Garifuna
The Afro-Caribbean Garifuna people originated with the arrival of West African slaves who washed ashore on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent around 1635 while likely on their way to New World mines and plantations. Today, the global population of Garifunas stands at upwards of 300,000 people, many of whom live in the U.S. and Canada. Garifuna communities along the Caribbean Sea live mostly in coastal towns and villages in the Central American countries of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
A Brief History of the Garifuna People
The West African transplants were either ship-wrecked or escaped from the Caribbean islands of Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada, depending on the source. They intermarried with local populations of Arawaks and Carib Indians (Caribs), immigrants from South America, to become known as Garifunas or Black Caribs.
For a time, the Afro-Caribbean Garifunas lived peacefully alongside French settlers who reached St. Vincent later in the 17th century, until being exiled by British troops in 1796 and eventually shipped off to Roatan, one of the Honduras Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea. After successfully developing a healthy crop of cassava, a mainstay of traditional Garifuna diets, on Roatan, Garifunas branched out to the Caribbean mainland to establish fishing villages in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. According to one source, the Spanish agreed to transfer the Garifunas from Roatan to Trujillo, Colon on the coastal mainland of Honduras, effectively consolidating their claim on Roatan and the other Honduras Bay Islands and gaining better access to a workforce of Garifuna laborers.
“A Masterpiece of Oral and Cultural Heritage”Afro-Caribbean Garifuna culture combines Caribbean fishing and farming traditions with a mixture of South American and African music, dance and spirituality. UNESCO declared Garifuna language, dance and music in Belize to be a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” in 2001.
Nicaragua’s President Enrique Bolanos hosted the First International Summit of Garifunas in Central America on Nicaragua’s Corn Island to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. President Bolanos’ objectives were reported to include joining Corn Island, located 350 km east of Managua in the Caribbean Sea, with other Garifuna enclaves in the Caribbean and establishing a trade agreement among Caribbean Garifuna communities from Cancun, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula to Nicaragua. Other aspects of the initiative included developing a partnership between Corn Island and Cancun and building a relationship with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Garifuna Culture: Drumming and Punta MusicAs the UNESCO recognition suggests, Garifuna culture is closely identified with music and dance. Garifuna music styles are known for their heavy use of percussion instruments and distinctive drumming, which combines the beats of primero (tenor) and segunda (bass) drums. Garifuna drums are typically made from hollowed-out hardwoods such as mahogany or mayflower that are native to Central America.
Garifuna Food and DrinkGarifuna food and drink make use of a combination of native Central American crops and African staples, including fish, chicken, cassava, bananas and plantains. Machuca, a dish of mashed green plantains with coconut milk soup and fried fish, is a common example of a traditional Garifuna dish. Dharasa, the Garifuna version of a tamale, is made from green bananas to taste either sweet or sour. Cassava bread is served with most meals. Other Garifuna breads include: buns, banana bread and pumpkin bread.
A Brief History of the Garifuna People
The West African transplants were either ship-wrecked or escaped from the Caribbean islands of Barbados, St. Lucia and Grenada, depending on the source. They intermarried with local populations of Arawaks and Carib Indians (Caribs), immigrants from South America, to become known as Garifunas or Black Caribs.
For a time, the Afro-Caribbean Garifunas lived peacefully alongside French settlers who reached St. Vincent later in the 17th century, until being exiled by British troops in 1796 and eventually shipped off to Roatan, one of the Honduras Bay Islands in the Caribbean Sea. After successfully developing a healthy crop of cassava, a mainstay of traditional Garifuna diets, on Roatan, Garifunas branched out to the Caribbean mainland to establish fishing villages in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. According to one source, the Spanish agreed to transfer the Garifunas from Roatan to Trujillo, Colon on the coastal mainland of Honduras, effectively consolidating their claim on Roatan and the other Honduras Bay Islands and gaining better access to a workforce of Garifuna laborers.
“A Masterpiece of Oral and Cultural Heritage”Afro-Caribbean Garifuna culture combines Caribbean fishing and farming traditions with a mixture of South American and African music, dance and spirituality. UNESCO declared Garifuna language, dance and music in Belize to be a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity” in 2001.
Nicaragua’s President Enrique Bolanos hosted the First International Summit of Garifunas in Central America on Nicaragua’s Corn Island to ratify the 2003 UNESCO Convention for Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage. President Bolanos’ objectives were reported to include joining Corn Island, located 350 km east of Managua in the Caribbean Sea, with other Garifuna enclaves in the Caribbean and establishing a trade agreement among Caribbean Garifuna communities from Cancun, Mexico on the Yucatan Peninsula to Nicaragua. Other aspects of the initiative included developing a partnership between Corn Island and Cancun and building a relationship with the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
Garifuna Culture: Drumming and Punta MusicAs the UNESCO recognition suggests, Garifuna culture is closely identified with music and dance. Garifuna music styles are known for their heavy use of percussion instruments and distinctive drumming, which combines the beats of primero (tenor) and segunda (bass) drums. Garifuna drums are typically made from hollowed-out hardwoods such as mahogany or mayflower that are native to Central America.
Garifuna Food and DrinkGarifuna food and drink make use of a combination of native Central American crops and African staples, including fish, chicken, cassava, bananas and plantains. Machuca, a dish of mashed green plantains with coconut milk soup and fried fish, is a common example of a traditional Garifuna dish. Dharasa, the Garifuna version of a tamale, is made from green bananas to taste either sweet or sour. Cassava bread is served with most meals. Other Garifuna breads include: buns, banana bread and pumpkin bread.