Ikongo massif (Fort Carnot)
The mountain Ikongo is a huge rock with a tabular summit whose northern and southern sides are surrounded by the Sandrananta and the Savondronina rivers, tributaries of the Matitanana river. This mountain, located in the middle of the forest, constitutes the core of the traditional Tanala-Ikongo region, whose inhabitants are isolated from the Antaimoro ethnic group (living in the coast) by the mountainous range. The Tanala peoples are divided into two subgroups: the Tanala Menabe in the inaccessible mountainous north, and the Tanala Ikongo, in the southern part of the Tanala homeland.
Each of the very hierarchical Tanala villages has a collective house called “tranobe”, which is usually built on the top of a hill facing the West. Elderly villagers and important figures of the village live in the upper parts of the village, while the youngest occupy the lower ones. Inhabitants wear always a round-shaped hut.
