Residents of Madagascar are known as Malagasy. They speak one common language, however their origin, are essentially two different sources. People leaving in the west highlands, cultivating mainly rice, derive their roots from the Austronesian peoples. A dozen centuries ago, the first settlers came to the Madagascar from today's Indonesia, probably Borneo. To this day, ethnic groups such as the Merina or Zafimaniry pray to the spirits of their ancestors directing prayers toward the northeast, the direction of the Indonesian islands. Tribes originating from the eastern Africa inhabit lowlands and dry areas of the east coast. The best known among them is the Bara tribe, who still practice polygamy, and their daily life relies on breeding zebu.
