Bealanana

Bealanana lies in the northern interior of Madagascar, in the upland country of the Tsimihety. Hills and river valleys separate this district from the coast and the central highlands. The name Tsimihety means those who do not cut their hair, a custom linked in tradition to refusal to mourn a Sakalava ruler as his subjects did. Communities from different origins formed a people in these northern highlands, beyond the western kingdoms' centres of power.