Queen Rangita (died 1530), also known as Rangitamanjakatrimovavy, was a

Vazimba The Vazimba (Malagasy ), according to popular belief, were the first inhabitants of Madagascar. While beliefs about the physical appearance of the Vazimba reflect regional variation, they are generally described as smaller in stature than the aver ...

sovereign who ruled at Merimanjaka in the central highlands 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 ...

after her father, King Andriampandramanenitra (Rafandramanenitra). She was succeeded upon her death by her daughter (some sources say her adopted sister), Queen Rafohy (1530-1540). Oral tradition is unclear about the roles and relations of Rangita and Rafohy to one another. This lack of clarity includes who was the mother to whom, who succeeded whom and which one was the mother of

Andriamanelo Andriamanelo (Floruit, ''fl.'' 1540–1575) was king of Twelve sacred hills of Imerina#Hill of Alasora, Alasora in the central highlands region of Madagascar. He is generally considered by historians to be the founder of the Kingdom of Imeri ...

. According to one version of the oral tradition, Rangita had two sons, and possibly one daughter, Rafohy. These accounts relate that Rangita shared the stereotypical Vazimba physical characteristics of small stature and dark skin, and her name means "kinky-haired." It was customary among the ''Vazimba'' to submerge the bodies of the dead in bodies of water that were designated as sacred for that purpose; it is said that upon Rangita's death, she (like Rafohy) was placed in a silver coffin made to look like an outrigger canoe, which was then submerged in a sacred bog.Kent, R.K. ''Early Kingdoms in Madagascar: 1500-1700.'' Holt, Rinehart and Winston, 1970.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rangita Queens regnant of Madagascar 16th-century women rulers 16th-century monarchs in Africa Vazimba people