GARIFUNA SETTLEMENT DAY
Garifuna Settlement Day - The most important day on the Garifuna Calender is November 19. On this day, Garifuna Settlement Day, the arrival of the first Garinagu to Belize by dory (dug-out canoe) is celebrated in all Garifuna communities in the country. Garifuna Settlement Day is celebrated for a whole week including parades, live music, drumming, dancing, prayers, Garifuna mass and election of Miss Garifuna take place to mark the anniversary. In communities like Dangriga and Punta Gorda, a dory symbolizing the arrival of the first Garinagu, is floating to shore around early morning dawn while local Garinagu ? the women dressed in their colorful costumes, tourists and other interested await the arrival onshore.
Since 1943 November 19th has been a public holiday in the Stan Creek and Toledo districts called Garifuna Settlement Day. From 1977 November 19th has been a county wide public holiday.
Since 1943 November 19th has been a public holiday in the Stan Creek and Toledo districts called Garifuna Settlement Day. From 1977 November 19th has been a county wide public holiday.
SIX (6) THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT GARIFUNA SETTLEMENT DAY
Every year on November 19, Garifuna Settlement day is observed which marks the arrival of the Garifuna people in Belizean territory in 1802. The holiday was created by Thomas Vincent Ramos, a Belizean civil rights activist and is celebrated for a whole week with major festivities that include parades, live music, drumming, dancing, prayers and pageantry in Garifuna communities. Here are 6 things to know about the Garifuna people of Belize:
Every year on November 19, Garifuna Settlement day is observed which marks the arrival of the Garifuna people in Belizean territory in 1802. The holiday was created by Thomas Vincent Ramos, a Belizean civil rights activist and is celebrated for a whole week with major festivities that include parades, live music, drumming, dancing, prayers and pageantry in Garifuna communities. Here are 6 things to know about the Garifuna people of Belize:
- In 2001, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) recognized the Garifuna language, music and dance as a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity. This designation means that it is a important culture that should be preserved, promoted and celebrated.
- According to Historians, the Garifuna resisted British and French colonialism in the Lesser Antilles and were defeated by the British in 1796. Because of a violent rebellion on St Vincent, the British moved 5000 Garifuna across the Caribbean to the Bay Islands off the north of Honduras. From there, they migrated to the Caribbean coasts of Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. By 1802 about 150 Garifuna had settled in Stann Creek (present day Dangriga) area and were engaged in fishing and farming.
- The Garifuna are resilient people who have survived many years of extreme hardships and are the only black people in the Americas to have preserved their native Afro-Caribbean culture due to the fact that their ancestors were never slaves. The Garifuna’s deep sense of kinship and participation in community cultural activities have provide them with a sense of solidarity and cultural identity during times of turmoil.
- The religion of the Garifuna consists of a mix of Catholicism, African and Indian beliefs. They believe that the departed ancestors mediate between the individual and external world and if a person behaves and performs well, then he will have good fortune. If not, then the harmony that exists in relationships with others and the external world will be disrupted leading to misfortune and illness. Their spiritualism is expressed through music, dancing and other art forms.
- The Garifuna foods consist of fish, chicken, cassava, bananas and plantains. One of the staples of the diet is cassava. Cassava is made into bread, a drink, a pudding and even a wine! The cassava bread is served with most meals. The process of making the bread is very labor intensive and takes several days. Hudut is a very common traditional meal. Hudut consists of fish cooked in a coconut broth (called sere) and served with mashed plantains or yams. Dharasa is the Garifuna version of a tamale made with green bananas. It can be made either sweet or sour. The foods are very labor intensive and used to be cooked over an open fire hearth. Today, stoves save time, but some families still prefer the taste of the fire hearth.
- The Garifuna flag consists of three horizontal strips of black, white and yellow, in that order, starting from the top. The flag has been accepted internationally as the flag of the Garifuna Nation and the colors have been used in forums where Garifuna people assert their Garifuna identity. Discover the culture of Belize.
Nearly 400 years ago, the British began importing slaves from Africa to plantations on Caribbean islands like St. Vincent. Over time, these African peoples began to intermarry with local Arawak and Carib peoples, mixing traditions, languages, and music to form the Garifuna culture. After rising up against the British, the Garifuna were pursued through the Caribbean, ultimately making their ways to the shores of Belize on November 19, 1802, a day now celebrated as a national holiday known as Garifuna Settlement Day.
Why should I attend a Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration on my vacation?
Any visitor who has had the good fortune of traveling to villages like Hopkins or Seine Beight or the town of Dangriga knows that the Garifuna people are a unique and special contribution to Belizean society. With a strong focus on storytelling, drumming, dancing, and preserving traditional livelihoods like farming and fishing, the Garifuna have added their own special contribution to Belizean food, music, and culture.
