All the black communities living on the Caribbean coast of Central America are commonly
called Garifuna or Black Carib, or as they refer to themselves, Garinagu. Over the last
three centuries, in spite of many migrations, re-settlements and interactions with
Indians, British, French and Spanish, they have preserved much of the culture from their
two main branches of ancestry. The Garinagu are the descendants of Caribs Indians and
Black African slaves. The Caribs were originally indigenous peoples from South America.
They spoke the Arawak Indian language and are believed to have left the
Orinoco jungles
of Venezuela to settle in the Caribbean. They inhabited various Caribbean islands but were
later pushed out by European colonists and were able to keep only two islands, Dominica
and Saint Vincent.
In 1635 two Spanish ships carrying slaves to the West Indies were ship-wrecked near St.
Vincent. The slaves escaped and were welcomed and protected by the Carib Indians. Their
intermarriage formed the Garinagu people (known as Garifuna today). The Garinagu still
spoke Arawak. They remained on those two islands where they traded with the French. In
1795, the British took control of their islands to start sugar cane plantations. In 1797,
British relocated all the Garinagu prisoners along with some black slaves to the island of
Roatan in Honduras. From Roatan they moved to the Spanish fort of Trujillo and settled all
along the coast from Belize through Honduras to Nicaragua.
At last census in 1974 the Garifuna population was believed to be approximately 77,000,
in 51 communities, most of them on the Caribbean shores of Honduras. Their language,
agriculture (yucca), and religion remain similar to those found among their
ancestral peoples of the Amazon, while their dances, drum music and artistic heritage
shows a strong African influence.
We will spend time in various Garifuna communities and experience and document their
daily lives. Join us for a fascinating look at Afro-Caribbean culture.
For more details on their culture and history we also recommend that you visit the
websites:
Garinet Global :
Garifuna Web portal with an array of links for contemporary Garifuna
news, issues, culture, and organizations: Garifuna History, Garifuna
News, Garifuna Events, Garifuna Music, Garifuna products and Much
more...
Garifuna World
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Peoples