Note on the Zavaga or Zabaga of Indonesia.
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Taken from : Jean Claude Hebert (Les Zavaga ou Zabaga Indonesiens (=Vazaha), artisans et trafiquants du fer, commerçants ou pirates (?) à Madagascar et aux Comores, aux XIIe-XIIIe siècles.) dans Omaly sy Anio 1993 p13-62
-Idrisi (1150) talks about the islands of Zanedj or Zaledj which turned out to be the Comoros. Herbert uses the word Zavaga or Zabaga to designate these islands. These are the islands who were the go-between in the trade of India with East-Africa for Iron etc.
)Dimashqi (1325) talks about (p210): The island of Malay, to the east of the island of Qomor, is populated by pirates who ply their trade on the sea and have revolted against their king; now they are called Bahariyya. On this island grows the teak tree, which grows tall and strong. By hollowing them out, vessels are constructed of it, formed of a single plank of wood; the length of this board is forty cubits long and a width of seven.
Hebert p11 concludes from this paragraph that these people must be the descendants of the Zavaga of Idrisi (but the name has changed). They are now called Bahariyya what in Arab means the People of the Sea, the Malagasi term is: Talaotra. According to Herbert Dimashqi is the first one to let us know the existence of the Talaotra (People of the Sea) at Madagascar who live from maritime commerce or as pirates.
Herbert searched in his article what is left over from the term Zagava or Zabaga (=Austronesian merchants) in the language of Madagascar or in the toponyms of the island. He works on it in four steps:
1 prove Zavaga/Zabaga = Vazaha: Hebert proves with the help of old books that the word Vazaha meaned formerly European or Arab or Hindu merchant who arrives by ship. He concludes that Vazaha must have been formed through metathesis from Zavaga.
2 The two toponyms Harangazavaka (harana-Zavaga) on the map of Flacourt (1653). The word harana means rocks, reef under water (Behind which the harbour is save during a storm). The first (=Haragazavac) is at the mouth of a small river just north of Manafiaf(y) and the bay of Saint Luce. The second (=Haraghazavac) with a tiny river just above the river Mananzary (Mananjary).
3 The toponym Rangazavaka opposite the island of Prunes. (=Nosy Alagnagna, Nosy Alanana ou Nosy Ilaintsambo). It is a village called Rangazavaka at the mouth of a small river with the same name. It is also found on some old maps and surely it also is originally ‘harana-Zavaga’. But was already totally silted up in 1807. He concludes that the three toponyms have disappeared from the maps and were harbours now silted up completely.
4 les Zabag/Zavaga, merchants in iron and their successors the Zafimbazaha. (=the descendants of the Vazaha). By collecting testimony from these people Flacourt and others tried to establish how many generations their descendants already lived in the country. And yes maybe they were living or arriving there in the time of Idrisi (1150).