November
1997 the Black Carib culture known, as the Garifuna were reminded of their
ancestors’ resilient struggle to overcome the brutal racism put forth by
the European settlers in the New World. This day marked the 200th
anniversary of the arrival of the Garifuna on the shores of Central America
after being forcibly removed by the British from the island of St. Vincent
located in the Caribbean. Though this culpable relocation of their
entire culture by the British was meant to circumscribe the Garifuna, they
have survived like members of their ancestry did when they were enslaved
and brought from Africa during the Trans-Atlantic slave trade of the 17th,
18th, and 19th centuries. Today the Garifuna populations can be found in
Guatemala, Honduras, Belize and many have migrated to the United States.
The Garifuna, also known as the Garinagu, are direct descendants of the
“Island Caribs” and a group of African slaves who escaped two ship-wrecked
Spanish slave ships near St. Vincent in 1635(Garinagu Early History, 1).
The Island Caribs were descendants of South American Indians known as Arawaks
and another group, the Caribs, who migrated from South America to the Caribbean
at a later date. Through the admixture of these cultures as well as the
influence of European settlers in the Americas, the Garifuna obtained a
diverse culture that incorporates African traditions of music, dance, religious
rites, and ceremonies; Native American cultivation, hunting, and fishing
techniques; and a French and Arawak influenced language.
The Garifuna culture displays many influences of its African heritage,
and this is extremely evident when comparing their music with the indigenous
music of the African societies from which their ancestors originated.
According to one source, “most of the slaves brought to the Caribbean were
taken from the Niger and cross Delta regions in the Blight of Benin (present-day
Nigeria) in West Africa, and from further south in the Congo and Angola”(A
History of Belize 5th chapter, 1). Much like the music of these areas,
the Garifuna style of music relies heavily on call and response patterns.
These patterns are less overlapping than many traditional ones found in
Africa, but none the less the Garifunas’ “leader/chorus organization” is
very consistent with those of African styles (Franzone 1995,294).
In addition, the importance of the drum in Garifuna music is another similarity
to their African influence. Garifuna music relies heavily on the
drum, and in many instances their music is dictated by it. Often
times a particular drum style will call for two drummers (except for sacred
music, which usually uses three). Typically, one drummer will play a fixed,
consistent pattern. This drummer is usually called the segunda player.
Another more intricate part made up of cross-patterns is normally played
by the primero player (S.Cayetano,1). The drums of the Garifuna are usually
made of hardwoods that are uniformly shaped and carved out in the centers.
The ends of the drums, whether it be one or two, are covered with skins
from the peccary, deer, or sheep (S.Cayetano, 1). These drums are always
played with the hands, and some drummers have been known to wrap metal
wires around the drumheads to give them a snare-like sound. Some musicians
accompany the drums with gourd shakers called sisira, and even instruments
like the guitar, flute, and violin have been adopted from early French,
English, and Spanish folk music, as well as, Jamaican and Haitian Afro-Caribbean
styles (S.Cayetano,1).
In accompaniment to their music traditions lie the Garifuna songs and dance
styles, which are an integral part of their culture. These songs
and dance styles that are performed by the Garifuna display a wide range
of subjects like work songs, social dances, and ancestral traditions. Some
of the work songs include the Eremwu Eu, which is sung by the women as
they prepare to make cassava bread, and the Laremuna Wadauman, a song men
regularly sing when collectively working together (S.Cayetano, 2).
As for songs and dances in the social context, pieces like the Gunchei
are quite customary. In this dance style the men take turns dancing
with each woman. Another very popular dance style performed by the
Garifuna is called the punta. According to one Garifuna author this
style is, “ the most popular dance performed at wakes, holidays, parties,
and other social events”(S.Cayetano, 2). It consists of different
couples attempting to dance more stylistically and seductively with hip
movements than their other competitors. While most of these songs
and dances is more modern in origin, the Garifuna still maintain many traditional
pieces. One of the most famous of these is called the Wanaragua.
This dance, which is also known as the John Canoe, is a dance that originated
in times of slavery and is performed around Christmas time. The participants
will dress up in white masks and venture from house to house in order to
receive food and drinks from that household. The dance is said to have
been started by both the Creole and Garifuna during encounters at mahogany
camps where they were forced to work, and the intent was to mock their
white slave owners (Palacio 1993,14). Other traditional dances are
defined as: “the Charikawi- a mimed dance where a hunter meets up
with a cave man and a cow, and the Chumba-a highly poly-rhythmic song,
danced by soloists with great individualized style”(S. Cayetano, 2).
