Garifuna Ancestry

The Garifuna are descendants of both Carib Indians and black slaves. Today, they remain a culture apart.

The Garifuna trace their origin to 1635 when the Spanish wrecked two shiploads of West African slaves off St. Vincent.

The slaves intermarried with the Caribs to and became known as the Black Caribs. To fight the British on St. Vincent, they allied with the French.

When the British took over in 1797, they exiled the Garifuna to the Bay Islands and the mainland.

Today, an estimated 300,000 Garifuna live in Honduras, Belize and Guatemala.

The Garifuna keep their African heritage alive through story telling, drumming, dancing and special festivals.

Although becoming more modernized, some still use the traditional home of thatch and mud.

A woman in the village of Sambo Creek who is building a new home tells me that 4 workers will construct her dwelling in 5 days.

And, barring a direct hit by a hurricane, it will last her for years. But if it is destroyed, finding building materials to replace it won't be that difficult.

And nothing will need be imported.

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