On November 19, the entire country turns out to celebrate the arrival of the Garifuna to the shores of Belize nearly 200 years ago. With exhibitions of both traditional music and styles like punta that were created by the Garifuna, the holiday is a great time to see street dances, enjoy Garifuna foods like cassava bread and hudut (fish cooked in coconut), and hear the oral history of the Garifuna people being told by village elders.
Why should I attend a Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration on my vacation?
Any visitor who has had the good fortune of traveling to villages like Hopkins or Seine Beight or the town of Dangriga knows that the Garifuna people are a unique and special contribution to Belizean society. With a strong focus on storytelling, drumming, dancing, and preserving traditional livelihoods like farming and fishing, the Garifuna have added their own special contribution to Belizean food, music, and culture.
On November 19, the entire country turns out to celebrate the arrival of the Garifuna to the shores of Belize nearly 200 years ago. With exhibitions of both traditional music and styles like punta that were created by the Garifuna, the holiday is a great time to see street dances, enjoy Garifuna foods like cassava bread and hudut (fish cooked in coconut), and hear the oral history of the Garifuna people being told by village elders.
When Is Garifuna Settlement Day in Belize?
It is celebrated every year on November 19. What is the Best Way to to Experience Garifuna Settlement Day? To truly make the most of this unique holiday, you’ll have to be on the beach in Dangriga at dawn. Traditional Garifuna dugout canoes filled with locals dressed in traditional garb will re-enact the arrival of the Garifuna on the shores of Belize nearly 200 years ago. On the beach, the celebration will commence with plenty of drumming, dancing, music, and food. Anywhere there is a large Garifuna population is a good place to experience the excitement and energy of this national holiday. On the streets of towns like Dangriga you’ll see Jankunu dancers with their elaborate masks and ropes of shells clacking, artistically leaping and dancing to the sounds of traditional drumming. |
Where Is Garifuna Settlement Day Located?
Garifuna Settlement Day is a national holiday in Belize and celebrated throughout the country. Towns and villages with a large population of Garifuna such as Dangriga, Punta Gorda, Hopkins, and Seine Beight, have strong Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations. What is the Best Way to Get to a Garifuna Settlement Day Celebration? The biggest Garifuna Settlement Day celebrations are held in the town of Dangriga on the southeast coast of Belize in Stann Creek District. Villages with a large Garifuna population like Hopkins and Seine Beight (on the Placencia Peninsula) also have memorable celebrations on this holiday. |
GARIFUNA CULTURE
Garifuna Culture - Garinagu are a resilient tribal people who have survived many years of extreme hardships. Despite these, ethnological studies show that we are the only black people in the Americas to have preserved our native culture. Because our ancestors were never slaves, we have been able to preserve our rich and unique Afro-Caribbean heritage. Also, our traditions, deep sense of kinship and participation in community cultural activities have provided us with a sense of solidarity and cultural identity during times of turmoil.
As the values of society change, Garinagu, however, find it challenging to preserve and pass on our unique cultural heritage to future generations. Music, dance and story telling, together with our extraordinary language, traditional foods, clothing, art and handicrafts and natural medicines, all come together to form our cultural identity.
For all of this in 2001 UNESCO declared the Garifuna Language, Music and Dance a Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.
As the values of society change, Garinagu, however, find it challenging to preserve and pass on our unique cultural heritage to future generations. Music, dance and story telling, together with our extraordinary language, traditional foods, clothing, art and handicrafts and natural medicines, all come together to form our cultural identity.
For all of this in 2001 UNESCO declared the Garifuna Language, Music and Dance a Masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.
GARIFUNA RELIGION
Garifuna Religion and Spirituality - Garinagu are a proud people devoted to their roots and their religion consists of a mix of Catholicism, African and Indian beliefs.
Belief in and respect for the ancestors is at the very core of our faith. We believe that the departed ancestors mediate between the individual the external world. If a person behaves and performs well then he will have good fortune. If not, then the harmony that exists in relationships with others and the external world will be disrupted leading to misfortune and illness.
Dressed up for Garifuna mass - The religious system thus implies certain responsibilities and obligations between the living and deceased. Food and drink should occasionally be laid out for the ancestors who may also appear in dreams. A spiritual leader, a ?Buyei? leads the contact of a family with the deceased. In preparation of these spiritual gatherings with healing, drumming and dancing, a feast of seafood, meat and cassava bread is prepared.
Garifuna spiritualism is creatively expressed through music, dancing and other art forms.
