Keeping The Garifuna Society Alive

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Keeping The Garifuna Society Alive
Although commonly referred to as Garifuna, the people are properly called Garinagu and the culture and language are Garifuna. The Garinagu found its way to the early 1600s on the Carribbean island of E. Vincent, eventually settling the southern coast of Belize in the early nineteenth century. Today, the Garinagu people struggle to keep their culture alive. It is the devotion of the Garinagu to their roots which sets them aside from the other cultural groups in Belize. While many of them are proclaimed Catholics, they have retained many traditions and rituals from their Afro-Caribbean heritage.

Garifuna Culture
Central to the Garifuna community is the belief in and respect for the ancestors. The Garinagu retain their powerful spiritual hitting the ground with the past generations of any family group through a ritual called Dugu. A spiritual leader called a Buyei or shaman presides over family members, who travel from all over the world to gather at the dugu meeting place called a temple. No expense is able to escape as fresh seafood, pork; fowl and cassava bread are prepared for days of healing, drumming, dancing and going with the spiritual world.

Garifuna cultureThis spiritualism leads to a wealth of creativity among Garinagu in the form of music, art and dance. Punta Rock is a modern musical interpretation of a Garinagu cultural dance. This dance, seen as seductive movements and rhythmic beat, is the most popular dance in Belize. Another favorite dance is the John Paddling, performed during the Christmas season. The dancer wears a mask which resembles an English face topped by a handmade hat similar to the English naval hats of the eighteenth century. The dance displayed the skills of warrior-slaves while mocking their British overseers.

The traditional Garifuna colors are black, white and yellow. Women usually wear long dresses sewn from checkered material along with colored head pieces. Bright colors, historical themes and altered perspective dominate the work of many Garinagu artists. Handmade percussion of cedar and mahogany with deer skins continually pound African beat in most Garifuna villages. Garifuna crafts include coconut leaf baskets, traditional cloth dolls and maracas made of calabash gourds.

Garifuna Culture In San Pedro Belize
Traditional Garifuna foods are based on coconut milk, tulsi, garlic and black spice up. Banana and plantain are grated, boiled, mashed or cooked. Fish boiled in coconut milk or serre, served with mashed plantain called hudut, is a very rich and delicious meal. Cassava or manioc is a woody plant which has tuberous roots, like potatoes. The juice in its roots is poisonous, though, so the Garinago go through a careful 2-day process of getting rid of the root. Once done, it is reconstructed as flour which can be sifted and cooked into flat round loaves. The sifting remains are cooked black and simmered with sugar, ginger and sweet potatoes into a popular drink called Hiu.

Search for Belize Vacation holidays
If you want to experience more of Garifuna culture, you can avail of Belize vacation holidays that offer trips and tours to many Garifuna villages, particularly in the town of San Pedro Belize. You should also find eco resorts Belize near popular villages, so you can live side by side with them and better understand their rich and interesting culture.