This ethnic group label has been used by other Malagasy and foreigners to describe the people who traditionally inhabited the southwestern coast of Madagascar, bounded inland by the Menarandra and Onilahy rivers.

[1] Prior to the arrival of the Maroserana, people settled in this portion of the island lived in communities ruled by chiefly families called andriantsileliky.

The followers of this noble remained united in their allegiance to him through the ombiasy (holy adviser) who served as an intermediary between the ruler and his people.

[1] One of the earliest documented Mahafaly political actions was in June 1649, when twelve Mahafaly envoys visited the French settlement at Fort Dauphin to successfully obtain the paid services of French mercenaries to help fight the Masikoro people who had stolen their king's cattle.

Kings were buried in tombs called volamena ("gold")[14] and they were renamed after their death, a practice called anaratahina, as it was taboo after death to speak the name a king had in life;[8] all his followers were required to cut their hair at the start of the mourning period and any who did not comply were expelled from the community.

[17] The king ruled over a society that was divided into those of privilege (renilemy), commoners (valohazomanga) and migrants to the area from elsewhere (folahazomanga).

The king was supported by a councillor (ombiasy) as well as a priest (mpisoro) who was responsible for conducting animal sacrifices at the communal altar (hangomaza-lava).

Heads of these clans were elected under the title of "royal friend" (rainitsy ny mpanjaka) and had an official councillor (ondaty-be) similar to the king himself.

[1] Only the heads of clans and the king were authorized to carry a large iron spear (beraha), which served as a symbol of their status.

[20] Zebu hold an important place in society for both economic and spiritual reasons, being seen as symbolic of life and nobility, as well as a means of linking the living to the ancestors.

[21] Members of a household work together to undertake farming and other livelihood activities to meet the family's subsistence needs.

[26] Throughout Mahafaly country, it was forbidden for white people to enter; if one managed to penetrate the territory, the chief of that land was put to death.

The tombs of family members were historically located in sacred forest areas far from the houses of the living, although due to deforestation and other factors this is no longer always the case.

Aloalo today are considered an iconic symbol of Madagascar, and the Mahafaly homeland encompassing its semi-arid ecosystem and wealth of tombs and funerary art has been added to the Tentative List of World Heritage Sites.

[31] They also gather wild honey,[32] sell charcoal, weave baskets and mats, practice woodworking, cultivate kitchen gardens and raise small livestock.