8 - Working for the dead

Summary

The tombs in which the dead are buried and through which they become members of the ‘single’ raza are built by living people through work (asa) which they perform because the dead desire nice, clean, proper ‘houses’ (trano). If the living fail to carry out the work, the ancestors will make known their discontent. This will begin with a visitation of dreams and minor illnesses, in response to which the hazomanga may try to talk to the ancestors to reassure them that the desired work will be undertaken soon. If the promise is not kept, however, the ancestors may get very angry (meloke mare) and ‘make people die’ (mahafaty).

Although the living work for the dead out of a sense of duty and under duress, the desires of the dead coincide in a subtle way with those of the living. For the dead, the performance of the work is a way to be remembered and be taken care of by their descendants; for the living, working for the dead provides a form of blessing (asantsika ro tsipiranontsika, our work is our blessing), because when the ancestors are happy they stop interfering with the life, dreams and health of their descendants. In other words, working for the dead is another way of separating life from death.