Garifuna Coast

The Garifuna are descended from Africans who survived shipwrecks and escaped slavery, mixing with Carib and Arawak people on Saint Vincent before being deported by the British in 1797 to the Bay Islands, from where they spread along the Central American coast. Their language, music and dance are listed by UNESCO as intangible heritage, and coastal villages in Honduras remain the culture's heartland. Punta drumming and dance, cassava bread made on hot iron plates, coconut-and-fish cooking, and the dugu ceremony that connects communities to ancestors are all living practice rather than performance.

History

The Garifuna call Saint Vincent Yurumein, and the founding population of the Central American communities, estimated at 2,500 to 5,000 people, was transplanted from there to Roatán. Their own names, Garínagu for the people and Garífuna for a person, the culture and the language, began as African versions of the Kalinago words Karifuna and Kalinago, and may have been in use as early as the mid-17th century; Europeans called them Black Caribs from the 17th century on. The language they speak is Arawakan, inherited from the Arawak and Kalinago side of their ancestry (Wikipedia, Garifuna).

Highlights

• Punta drumming and dance - the music that defines Garifuna celebration.
• Cassava bread making - the traditional grating, pressing and baking process.
• Coastal villages - Triunfo de la Cruz, Sambo Creek and communities east.
• Garifuna Settlement Day - the April commemoration of the 1797 arrival.

When to go

The drier months from February to May are best for coastal travel. Garifuna Settlement Day on the twelfth of April brings the largest celebrations, particularly in Trujillo and the coastal towns, with drumming, processions and food.

What to expect

Visits work best through community-run tourism arrangements rather than turning up - some villages have organised guides and homestays, others do not welcome unannounced visitors. Performances put on for tour groups vary in authenticity. Ceremonies such as the dugu are private religious practice and not open to visitors. Coastal security varies by area, so check local advice.

Nearby

La Ceiba, Tela's beaches and lagoons, and Trujillo further east.