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rum, and metal tools with the Masikoro (Stiles, 1991).

Whether or not a person is labeled Mikea is largely dependent on how that person sees himself. Self-identified Mikea can ascribe any combination of a set of seven criteria to themselves to claim the Mikea identity. The first criterion is foraging skills. Whether the skills are currently practiced does not necessarily matter, as long as they possess those skills. The second criterion is familiarity with the forest. The third criterion is residence in the forest. The fourth criterion encountered by self-identified Mikea is Mikea descent. They consider themselves Mikea if their ancestors were Mikea. Ancestor worship also happens to be the primary form of religion among the Mikea. The fifth criterion for being a Mikea is Mikean origins, e.g. from a Mikean village (Mikean villages are rare, but at least two are known to exist). The sixth criterion is identification with the forest. And finally, the last criterion is residence in the Mikean Region, or more specifically, west of the Iovy Creek (Yount, 2001).

As you can see, the ability to label one's self as Mikea can be relatively easy. There are many reasons why one would or would not attach the Mikea label to themselves. In the past, the Mikea have been looked down upon by other people. Others have viewed them as anything from dirty to subhuman. However, they are also respected for their forest skills, and this view has been growing more common recently. There are other reasons why people of this region would want to be identified as Mikea. There has been programs put in place by missionaries and secular groups to benefit the Mikea people specifically. Since the Mikea are not a separate ethnicity from their neighbors, it has been difficult if not impossible to ensure that only true Mikea benefit from these programs (Yount, 2001).

The origins of the Mikea remains a mystery. In the past, the popular view has been that foragers are secluded vestiges of ancient culture or maybe even societies that have devolved from a more advanced culture, such as agriculturist, into a more primitive one (Stiles, 1991). Among the Mikea, their history as a forest people relates the forest with refuge and resistance. They view their migration into the forest as an escape from an oppressive government, from the slave trade, and from French colonial head taxes (Kaufmann, 2001). What began as a search for freedom and self-isolation has become a way of life for an important economic

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