Kambamba had two children, a son and a daughter. On the death of his father, the one named Amadi, like his uncle, led the group of which he was chief into the bay located on the large land opposite Makambi. They first settled on a small island (6) located there, then later at the bottom of the bay: the village they built was called Boueni (7), from the name of the one that Kambamba had founded on the coast of Africa.

 

Amadi of Langani had had several children, the eldest of whom, Mikdadi, had succeeded him. This Mikdadi was himself replaced by his son, also named Amadi, and it was he who commanded Langani, when Andriamandissou-Arivou (8) arrived in the country. Amadi of Boeni had a daughter named Mariamo, and a son called Faki who succeeded him. Finally, the sister of this same Amadi had two male children, Bakari and Ibrahim, who, having grown up, had gone to settle with their people, the first in the bay of Bombetok (Bay of Mahajanga), where he founded the village of Kandrani (11) or Kiouandrani, the second in that where the river Bali (9) flows, from which he gave the name to his village. On their arrival, the Arab settlers had received from the natives the name Ant-Alaoutsi (men from overseas), of which the word Antalaots' is only a contraction: this name has since served to designate them, them and their descendants, and to distinguish them from the Arabs who came to temporarily inhabit the country to trade there.

 

These settlers, active and industrious, devoted themselves mainly to trade; They extended, by regularizing it, the system of exchange which already existed in the western part of the island, and their establishments became, in a few years, the meeting places of all the Arab merchants who, for a long time, frequented this coast.

 

At the time when the Sakalaves (tribe) settled in the North, there were therefore on the West coast of Madagascar four Antalaot settlements: one, and it was the most considerable, at Langani (10), with Amadi as its chief; a second at Kandrani (11), whose chief was Manafi, son of Bakari; another at Boueni (7), under the authority of Faki or Yombi-Faki; a fourth finally at Bali (9), governed by Ibrahim. All four were politically and religiously dependent on the chief of Langani, who took the title of sultan, and for whom prayer was said by all the settlers. Until then, the Antalaots had lived in good understanding with the natives, without recognizing themselves as dependent on their chiefs: the Sakalave conqueror wanted to impose his sovereignty on them, and had Langani attacked. The inhabitants resisted, but they did not have the same superiority over the Sakalaves, as regards the means of war, as they had over the Manangadabos and the other natives, and they were especially much inferior in number to their adversaries. They were defeated, and their chief, Amadi, having been killed, they embarked with their families, and took refuge in Boueni.

 

On hearing the news of the events which had occurred at Langani, Ibrahim, chief of the reestablishment of Bali, left the country, and returned, it is said, to Arabia with his family; but a part of his people joined their coreligionists of Boueni, which was also done by those of Kandrani.

 

As they had not previously seen any aggression to undergo from the native part, the Antalaots' had not surrounded themselves with means of defence and Boueni was open, like their other villages, to attacks from their enemies.

 

So almost immediately they were under the obligation of abandoning, and its population, swollen by all the refugee families, withdrew to the small island that the first colonists had first occupied in the bay, and which they worked to fortify. There, stocking up on the things necessary for their various needs, by means of trade with the Comoros, the coast of Africa and the places of Madagascar not subject to Andriamandissou (8), the Arab colonists remained for a long time sheltered from the hostilities of the Sakalaves, who were apparently afraid to approach the island with frail canoes. But Boueni Island was separated from the bottom of the bay only by a narrow channel, shallow enough that, at low tide, during spring tides, a man could cross it without having water higher than his shoulders. The Antalaots, who were aware of this fact, often took advantage of it to cross to the mainland where they went to look for fruits and nutritious roots that were not found on their island. It happened one day that one of them, being thus gathering, was arrested by the Sakalaves, and forced to tell to them by what means he had been able to affect the passage. The route being thus known to him, the enemy, as soon as favourable circumstances were renewed, advanced by night and entered the town. The Antalaots', believing themselves to be safe from such a surprise, devoted themselves in complete safety to their songs and their nocturnal dances; several of their boats were at sea, and, by the absence of the men who manned them, the islanders found themselves deprived of a part of their means of defence. In such a situation, resistance would have been in vain and could only lead to the massacre of their women and children: they therefore resigned themselves to accepting the conditions of the victor, and recognized the suzerainty of the Sakalave king.

 

These are, according to the traditions of the Antalaots', the events which led to and followed the establishment of their colonies on the N.W. coast of Madagascar.

 

Taken from: The History of Civilisation in North Madagascar Pierre Vérin 1986

 

An Antalaotse (People from the Sea) from Kingany (5), named Tonga, also told me the story of Mojomby, (=mythic island that sunk into the sea during a hurricane) which was apparently the homeland of the Antalaotse who erected the buildings in the Bay of Boina. He believed that the Kajemby (tribe in the Bays of Boina and Marambitsy) and the Sandangoatsy (now in the interior but formerly also on the coast) both formed part of the same group at the time of their departure from Africa and that they had also descended from the Antalaotse. If the Kajemby and the Antalaotse had the same origin, as they claimed according to this legend, they may have come at about the same time to the island.