Belief in and respect for the ancestors is at the very core of our faith. We believe that the departed ancestors mediate between the individual the external world. If a person behaves and performs well then he will have good fortune. If not, then the harmony that exists in relationships with others and the external world will be disrupted leading to misfortune and illness.
Dressed up for Garifuna mass - The religious system thus implies certain responsibilities and obligations between the living and deceased. Food and drink should occasionally be laid out for the ancestors who may also appear in dreams. A spiritual leader, a ?Buyei? leads the contact of a family with the deceased. In preparation of these spiritual gatherings with healing, drumming and dancing, a feast of seafood, meat and cassava bread is prepared.
Garifuna spiritualism is creatively expressed through music, dancing and other art forms.
GARIFUNA LANGUAGE
Garifuna Language - The Garifuna language belongs to the Arawak group of languages. It is rich in tales, which served as an activity during wakes and large gatherings. Nowadays, because the language is being eroded the story-telling art is being lost at the same time. There is a strong link between the Garifuna language and the songs and dances which are associated with them. The melodies bring together African and Amerindian elements and the texts tell the history and traditional knowledge of the Garifuna, such as cassava-growing, fishing, canoe-building and the construction of baked mud houses.
One distinction of the Garifuna language is that male words are different from female words. In a conversation between a male and female they use different words to refer to the same thing.
Another unique thing about the Garifuna language is that it is spoken across borders of countries some of which do not have the same first language (e.g. Belize (English) and Honduras (Spanish).
One distinction of the Garifuna language is that male words are different from female words. In a conversation between a male and female they use different words to refer to the same thing.
Another unique thing about the Garifuna language is that it is spoken across borders of countries some of which do not have the same first language (e.g. Belize (English) and Honduras (Spanish).
GARIFUNA MUSIC
Garifuna Dance - Some of the most fascinating and rhythmic music in Central America is found in the Garifuna communities spread along the Caribbean coast of Belize, Honduras, Guatemala, and Nicaragua. The Garifuna musicians that preserve and create their own distinct music share both a common Awarak-based language and many dances.
Punta is the original dance that expresses a sexual dialogue between male and female dancers who attempt to outdo each other with unique stylized movements. Punta is characterized by rapid shaking of the buttocks and is performed at social gatherings and during all-night wakes. The music involves responsorial singing that is accompanied with drums playing traditional rhythms, calabash rattles and occasionally conch-shell trumpets. Song texts are almost exclusively composed by women, commenting on male infidelity and other unacceptable behavior as well as typical challenges that affect an individual or family.
Punta Rock is the contemporary version of the traditional Punta. The painter and musician Pen Cayetano is considered the founder of Punta Rock in Belize in the early 1980s. He called the music “Punta Rock” because it is faster than the traditional dance-song style. In contrast to the original music, Punta Rock bands include an electric bass guitar, a synthesized keyboard, and a drum machine. Traditionally, Punta Rock songs are composed and performed by men. The movements associated with Punta Rock are provocative adaptations of the traditional Punta dance. Punta Rock is the most popular dance and music in Belize. Although the Garinagu make up less than 7% of Belize’s population Punta Rock has to a large extent become an expression of Belize’s music and dance. Supa G, Lloyd and Reckless, and the Punta Rebels are a few of the modern stars of the genre.
Paranda is both a rhythm and a genre of music.
Punta is the original dance that expresses a sexual dialogue between male and female dancers who attempt to outdo each other with unique stylized movements. Punta is characterized by rapid shaking of the buttocks and is performed at social gatherings and during all-night wakes. The music involves responsorial singing that is accompanied with drums playing traditional rhythms, calabash rattles and occasionally conch-shell trumpets. Song texts are almost exclusively composed by women, commenting on male infidelity and other unacceptable behavior as well as typical challenges that affect an individual or family.
Punta Rock is the contemporary version of the traditional Punta. The painter and musician Pen Cayetano is considered the founder of Punta Rock in Belize in the early 1980s. He called the music “Punta Rock” because it is faster than the traditional dance-song style. In contrast to the original music, Punta Rock bands include an electric bass guitar, a synthesized keyboard, and a drum machine. Traditionally, Punta Rock songs are composed and performed by men. The movements associated with Punta Rock are provocative adaptations of the traditional Punta dance. Punta Rock is the most popular dance and music in Belize. Although the Garinagu make up less than 7% of Belize’s population Punta Rock has to a large extent become an expression of Belize’s music and dance. Supa G, Lloyd and Reckless, and the Punta Rebels are a few of the modern stars of the genre.
Paranda is both a rhythm and a genre of music.
