Who Are the Garifuna?
The Garifuna are a unique Afro-indigenous people descended from the mixing of West African slaves and Carib/Arawak indigenous peoples on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. Approximately 600,000 Garifuna live along the Caribbean coast of Belize, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua, with large diaspora communities in the United States. Their culture blends African and Amerindian elements into something entirely distinctive—recognized by UNESCO as a Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage. The Garifuna language, punta music, and ancestor veneration practices represent this unique synthesis.
Birth of a People
In 1635, two Spanish slave ships wrecked near St. Vincent. Survivors joined with the island's Carib inhabitants, creating the "Black Caribs"—ancestors of the Garifuna. For 150 years, they resisted European colonization, fighting both French and British forces. After the Second Carib War (1795-1797), the British deported approximately 5,000 Black Caribs to Roatán Island off Honduras. From there, they spread along the Central American coast, establishing the communities that exist today. This origin story of resistance and resilience shapes Garifuna identity.
Punta: The Heartbeat
Punta is the iconic Garifuna musical form—driving drumbeats, call-and-response vocals, and hypnotic hip-circling dance movements. Originally ceremonial music for ancestor worship, punta evolved into the popular "punta rock" in the 1980s, pioneered by Belizean artist Pen Cayetano. The primero and segunda drums form the musical backbone, with rhythms that connect to both African and indigenous traditions. Punta has spread globally, representing Garifuna culture to the world while evolving with each generation.
Dügü: Calling the Ancestors
The dügü is a complex ceremony lasting several days, held to honor and appease ancestors who communicate through dreams and illness. A buyei (shaman) leads rituals including drumming, dancing, offerings, and trance possession. Participants may speak with deceased relatives through mediums. The ceremony requires extensive preparation including gathering specific foods and materials. Though Catholic churches condemned dügü as devil worship, it survived in secret and now practices openly. Dügü demonstrates how Garifuna maintained African-derived spiritual practices through centuries of suppression.
Diaspora and Revival
Large Garifuna communities in New York, Los Angeles, and other US cities maintain connections to coastal villages. Remittances support Central American communities, while diaspora organizations advocate for cultural preservation. Language loss threatens as younger generations grow up speaking English or Spanish. Revitalization efforts include language schools, cultural festivals, and media in Garifuna. Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize (November 19) celebrates the 1832 arrival in that country. The community demonstrates how diaspora can both threaten and support cultural continuity.
References
- Gonzalez, N. L. (1988). Sojourners of the Caribbean: Ethnogenesis and Ethnohistory of the Garifuna
- Johnson, P. C. (2007). Diaspora Conversions: Black Carib Religion and the Recovery of Africa
- Cayetano, S. (1997). The People's Garifuna Dictionary