While many of the song and dance styles mentioned above are uniquely Garifuna
based, none of them emit the echoing tidal wave of African ancestry like
Garifuna ancestral rites and ceremonies do. There are traditionally three
main ancestral rites portrayed by the Garifuna. They are defined as: “1.
The Amuyadahani- bathing the spirit of the dead 2. The Chuga- feeding
of the dead, and 3. The Dugu- the feasting of the dead”(S. Cayetano &
F.Cayetano 1984,1). The Garifuna perform these rites because like
many African societies they believe that spirits of their ancestors, which
are both good and evil have direct impact on the lives of people in the
living world. One author confirms this when she says, “Instances
of natural death are prepared for. However, sudden or untimely deaths suggest
the influence of evil human or spiritual factors, and much care is taken
to prevent the restless spirit of these deceased from returning to bother
the living”(Franzone 1995,152). When this unexpected death occurs it is
announced to the rest of the community by wailing women who go door to
door with the sound of drums (Franzone 1995,152). It is for this
reason that the Garifuna take great care in providing for their dead ancestors
the three ancestral rites, the most extravagant one tends to be the Dugu.
Since it is recognized that the Garifuna are meshed together with influences
from many different cultures; it is also possibly in some degree to begin
to separate parts of their culture to determine their roots. One
example of this is their Amerindian influences of the Arawaks and Caribs
collectively known as the Island Caribs. When the African slaves intermixed
with the Island Caribs they brought into the culture many African based
influences that have been previously discussed. However, in order to better
understand whom the Garifuna are it becomes necessary to relate other adopted
characteristics of their culture to they're other major ancestral influence,
the Island Caribs. This Island Carib culture was one that was founded on
yucca and cassava farming as well as hunting and fishing sometime before
1000AD(Garinagu Early History, 1). It is quite amazing then that
the Garifuna women are still widely known for their tradition of making
cassava bread (Palacio 1993,1-3). In addition, the Garifuna men have
always been known for their maritime skills since they were mainly away
hunting and fishing from various islands throughout the Caribbean and Central
America (Global Neighbors: Garifuna History, 1). It is not hard to understand
then why the Garifuna are both a matrilocal
This means that the women are at the center of the household and descendants
trace their bloodline through their mother’s family. According to
one author, “The women are very actively a part of the Garifuna social
culture and are known for their leadership ability and articulate speech”(Global
Neighbors: Garifuna History, 1). Therefore, while the women are the
farmers in which they grow mostly cassava, they are also major role models
and figureheads for the young children (Global Neighbors: Garifuna History,
1).
Another influence that the Garifuna had in their defining lines of their
culture was the obvious influence of the French during the beginning stages
of colonial development in the New World. It was during this time that
French missionaries were exploring the region of the Caribbean and teaching
the Island Caribs many words of their native tongue, including the use
of French numbers and counting systems. Certain expressions were than fused
with the Arawak language that the Island Caribs were speaking. This
created the Garifuna language that can still be heard counting in French
today (Global Neighbors: Garifuna history, 1).
All of these things combined have provided a brief understanding of who
the Garifuna are, and where they come from. Furthermore, it has become
apparent through reference points to other cultures and more in-depth studies
of the Garifuna that their roots were cultivated in many places around
the globe. For example, the traditions of their music dance, religious
rites, and rituals are all very much seeded in their link to their African
ancestry. While the Garinagu forms of subsistence, on the other hand,
are more associated with their Island Carib ancestors. Even the European
settlers of the New World had a very profound effect on the development
of the Garifuna culture. The same culture that is characterized by the
blending of distant pieces of worldly influences, driven by the human intuition
to survive, and fueled by the desire for freedom.
REFERENCES
CITED
1)
Palacio, Myrtle
1993 The First Primer On The People Called Garifuni . Glessima Research
& Services
2)
Franzone, Dorothy
1995 A Critical and Cultural Analysis of an African People in the
Americas: Africanisms in the Garifuna Culture of Belize. UMI
Dissertation Services (151-152).
3)
Global Neighbors: Garifuna History. Garifuna World [On-line],
Available: http://www.Garifuna-world.com
4)
Garinagu Early History. Garifuna World [On-line], Available:
http://www.Garifuna- world.com
5)
Cayetano, Sebastian, (1997). Garifuna Music. Garifuna World [On-line],
Available: http://www. Garifuna-world.com
6)
Cayetano, Sebastian; Cayetano, Fabian (September 30, 1984). Dugu. Garifuna
World [On-line], Available: http://www.Garifuna-world.com
7)
The History of Belize (Chapters 4&5). [On-line], Available: http://www.
Garifuna-world.com
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