Garifuna Settlement Day

Around 1635, some slave ships from the west coast of Africa were wrecked near the coast of St. Vincent island in the Caribbean. Many of the slaves made it safely to shore, where they mixed with the Carib Indians already living on the island. This created a rich new ethnicity and culture, now known as Garifuna or Garinagu.

In the 18th century French and British colonists battled for control of St. Vincent. The Garifuna sided with the French, but in 1795, the British won and expelled them all from the island to Honduras. Garifuna families set off across the Caribbean in small wooden canoes carrying important crops with them to plant wherever they would settle. Half died on the way, those that survived, settled along the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize.

According to legend, the first Garifunas (about one hundred people) arrived in Belize and settled in Dangriga Town on November 19, 1802. with Now this day is a national holiday and is celebrated all over Belize with drumming, dancing and pageantry in Garifuna communities. Today, Garifuna language is a blend of Arawak, English, Spanish, French and West African languages. Music, singing, drumming and dancing are integral parts of their culture, and many of the songs and dances tell stories about Garifuna history and culture.

They came as the first group of free people to settle in Belize, decades before the Mestizos settled the North in the late 1840s and before the Mayas returned in the 1880s in flight from brutally oppressive labour conditions in Guatemala. Garifunas were not welcomed in Belize, as the settlement was still a slave society. There was fear amongst the English settlers in Belize Town that these free blacks might foment rebellion among the slaves. Consequently, a strict ban was imposed to prevent them from staying in the settlement for more than forty eight hours and a hefty fine was set for anyone who hired or employed any Garifuna within Belize Town. In compliance with the law, Garifunas formed their own settlements south of the Sibun River border where they have remained ever since. Seeds of discrimination and mistrust were also planted by the masters among the slaves to ensure that the two groups of Afro-descendants – one enslaved and the other free – remained separated.

In the colonial times Garifuna and Maya people were forbidden to own lands so Crown Lands were granted to them only for settlements. The Garifuna people used the land to engage in farming, which is an important aspect of their culture. Through farming, fishing and food production, the Garifuna people became independent and were able to maintain their towns and villages with little help from the governments.

They were the first group of Catholics to arrive in Belize. The first Catholic Church was established in 1832 amongst those residing near Mullins River. Over decades, the tough rigors of their work in forestry, their strong maritime culture, their harsh history of battle against European powers and subsequent deportation, their Catholic background, as well as their productivity, natural intelligence, facility for language and resilience, had all molded among the Garifuna the pioneering spirit and work ethic that made them and their descendants prime candidates for the Catholic Church to establish its schools throughout the remotest areas of Belize.

Today, relative to all Afro-descendant people throughout all the Americas and the Caribbean, the Garifunas remain one of the very few who have kept their unique African-indigenous hybrid ancestral language, their ancestral spirituality, food, music and other aspects of their traditional culture all intact. Garifuna is one of the most interesting, intriguing and colourful cultures on the planet! For that reason in 2001 UNESCO proclaimed the Garifuna language, music and dance a “Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity”. These alone are exceptional accomplishments to proudly celebrate. Nowadays Garifuna are primarily recognized for their unique drum playing and making drums. And the delicious Garifuna cooking is something every visitor to Belize should experience. Alongside with others Garifuna continue to play a major role in shaping modern day Belize. The Garifuna now comprise about 6% of the population of Belize, and there is a large Belize Garifuna diaspora in the US in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Chicago.

Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated for a whole week including parades, live music, drumming, dancing, prayers, Garifuna mass and election of Miss Garifuna take place to mark the anniversary. In communities like Dangriga and Punta Gorda, a dory symbolizing the arrival of the first Garifuna, is floating to shore around early morning dawn while Garifuna women dressed in their colourful costumes, tourists and other interested await the arrival onshore. Many people might be surprised to learn that there will be celebrations in New York, Los Angeles, Chicago and other North American urban centres.


More about Garifunas and their culture:
http://www.belize.com/garifuna-music-belize
http://www.warasadrumschool.com/
http://www.belizeanjourneys.com/features/drumming/newsletter.html
http://www.beinggarifuna.com/