GARIFUNA FOOD
Garifuna Foods - Traditional Garifuna foods are based around fish, chicken, cassava, bananas, and plantains. Most of the meals are rich and hearty. One of the staples of the diet is cassava.
The foods are very labor intensive and used to be cooked over an open fire hearth. Today, stoves save time, but some families still prefer the taste of the fire hearth.
- Cassava is made into a bread, a drink, a pudding, and even a wine! The cassava bread is served with most meals. The process of making the bread is very labor intensive and takes several days.
- Hudut is a very common traditional meal. Hudut consists of fish cooked in a coconut broth (called sere) and served with mashed plantains or yams.
- Darasa is the Garifuna version of a tamale made with green bananas. It can be made either sweet or sour.
The foods are very labor intensive and used to be cooked over an open fire hearth. Today, stoves save time, but some families still prefer the taste of the fire hearth.
GARIFUNA HISTORY
Garifuna History - Traditional Garifuna communities are mainly found along the Caribbean Coast of Belize, Honduras and Nicaragua. Out of an estimated 500,000 Garinagu world-wide, there are today about 15,000 Garinagu in Belize (about 7 % of the total population). In Guatemala there are an estimated 4,000 Garinagu and in Honduras the population is around 300,000. Garifuna communites are also found in the USA in Los Angeles, Chicago, New York and New Orleans.
Garinagu (plural of Garifuna) or Black Caribs, are descendants of two ethnic groups, Carib Indians and Black Africans, that lived on the island of St. Vincent.Arawak Indians, also called Yurumei, the original inhabitants of St. Vincent, were invaded and conquered by Kalipuna (Carib) Indians, a tribe from mainland South America. The Arawak men were killed and the warriors took the women as wives and the Carib Indians originated as a mixture of these people.
Around 1635 two Spanish ships carrying Black Africans destined for slavery, to the West Indies shipwrecked near St. Vincent. Survivors escaped and swam ashore to St. Vincent where they settled and lived amongst the Carib Indians.
Over the next 150 years, the two groups intermixed and the Garifuna ethnic group also called Black Caribs was formed. By 1750 the Black Caribs were the dominant population of St. Vincent and quite prosperous. French settlers lived on the island as well.
The Black Carib men hunted and fished while the women did most of the farming. The Black Caribs also traded with nearby islands: tobacco and baskets for arms and European manufactured goods. In 1763 the British invaded the island trying to take over land from the Black Caribs to plant sugarcane. This struggle for land resulted in the Black Caribs trying to establish independence and control of the island. They were supported by the French with whom they did considerable trading and many years of battles between the Caribs and the British ensued. After losing a major battle in 1795, the French and the Black Caribs finally surrendered and the British took over the entire island.
The British hunted down the Black Caribs, burned their houses and killed hundreds. Early in 1797 over 4000 Black Caribs were taken prisoner and sent to the Island of Baliceax where over half of them died from diseases like yellow fever and malaria. In 1798 the rest were exiled to the Island of Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. From Roatan the Black Caribs migrated to the mainland of Honduras (Truillo) and settled all along the Caribbean coast of Belize (then British Honduras), Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
According to legend, the first Garifuna arrived in British Honduras on November 19, 1802. Today this day is a national holiday and the arrival of the Garinagu is celebrated allover Belize with drumming, dancing and pageantry in Garifuna communities.
Garinagu (plural of Garifuna) or Black Caribs, are descendants of two ethnic groups, Carib Indians and Black Africans, that lived on the island of St. Vincent.Arawak Indians, also called Yurumei, the original inhabitants of St. Vincent, were invaded and conquered by Kalipuna (Carib) Indians, a tribe from mainland South America. The Arawak men were killed and the warriors took the women as wives and the Carib Indians originated as a mixture of these people.
Around 1635 two Spanish ships carrying Black Africans destined for slavery, to the West Indies shipwrecked near St. Vincent. Survivors escaped and swam ashore to St. Vincent where they settled and lived amongst the Carib Indians.
Over the next 150 years, the two groups intermixed and the Garifuna ethnic group also called Black Caribs was formed. By 1750 the Black Caribs were the dominant population of St. Vincent and quite prosperous. French settlers lived on the island as well.
The Black Carib men hunted and fished while the women did most of the farming. The Black Caribs also traded with nearby islands: tobacco and baskets for arms and European manufactured goods. In 1763 the British invaded the island trying to take over land from the Black Caribs to plant sugarcane. This struggle for land resulted in the Black Caribs trying to establish independence and control of the island. They were supported by the French with whom they did considerable trading and many years of battles between the Caribs and the British ensued. After losing a major battle in 1795, the French and the Black Caribs finally surrendered and the British took over the entire island.
