Garifuna – Cultural Flavours of Toledo

The first evidence of the presence of the Garifuna in this part of the world occurred in 1675 when a boat carrying hundreds of African slaves was shipwrecked on the Caribbean island of St. Vincent. They joined the Carib (Arawak) Indians there and for a while lived together in harmony, intermarrying among them.

The Community in Toledo

From St. Vincent, the Garifuna dispersed along the coasts of the adjacent mainland and first arrived in Honduras and then in Southern Belize in the 1800s. The largest group arrived on the 19th November 1823 in Dangriga, where the first settlement was founded. Today, their arrival is celebrated during the annual ‘Settlement Day’. The Garifuna in Belize consolidated other settlements along the coast of Hopkins, Seine Bight, Punta Gorda, Barranco, and more recently inland at Georgetown. Some of the men worked in mahogany camps, while others fished, farmed and cleared the bush to plant cassava and other root crops.

Cultural Traditions

The Garifuna in Belize speak English but also have their own language, which has absorbed different elements of their past, including Arawak and African. Garifuna music is quite different from that of the rest of Central America. The most famous form is punta. In its associated dance style, dancers move their hips in a circular motion. Punta has seen some modernization and electrification in the 1970s; now known as punta rock. Punta is still the most popular dance in Garifuna culture. Traditional Garifuna music is based on a small number of basic rhythms and drums play a very important role. Apart from drums, turtle shells, conch shell (for a horn), guitar and other percussion instruments are also used. Garifuna food traditionally comprises of fish, cassava, and plantains prepared in a variety of ways mainly with coconut ingredients.

Specialities

To experience the (mostly organic) farming practices of the Garifuna, time your visit to coincide with the monthly Wachari Organic Farmer’s Market in Punta Gorda (Saturdays). Wachari means “what we and the land produce together” and there is an abiding belief in the Garifuna culture that land should not be harmed in any way (thus no use of pesticides or poison).

At the market, sample a plate of Hudut, a traditional Garifuna dish consumed all over Belize. The meal comprises green and ripe mashed plantains called Fu-fu and a coconut fish stew. It is commonly served with yams, widely available on Garifuna Farms.
To get into the Garifuna rhythm, check out one of the Drum Schools in Punta Gorda, which offer classes in drumming, drum making and Garifuna dance (Warasa Garifuna Drum School).

If you are fortunate to be in Toledo in November check out the Battle of the Drums. The various Drum Schools compete with each other and the drum rhythms are heard all over the district. The event promotes the Garifuna Culture with an emphasis on music, song and dance. It takes place on the weekend preceding the 19th of November (Settlement Day), when the Garifuna community celebrates and remembers the day the first Garifuna settlers arrived in Belize.

Businesses Related to Community

Warasa Drum School

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