Monday, August 15, 2011

Faraka the Varikamavo



Faraka is an adolescent varikamavo (red-fronted brown lemur) just coming into adulthood. He is an apprentice shipwright, and helps make boats in a little west coast village. He is a good natured and easy going fellow, with creative leanings and always curious about new ideas. When Manjoretra's lakana (boat) wrecks near his village, he is eager to help the Vezo-maky repair his vessel and also to travel some of the distance with him. At least as far as Belo-Sur-Tsiribihana.

Faraka has a fairly minor role in the novel. His name tranlates as "eager, desire to help" His species is Eulemur rufifrons - the southern red-fronted brown lemurs (can you see why I'm using the Malagasy names? They're shorter, even if they do mean about four different species).

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