Betsimisaraka confederation

The Betsimisaraka are a Malagasy people inhabiting the east-central and northeastern coast of Madagascar. They speak a dialect of Malagasy, the common language of the Malagasy peoples. The Betsimisaraka, meaning "Inseparable Multitude," traditionally lived in a narrow coastal strip, cultivating rice, cassava, and corn, and increasingly growing export crops like coffee and vanilla.1

Historically, the Betsimisaraka were known as skilled sailors and pirates. In the early 18th century, Ratsimilaho united various chiefdoms along a 400-mile stretch of coast, forming the Betsimisaraka kingdom. This confederation, however, collapsed after the death of its third ruler in 1791. Most Betsimisaraka then came under the rule of the expanding Merina kingdom until French colonial rule began in the 1890s. The Betsimisaraka confederation was a brief but significant attempt to unite the eastern coastal peoples of Madagascar.123