raising is also important, though not as significant as in neighboring groups like the Bara. The people are excellent woodcarvers and are known for their large wooden sculptures. Despite the prevalence of Christianity, the role of diviners, astrologists and witch doctors in Betsileo society is also still significant. Witch doctors are believed to be able to manipulate magic as well as converse with ancestors, and can be consulted for reasons ranging from health issues to poisoning. Astrologists and diviners are consulted to set dates for ceremonies or read people’s futures. Language The Betsileo speak a dialect of the Malagasy language, which is a branch of the Malayo-Polynesian language group derived from the Barito languages, spoken in southern Borneo. Economy The Betsileo are known for their agricultural background and prowess as farmers. Their economic mainstay is rice cultivation, which is a staple food in Madagascar. The size and yield of a family’s rice plot often demarcates the wealth of that family. Notes External links Research among the Betsileo People of Tsaranoro Betsileo Cultural Facts Betsileo Population Facts Bibliography Dubois, Henri (1938). Monographie des Betsileo. Paris: Institut d'Ethnologie. Evers, Sandra, J.T.M. (2002). Constructing history, culture and inequality. Boston: Brill. Kottak, Conrad P. (1980). The Past in the Present: History, Ecology and Variation in Highland Madagascar. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Legrip-Randriambelo, Olivia & Regnier, Denis. The place of traditional healers (ombiasa) in Betsileo medical pluralism. Health, Culture & Society 7(1): 28-37. http://hcs.pitt.edu/ojs/index.php/hcs/article/view/188/219 Regnier, Denis (2012). Why not marry them? History, essentialism and the condition of slave descendants among the southern Betsileo. PhD thesis. London School of Economics and Political Science. http://etheses.lse.ac.uk/362/ Regnier, Denis (2015). Clean people, unclean people: the essentialisation of 'slaves' among the southern Betsileo of Madagascar. Social Anthropology 23(2): 152-168. Abstract and link to the article Ethnic groups in Madagascar