The aloalo is a funerary pole sculpture that, along with the skulls of slaughtered

zebu The zebu (; ''Bos indicus''), also known as indicine cattle and humped cattle, is a species or subspecies of Bos taurus, domestic cattle originating in South Asia. Zebu, like many Sanga cattle breeds, differs from taurine cattle by a fatty hump ...

, is placed on the tombs of important people in the south-western region of

Madagascar Madagascar, officially the Republic of Madagascar, is an island country that includes the island of Madagascar and numerous smaller peripheral islands. Lying off the southeastern coast of Africa, it is the world's List of islands by area, f ...

. Originally, aloalos were only available for wealthy individuals, but later the wealthy could purchase them. The memorial may help the deceased to join the community of ancestors, since the word ''alo'' means 'intermediary' or 'messenger' in Malagasy. These carved posts often tell the story of the person's life and generally take the form of a series of geometric or symbolic shapes topped by sculpted figures or objects evocative of the deceased's life, or desirable material possessions. The zebu represents prosperity and the aloalo usually has a combination of nude human figures and birds. They are chiefly associated with the

Mahafaly The Mahafaly are an ethnic group of Madagascar that inhabit the plains of the Betioky-Ampanihy area. Their name means either "those who make holy" or "those who make happy", although the former is considered more likely by linguists. In 2013 t ...

people, although they are also found on the tombs of some

Antandroy The Tandroy also known as Ampatres in the 17th century are a traditionally nomadic ethnic group of Madagascar inhabiting the arid southern part of the island called Androy. In the 17th century however, the Tandroy emerged as a confederation of ...

and particularly the

Sakalava The Sakalava are an ethnic group of Madagascar. They are primarily found on the western edge of Madagascar from Toliara in the south to the Sambirano River in the north. The Sakalava constitute about 6.2 percent of the total population, or abou ...

, whose carved figures are reputed for their often erotic imagery.Turner, J. (Ed.). (1996). "Madagascar," in ''The Dictionary of Art, Volume 20.'' London:

Macmillan Publishers Limited Macmillan Publishers (occasionally known as the Macmillan Group; formally Macmillan Publishers Ltd in the United Kingdom and Macmillan Publishing Group, LLC in the United States) is a British publishing company traditionally considered to be on ...

. Traditionally, burial sites and aloalos were located outside of villages. After the 1896 French colonization, aloalos were exposed to the rest of the world where aloalos are now often found on the international art market.

References

Culture of Madagascar {{Madagascar-stub