扎菲曼尼里人生活在马达加斯加东南部菲亚纳兰查省方圆700平方公里的山区中。一种独特的木雕文化曾经在该岛广为流传，并在扎菲曼尼里族群中传承。在18世纪，这个族群为躲避森林采伐而逃到这个偏僻的山林。今天，约有25000扎菲曼尼里人生活在100多个山区村落里。
　　在数代人之后，扎菲曼尼里的护林人、木匠和手艺人在木工方面积累了一套实用知识和技巧。这种复杂的传统手艺，体现了木材这一自然资源在生活中的珍贵价值。扎菲曼尼里居民的建筑和日常用品都体现了他们深谙森林的开发利用和木雕工艺。实际上，所有木制品，如墙、窗框、柱梁、板凳、箱子、工具等，都精雕细刻。扎菲曼尼里人将当地的20种木材，运用到建筑和装饰上。
　　房屋和陵墓完全是由传统的木榫连接起来，没有任何钉子、合页等金属部件。传统的谷仓建在圆堆之上，形成山地特有景观。刻画在扎菲曼尼里各种木质物品上的美丽图案，寓意丰富，反映出这个社会群体不仅源于印度尼西亚，还受过马达加斯加文化中的阿拉伯文化的影响。尽管数目不多，但由于扎菲曼尼里木匠具有丰富的创造力，人们找不到两个完全一样的图案。这些图案承载着族群的信仰和价值观。例如，蜘蛛网象征着家庭关系；蜂房象征着群体生活。另外，这些装饰和其他诸如房屋设计等表现形式，还是个人在群体中的作用和社会地位的标志。

The Zaffi Manili live in a 700-square-kilometer mountain range in the province of Fianaranta in southeastern Madagascar. A unique woodcarving culture was once widely circulated on the island and passed down in the Zaffi Manili community. In the 18th century, this group fled to this remote mountain forest to escape forest harvesting. Today, about 25,000 Zaffi Manili people live in more than 100 mountain villages. After several generations, Zaffi Manelli’s rangers, carpenters and craftsmen have accumulated a practical knowledge and skills in carpentry. This complex traditional craft reflects the precious value of wood as a natural resource in life. The architecture and daily necessities of the residents of Zafimanili reflect their deep development and use of wood and wood carving. In fact, all wood products, such as walls, window frames, column beams, benches, boxes, tools, etc., are sculpted. The Zaffi Manili people applied 20 local woods to the building and decoration. The houses and mausoleums are completely connected by traditional wooden rafts, without any metal parts such as nails and hinges. The traditional barn is built on a round pile to form a unique landscape of the mountains. The beautiful patterns portrayed in various wooden objects in Zaffimani are rich in meaning, reflecting that this social group is not only derived from Indonesia but also influenced by the Arab culture in Madagascar culture. Although the number is small, because Zaffi Manili carpenters are rich in creativity, people can't find two identical patterns. These patterns carry the beliefs and values of the community. For example, spider webs symbolize family relationships; hives symbolize group life. In addition, these decorations and other forms of expression such as house design are also a sign of the role of individuals in the group and their social status.