The Garifuna

The Garifuna are an ethnic group found in Belize and Dangriga is often referred to as the heart of the Garifuna people. This group has an interesting and well-preserved history describing how they settled along the shores of Belize. The story begins before European arrival when there were two distinct ethnicities living in the Caribbean and more specifically on the island of St Vincent: the Arawak and the Carib which later melted into one group. In 1635 two Spanish ships carrying slaves from Nigeria where shipwrecked in the Caribbean. Some of the captives were able to swim to the shores of St Vincent and settled among the local populations. The indigenous people and new arrivals did not always get along at the beginning but eventually theses separate groups intermarried and formed a new ethnicity known as the Garifuna.

One hundred and fifty years after the marooned slaves arrived on St Vincent and mixed with the Caribs, the Garifuna were the largest and most powerful group on the island. At this time St. Vincent, along with many Caribbean Islands, was under British rule and they began building slave plantations. The British were unwilling to accept a free black population so close to their slaves and wanted to gain control of the island so repeatedly fought the Garifuna.

In 1796, after a year of bloody fighting and the killing of their chief Joseph Chatoyer, the Garifuna surrendered. Months later the British decided to put an end to free blacks in St Vincent so rounded up the Garifuna killing many in the process. British records state that around 4300 individuals were deported to the island of Balliceuax, just off the St Vincent coast. Half of the remaining population died within a few months because of lack of food and yellow fever. The survivors were once again rounded up and deported this time to the island of Roatan, one of the Bay Islands off Honduras. Survival continued to be a struggle and many died here. Shortly after their arrival, the Spanish took the remaining 1700 Garifuna to mainland Honduras. They settled here for 20 some years before war came to Honduras. The Garifuna supported the losing side and were again persecuted so once again had to move this time to British Honduras (which later became Belize).

History states that on November 19, 1832, the largest group of several hundred Garifuna landed at Stann Creek (located in Dangriga). They were led in their travels by Elijio Beni (who happens to have a park named in his honor next to my house). Other Garifuna had arrived in small number prior to this and even more came later. After 200 years of travelling, the Garifuna finally found a new homeland.

November 19 is a national holiday in Belize called Settlement Day. It is celebrated throughout the country with some of the biggest festivities in Dangriga including a re-enactment of the first ships arriving at Stann Creek.

The Garifuna were traditionally fishermen along the coast of Belize and did some farming. These people sought out ways to advance themselves and focused on education. They moved into the professional class throughout the country and are known as being very successful. It is very common to find Garifuna teachers, principals, and medical professionals.

Today the Garifuna continue to keep their tradition and culture alive. There is a National Garifuna Council that have wrote a dictionary, hold conferences, run a primary school, and opened a museum to share their story with visitors. The Garifuna language is still widely-spoken though there is talk about it being a dying language. In my experience, many young people have not learned it and are uninterested in doing so. It is mostly older generations that I hear speaking Garifuna. Traditional dances and drumming are still performed and many older women can be seen in town in their traditional clothing. These dances remind me of dancing in my village in Burkina Faso and I can see how they probably originate from the same traditions.

In the past twenty years or so, younger Garifuna have developed a new style of music called Punta Rock that has a base in traditional music but with a quicker beat and other instruments besides traditional drums. There are many well-known Punta Rock artists in Dangriga but two of the most famous are the late Andy Palacio and Pen Cayetano of the Turtle Shell Band. Pen is also a painter and he and his German wife Ingrid have a beautiful studio in Dangriga showcasing their work.

Other Garifuna traditions remind me of what I saw and learned in West Africa. There is a strong belief in ancestry worship and that spirits are all around us. Some people say that this involves voodoo and black magic but I’d like to think of it more as traditional religion and beliefs that are still practiced here as well as in Africa. One tradition is for a large event that is held every several years when an ancestor or spirit tells someone they need to hold this event or party. The spirits require that everyone in the family attend so it often takes a long time to plan. People have family that have settled all over and everyone must come including those in the United States. The event includes singing, dancing, and lots of food and continues for several days I believe. At the end, the spirit can say that they didn’t do a good enough job and they have to plan and throw a whole other event. This doesn’t usually happen though since it is such a huge expense for just one. I’ve also heard that there are many traditions surrounding death and funerals but I don’t know the specifics.

Please note that this is just my understanding of what I've read in several guidebooks and heard from the folks at the museum and other Garifuna in the community.