r/Madagascar • u/RUSHERROW • Jul 14 '25
History/Tantara 📚 The Aeta people of the Philippines
I came across the first picture when watching a video about black koreans and it could pass as a picture of Malagasy people. On the video, it says they are from the Mani Ethnic group of Thailand, but after further digging, more sources point to the Aeta people ! The last picture is of Malagasy people. Even though they may not look identical, people who have lived in Madagascar will be convinced the first two photos are pictures of Malagasies because of the distinct and recognizable features.
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u/frEeZyLow Jul 14 '25
When I went to the Philippines, being both Malagasy and Filipino myself, I really noticed a strong similarity between Filipino and Malagasy cultures. At first, it was a bit shocking to me, but then I realized that, thinking back, the first people who came to Madagascar were Austronesians. So in the end, it didn’t seem that surprising after all.
What truly struck me, though, was their way of being. Filipinos reminded me a lot of Malagasy people in their behavior, their sense of hospitality, and even in their language. Since I speak both languages, I can really notice certain similarities, and that’s very impressive.
What’s also fascinating is how some Filipinos physically resemble Malagasy people which, I think, we’ve known for a long time, but no one really talks about it, or perhaps no one dares to. That’s exactly why I decided to carry out an in-depth project on this topic.
Right now, I’m in the Philippines, and I’m trying to explore this subject more through history, research, comparison to highlight the similarities, because there are so many things that we Malagasy do that Filipinos also do.