This article analyzes the role of traditional music in the lifetime of the Antakarana, a population who lives in the North of Madagascar. Their musical practices are closely linked to their way of thinking, and contribute to strengthen their social cohesion and their cultural identity. In spite of the adverse effects of a modern life and the exodus towards the cities of the musicians and singers, traditionnal rites have not lost their dynamism and are always ccompanied with songs and dances.