Garifuna

The Garifuna are a people that live on the northern coast of Honduras and have a very distinct and vibrant culture. They are descendant from Carib and Arawakan Amerindian tribes, as well as escaped African slaves. In 1635 two Spanish ships loaded with black slaves sunk off the coast of San Vicente. The Africans quikly mixed with the natives to avoid being sent back to their owners as slaves. From this mixture, Garifuna culture began. Through a series of disputes and battles between the French and English, the Garifunas were expatriated to the nothern coast of Honduras in 1797.

Garifunas speak a dialect of the native Brazilian language family Arawakan, and within Honduras they are well known for their dance, the Punta. There are around 70,000 to 80,000 Garifunas living in Honduras out of a total population of around 200,000. Signfigant Garifuna populations are also found in Guatemala, Belize, and Nicaragua, as well as Los Angeles and New York City. I experienced Garifuna culture a little bit when I lived in Honduras and when I returned and visited the northern coast. I as well met a Garifuna woman in Dallas, and I would have to say they are a people who are extremely proud of their culture and mixed heritage. I found a great site of Garifuna culture as well is this YouTube video of Garifuna dancing. Here you can see the webpage of a "#1 Souleh Chillin Garifuna Mami."