice images!!!

I was reading that the pirates gave a lot of firearms to the natives when they settled down on Madagascar.

So the different tribes could fight against each other, make slaves and sell them to the pirates.

Some of the pirates also had private armies, recruited out of natives.

[former user]

[summsi]

Great former user!

Everything is clear now!!!

[former user]

sorry for the joke 
I think the mix approach is best
here, have a look:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Madagascar

and move it 

[Plynkes]

Well I wasn't expecting that! 

Traditional dress in Madagascar consists of brightly-coloured, elegantly weaved cloths wrapped around the body. This would lead one to lean towards using the Ruga-Ruga rather than the plainer musketeer figures. Don't know how appropriate the Ruga-Ruga feather headresses and turbans would be, though. Some headswapping might be in order, not sure.


The one on the right is a man, so it isn't just the women who wear this sort of stuff.



This contemporary picture would seem to confirm that they wore this traditional garment (the lamba) back in Pirate days, but it didn't cover up quite as much as it does now...

 

[summsi]

Ruga-Ruga could be fine but Captain Blood scared me, that their muskets are totaly wrong.

[Captain Blood]

I shouldn't have mentioned it! You'd have to look pretty hard to tell the difference between a 28mm flintlock and matchlock - it's more the equipment, bandoliers and things that would be different. But I really wouldn't worry about it too much. 

[former user]

here, from WIKI
Madagascar's population is predominantly of mixed Austronesian (i.e.South-East Asian/Pacific Islander) and African origin. Those who are visibly Austronesian in appearance and culture are the minority, found mostly in the highland regions. Recent research suggests that the island was uninhabited until Austronesian seafarers arrived about 1,500 to 2,000 years ago. Recent DNA research shows that the Malagasy people are approximately of half Austronesian and half East African descent, although some Arab, Indian and European influence is present along the coast. Malagasy language shares some 90% of its basic vocabulary with the Ma'anyan language from the region of the Barito River in southern Borneo.

Subsequent migrations from the East Indies and Africa consolidated this original mixture, and 36 separate tribal groups emerged. Austronesian features are most predominant in the Merina (3 million) ; the coastal people (called côtiers) are of more clearly African origin. The largest coastal groups are the Betsimisaraka (1.5 million) and the Tsimihety and Sakalava (700,000 each). The Vezo live in the southwest. Two of the southern tribes are the Antandroy and the Antanosy. Other tribes include Tankarana (northern tip), Sihanaka and Bezanozano (east), Tanala (south-east), An-Taimoro, Tambahoaka, Zafisoro, An-Taisaka and Timanambondro (south-east coast), and Mahafaly and Bara (south-west). Chinese and Indian minorities also exist, as well as Europeans, mostly French. The number of Comorans residing in Madagascar was drastically reduced after anti-Comoran rioting in Mahajanga in 1976.[42]

miniature-wise I would go with generic africans clad in wide skirts or pants

[Plynkes]

French musket from the first two decades of the 18th Century. Doesn't look all that different to the ones the Foundry figures have that are from 150 years later. The pirates may have given them matchlocks, but they might have given them more modern guns (maybe that's all they had to give them). I wouldn't sweat over it.

[summsi]

Thank you to all of you, you really helped me very much!

[warrenpeace]

Since pirates of the Indian Ocean is bound to have a slight fantasy twist to it, I wouldn't worry about being too perfect.  I'm planning to do the same thing, and I intend to use regular Foundry Darkest Africa tribesmen, Azande, Ruga-ruga, Zanzibaris, and Baluchis.  Eventually I might also add the Old Glory pirate line cannibal packs, since those figures look really cool painted up.  I've even got a few Copplestone South American natives that I might use as wild men in the hills.  In fact, Copplestone has a few good things to add here, including some Azande musketmen.  Azande might be good to use because of the cloth they wear like a big loose diaper.  You could paint it in bright colors and patterns.  Somalis might be good too.  And for a maiden guard for Queen Ranavolana, or whoever rules your pirate paradise, you might want to get the three black female harem guards from Hasselfree!!!!!  Perfect place to use them!