Vezo people
Vezo fisherman | |
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 1,200 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
| Toliara Majunga (Minority) | |
| Languages | |
| Southern Sakalava, Vezo dialect | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity and Ancestral religion |
The Vezo is the term the semi-nomadic coastal people of southern Madagascar use to refer to people that have become accustomed to live from sea fishing. The Vezo 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. They currently populate most of the littoral zone along Madagascar's west coast between Toliara and Mahajanga.
"Vezo" literally means 'the people who fish', but also has been known to mean 'to struggle with the sea'.