 

Taken from: Les Immigrations Arabes a Madagascar by A. Jully 1898

 

(When visiting the ruins of Boina). Tumbo the guide of Antalaotra (=People of the Sea) origin gave us the following story that Mr. Deputy Administrator Bénévent was kind enough to interpret for me. The city of Boina was founded by the Antalaotras. These are not a race from Madagascar but Arabs who came from an island located close to the Comoros. This island (called Mojomby) sank in a hurricane of rain and wind. The inhabitants took refuge on their dhows and sailed towards Madagascar. Some went to the West, others to the South. Some landed in the bay of Mahajamba. The sultan came to Boina. They had many dhows, traded and became rich. They built a large city with fortifications. They stayed like this for a long time, trading, but they were betrayed by people from their own country who warned the Sakalaves of Ambongo. There were then two sultans, Cambamba and Manafy. The Sakalaves of Ambongo came with 250 lakafia canoes surprised the city, killed the sultan and part of his family. Some were able to escape with dhows taking their wealth and when they were out to sea they the dhows sank and all perished. Such is the legend known today to the natives.

 

(1) Tradition does not give the time at which this settlement was connected; but, according to the facts which follow, and the number of generations coming from migrants, which was around 1700, we think that the arrival of Hassani on the coast of Africa must have been connected towards the end of the 16th century.

Note: As Langani which they will settle way later existed from 1350 to 1550 and not later we can not consider the dates as usable facts.

(2) We find, in the description of the bay of Pangani given by Captain Boteler (Narrata of a voyage of discovery to Africa, etc., London, 1835), that, on the right bank of the river which discharges its waters there, there is still a town called Pangani, and, on the right bank, a village called Oueny (Whaney). In reporting this fact, despite the difference between the words Oueny and Boueni, we find a certain coincidence with what tradition reports, but not, as a guarantee of the accuracy of the events recounted in the present note. It is with the same reservation that we will also report, as shown on a map of 1619, a town named Bueni, across (the channel) of Pemba Island, that is to say where tradition placed Boueni.

(3) There exist, we have been told, vestiges of foundations of this kind on the side indicated.

(4) We find, in the work already cited by Captain Boteler, who has excavated this bay, the following observations, which come from the tradition of which we give the following. "Majambo Bay appears to have been inhabited by Arabs, since their tombs still existed on the summit of the small island located at the end of the pass. Trees have grown up in the middle of the tombs, blackened by time, and which will soon be nothing more than ruins."

(5) Nosy Makamby is about 7 km north into the sea from Kingani. See my webpage: Anamil (Kingany). Or Makamby island formed part of Kingany or was mixed up with it in the Oral History. Kingany was destroyed by the Portuguese in 1506.

(6) Nosy Antsoheribory; is the southern island in the Bay of Boeny. (This is the Bay with Kingany at its entrance.) This little islands has many Swahili tombs (post Middle Ages).

(7) Boeny Village still exist in the S-W corner of the Bay of Boeny.

(8) Andriamandissou: a ruler of the Sakalaves tribe.

(9) Baly village still exists in the Bay of Baly. See my webpage on Bandar al Nub.

(10) Langani: see my webpage on Landjani; Lulugan =Langany; Lulangane (now Nosy Longany).

(11) Kandrany is still a village in the south of the Bay of Mahajanga. In front of it; closer to the shore of the bay is the village of Antranovato in which Pierre Vérin 1986 went searching for Swahili ruins and he found a majestic tomb.: “Using the traces of this wall and the stones placed at various points around the site, it proved possible to reconstruct the plan of Antranovato at least approximately. The structure was 8 m long in an east - west direction and 8.50 m in a north - south direction. It may have been a house, but because almost no fragments of pottery were found in situ it was more probably an Islamic tomb. The stonework was made of recent limestone …… The 'Indians' who were looking for treasure on Antranovato actually destroyed the tomb. There is no visible trace of any substructure and it is probable that there was a settlement consisting of buildings made of very light materials. The pottery found on the site has a combed decoration which is fairly representative of the Vezo - Antavelo style. …… We can only presume therefore that this island site had to do with Kandrany and the Islamic peoples. We noted in particular a stone construction, imported Chinese ware and quartz workings there. These are all common on Islamic sites, but there is no reason why they should not also appear among the inhabitants who were living before the Sakalava invasion, but were also in contact with the Islamic traders. The settlement at Kandrany - Antranovato was never an important trading centre. All that it consisted of were a few dozen small huts built of materials that were not long - lasting and possibly also the stone tomb of the founder of the settlement.”

(12) Ampasindava bay: In the South of this bay was found the city of Mahilaka 9th-14th century. Above the entrance to the bay is found: Sadah (Nosy Be) 11th-16th century. As they would then move further south to Nosy Komba; their first settlement could not be other than on Nosy Be.

(13) Nosy Komba: island just south-east of Nosy Be. See my webpage on Sadah (Nosy Be).

(14) Moving to the Bay of Mahajambe; this means the oral history is not old enough to know of the oldest site in the deep south of the Bay of Ampasindava. This is the site of Mahilaka 9th-14th century.