The head of King Toera (or Itoera) of Menabé, a former kingdom in the west of Madagascar, betweem the Mangoky and Manambalo rivers, has been returned to the island by France. The former king was captured in battle following a rebellion against the French government of Madagascar in 1897, and was subsequently beheaded along with two of his supporters. The three heads were then taken to Paris, where they were placed in the collection of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle as 'anthropological specimens'.
The Kingdom of Menabé was formed in about 1540 by Adriamandazoala, who led a group of Sakalava people from the south of the island on a migration into the area (one of two kingdoms in the west of Madagascar formed by migrating Sakalava people at about this time, along with Boina, to the north of the Manambalo River. The kingdom grew under notable rulers such as Andriandahifotsy, (died 1685) and Andriandrainarivo (died 1727), but was incorporated into a unified Kingdom of Madagascar by Radama I in 1820 (although sporadic uprisings would occur until 1840 when Queen Ranavalona I placed garrisons in all the major towns of Menabé and moved farmers into the region from other regions of Madagascar to dilute loyalty to the Menabé kings (who were nevertheless able to keep their titles, albeit as rulers of a subordinate kingdom).
In 1883 France invaded Madagascar, with fighting continuing till 1886, when a treaty was signed granting the French control of the port of Diego-Suarez (now Antsiranana) as well as the right to determine Malagasy foreign policy, making the island an effective (but not official) French protectorate. In 1894 France launched a second invasion, marching upon the capital, Antananarivo, which fell in September 1895, following a brief shelling by French artillery. On 1 October 1895 Queen Ranavalona III signed a treaty making Madagascar an official protectorate of France.
In 1897, following an uprising in central Madagascar, the Malagasy monarchy was abolished and Queen Ranavalona III was exiled to Réunion, never to return. The French military commander, Joseph Gallieni. King Toera did not take part in this initial rebellion, but when direct rule by France was declared, he joined the rebellion, putting together an army of 10 000 warriors armed with riffles. An expedition to Menabé was launched under the French General Augustin Gérard, who reached the Menabé capitol, Ambiky on 30 August 1987, which, like Antananarivo before it, fell after a short artillery bombardment.
King Toera was captured and beheaded along with two of his senior advisers. Their heads were subsequently shipped to France and placed in the anthropological collection of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle. During the entire campaign only two French casualties were recorded, both soldiers from the Tirailleurs Sénégalais (a West African regiment that did not recruit exclusively from Senegal).
More than 20 000 sets of Human remains are still held in the collection of the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, including hundreds more from Madagascar, with collections also held by other French museums and universities. Similar collections are held by institutes in other countries in Europe, as well as other parts of the world.
In 2023 France changed its laws on the ownership of such remains, in order to allow their return to countries from which they were obtained, this having become a sticking point in relations with many nations around the world. The return of the skulls of King Toera and his advisers is the first such repatriation under the new law.
DNA tests carried out at the Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle proved unable to determine which of the skulls belonged to King Toera, although they were able to determine that they did belong to people of Sakalava origin, so an identification was carried out by a Sakalava spirit medium. The three skulls were handed over in a ceremony in Paris on 27 August 2025, and reached Antananarivo on 1 September. From here they are being taken overland to Menabé, where they will be buried.
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