Andriana

Andriana is a Malagasy Nobility Title, preceding most of the noblemen, Princes and King names in Madagascar history.

It has been used by numerous clans, such as the: Zafiraminias, the Merinas, the Betsileos, the Betsimisaraka, the Tsimihetys, the Bezanozanos, the Betsimisarakas, the Antambahoakas, or the Antemoros. A Malagasy Sovereign, Prince, and noble name was often composed by "Andriana", plus his principal name, for example:

*Andrianampoinimerina (a great Merina King) < "'Andriana'" + "Nampoinimerina", cite book
last = Callet
first = F.
year = 1908
title = Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois)
publisher = Imprimerie Catholique, Edition 1878-1881, 1943 p ]
*Andriamisara (a great Sakalava King) < "'Andriana'" + "Misara".

Etymology

According to K.A. Adelaar (2006, p.6, cite book
last = Adelaar
first = K.A.
year = 2006
title = "The Indonesian migrations to Madagascar: Making sense of the multidisciplinary evidence"
publisher = in Adelaar, Austronesian diaspora and the ethnogenesis of people in Indonesian Archipelago, LIPI PRESS
url = http://www.santafe.edu/events/workshops/images/6/6d/IndonesianMigrations.pdf] ) this Malagasy title probably comes from the Old Javanese nobility title "Rahadyan" ("Ra-hadi-an") 'Lord', 'Master'. In Malagasy the term became:

*"Rohandryan"/"Roandriana", mainly used in the Southeastern part of the island, among the clan of Zafiraminias, the Antemoros, the Antambahoakas, etc.,cite journal
last = Ottino
first = Paul
year = 1973
title = La hiérarchie sociale et l'alliance dans le royaume de Matacassi
journal = Bulletin de l'Académie Malgache
volume = IV
issue = 4
pages = 53 &ndash; 89
url = http://horizon.documentation.ird.fr/exl-doc/pleins_textes/pleins_textes_5/b_fdi_06-07/07183.pdf]
*'Randryan"/ "Andriana", mainly used in the central highlands among the Merinas, Betsileos, Bezanozanos, and Sihanakas.

Other propositions have also been given on the possible etymology of "Andriana", though none has seriously challenged the Adelaar (2006) hypothesis, which is based on solid linguistics arguments. We can still cite some of these hypothesis:

*The Sanskrit "Aryan"
*The Sanskrit "Raja" 'King', 'Prince' Fact|date=May 2008
*The Malay and modern Javanese "Raden" Fact|date=May 2008

According to Adelaar (2006, p. 6), the modern Malay and Javanese title "Raden" derives also probably from the Old Javanese "Rahadyan".

History of the Andrianas

Primary sources

*The Andrianas of the central highlandsAlmost all of what is known about the Andrianas of the central highlands comes from the Révérend Père François Callet's book "Tantara ny Andriana" ("History of the Nobles"). This collection of oral tradition about the history of the Merina Dynasty was originally written in Malagasy and published between 1878 and 1881. Callet summarized and translated it in French under the title "Tantara ny Andriana (Histoire des rois)" in 1908. "Tantara ny Andriana" constitutes the core material for the historians studying the Merina history, and has been commented, criticised, and challenged since ever by numerous historians from Madagascar, Europe, and North America (see for example: Rasamimanana 1930; cite book
last = Rasamimanana
first = & Razafindrazaka
year = 1930
title = Ny Andriantopokoindrindra: Fanasoavana ny tantaran'i Madagasikara
publisher = Librairie Mixte ] Ravelojaona "et al" 1937; cite book
last = Ravelojaona
first = Randzavola, Rajaonah G.
year = 1937
title = Firaketana ny Fiteny sy ny Zavatra Malagasy
publisher = Antananarivo:Imprimerie Tanananarivienne ] Ramilison 1951; cite book
last = Ramilison
first = Emmanuel
year = 1951
title = Ny loharanon'ny andriana nanjaka teto Imerina : Andriantomara-Andriamamilazabe
publisher = Imprimerie Ankehitriny ] Kent 1970; cite book
last = Kent
first = Raymond K.
year = 1970
title = Early Kingdoms in Madagascar, 1500-1700
publisher = Holt, Rinehart and Winston
isbn = 0030841712 ] Berg 1988;cite journal
last = Berg
first = Gerald M.
year = 1988
title = Sacred Acquisition: Andrianampoinimerina at Ambohimanga, 1777-1790
journal = The Journal of African History
volume = 29
issue = 2
pages = 191 &ndash; 211
url = http://links.jstor.org/sici?sici=0021-8537%281988%2929%3A2%3C191%3ASAAAA1%3E2.0.CO%3B2-L ] Larson 2000. cite book
last = Larson
first = Pier M.
year = 2000
title = History and Memory in the Age of Enslavement. Becoming Merina in Highland Madagascar, 1770-1822
publisher = Social History of Africa Series. Portsmouth, New Hampshire: Heinemann, 414 p.
isbn = 0-325-00217-7 ] ) The work is complemented by oral traditions of other tribes collected by Malagasy historians.

ee also

*History of Madagascar
*History of the Hovas
*History of the Merinas
*History of the Betsileos
*History of the Sakalavas
*Zafiraminia
*Andriantomara
*Andriamamilazabe
*Andrianampoinimerina
*Andriamasinavalona
*Andriambelomasina
*Andriamisara

References