Cultural Adaptation, Kinship, and Descent in Madagascar

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Abstract
Socio-cultural differences and similarities in form and function encountered among 18 contemporary Malagasy ethnic units are viewed from the perspective of a model of cultural adaptive radiation. Certain similarities are homologies derived from a common Proto-Malagasy cultural heritage. Others exist because of pan-Malagasy diffusion. Still other similarities are uniformities produced by political consolidation and the territorial expansion of indigenous Malagasy states. Finally, certain socio-cultural similarities are adaptive analogies which have resulted from the parallel interplay of variables included within local and regional ecosystems. Malagasy ethnic units are classified into six cultural adaptive types based on ecological features. Variation in principles of descent and kinship calculation is related to cultural adaptive type and to more specific ecological and economic factors. Some suggestions for future research in Madagascar are made.

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