Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations-Chicago Saturday-November 22, 2008 6:00 p.m.-12:00 p.m. 6045 S. Michigan Ave Chicago, IL

GARIFUNA CULTURE

Throughout Central America, Garifuna culture is typically associated with a sensual dance style known as the Punta, exotic foods like machuca, rice and beans and cazabe, and the infectious and mesmerising drumming that can be heard up and down the isthmus’ Caribbean coast.

The survival of Garifuna culture over the centuries is a testament to the community’s strength of spirit. Despite the experience of intense physical hardship and strong acculturation pressures, the Garifuna maintain a distinct identity embodied in their unique language, religion and traditions. Their religion is a case in point. A mix of Roman Catholicism and traditional African and indigenous beliefs, Garifuna religious traditions have survived condemnation and attacks by outsiders, who accused the Garifuna population of involvement in practices ranging from devil worship to polygamy. 

HISTORY

The history of the Garifuna begins in 1665 with the shipwreck of two British ships with slaves near the island of San Vicente. The ships took African that they would be used like slaves in the British colonies in the area of Martinica, Santa Lucia, of Granada, of Dominican, and Barbados. The slaves swam to the freedom in the island of San Vicente.

A subsequent shipwreck in 1675 along with the slaves who fled the neighboring islands, specially of the colonial plantations in Barbados, produced a fast affluence of African to the island. These African quickly made part of the society of the Arawakan Indians. Soon after the African men began to marry with the Arawakan women, or Caribbean, the two cultures were mixed. From this union a new population of the black Caribbean comes to compete for the Earth and the energy with the Arawakan original. This Caribbean new black population is what is known today like the people of Garifuna.