The British hunted down the Black Caribs, burned their houses and killed hundreds. Early in 1797 over 4000 Black Caribs were taken prisoner and sent to the Island of Baliceax where over half of them died from diseases like yellow fever and malaria. In 1798 the rest were exiled to the Island of Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras. From Roatan the Black Caribs migrated to the mainland of Honduras (Truillo) and settled all along the Caribbean coast of Belize (then British Honduras), Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.
According to legend, the first Garifuna arrived in British Honduras on November 19, 1802. Today this day is a national holiday and the arrival of the Garinagu is celebrated allover Belize with drumming, dancing and pageantry in Garifuna communities.
GARIFUNA RITUALS
Rituals
There are three healing celebrations and rituals in the Garifuna tradition: the Chugu, Lemesi, and Dugu.
The Chugu is the offering of food to the dead. If the ancestors have requested drums, then drums are played after the table has been cleared.
There are two types of Lemesi. One is the official taking off of the mourning clothes after one year and the other is a memorial in church as requested by the ancestors.
The most serious of the healing rites is the dugu. Whenever there is a rift in the Garifuna family relationship, the effects are felt among the living and the dead. If the living are unable or unwilling to fix the problem, then the ancestors will intervene. The dugu is an opportunity for family throughout Belize and beyond to come together to heal their relationships at the request of the ancestors. The ceremony that lasts for 6 to 9 days takes over a year to plan.
The ceremony consists of drumming, singing, dancing, eating, and drinking. Before the actual ceremony begins there are four days of preparatory rites. Fishermen leave at dawn to catch food as an offering to the ancestors and to feed the relatives who will attend the ceremony. In addition to food and drink offerings, the ceremony consists of drumming, singing, and dancing to repair a damaged relationship between the ancestors and the living.
There are three healing celebrations and rituals in the Garifuna tradition: the Chugu, Lemesi, and Dugu.
The Chugu is the offering of food to the dead. If the ancestors have requested drums, then drums are played after the table has been cleared.
There are two types of Lemesi. One is the official taking off of the mourning clothes after one year and the other is a memorial in church as requested by the ancestors.
The most serious of the healing rites is the dugu. Whenever there is a rift in the Garifuna family relationship, the effects are felt among the living and the dead. If the living are unable or unwilling to fix the problem, then the ancestors will intervene. The dugu is an opportunity for family throughout Belize and beyond to come together to heal their relationships at the request of the ancestors. The ceremony that lasts for 6 to 9 days takes over a year to plan.
The ceremony consists of drumming, singing, dancing, eating, and drinking. Before the actual ceremony begins there are four days of preparatory rites. Fishermen leave at dawn to catch food as an offering to the ancestors and to feed the relatives who will attend the ceremony. In addition to food and drink offerings, the ceremony consists of drumming, singing, and dancing to repair a damaged relationship between the ancestors and the living.
The Garifuna Flag - History
The Garifuna flag consists of three horizontal strips of black, white and yellow, in that order, starting from the top. This flag has long been accepted internationally as the flag of the Garifuna Nation and the colours have been used in any forum where Garifuna people assert their Garifuna identity. The flag of National Garifuna Council is identical to the Garifuna flag with the addition of the NGC logo set in a white circle in the center.
This flag represents an evolution that commenced with the Carib International Burial and Sick Aid Society (CIS) founded in the early 1920’s, whose flag was made up of horizontal strips of red, yellow and black. Red (funati) stood for the blood of the Garifuna, black (würiti) the skin of the Garifuna and yellow (dumari) the food of the Garifuna. T.V. Ramos added the strip of white (haruti) in the middle, substituting it for the red, when he formed the Carib Development Society (CDS) later in the same decade. Carib International Society, as the name implies, was international in scope and its development appears to have been facilitated by the convergence of Garinagu from the various countries in places like Puerto Barrios where they flocked in search of employment with the United Fruit Company. The area of operations of the Carib Development Society, on the other hand, was limited to Belize although the influence of its initiatives spread far beyond the borders of Belize and laid the foundation for the later emergence of its successor, National Garifuna Council.
It is the CDS flag that became established as the Garifuna flag while the CIS flag became relegated to the dustbin of history in the sense that hardly anyone remembers it and there seems to be no written record of it. It does not even feature in the 1931 photograph of attendees at a CIS meeting in Barranco. Why did the CDS flag and not the CIS flag come to be seen as the Garifuna flag? One can conclude that it had to be because of the founding of the Garifuna Disembarkation Day (which later became Garifuna Settlement Day) in 1941 by T.V. Ramos, who was also the founder of the Carib Development Society. This was the only Garifuna day celebrations in the world and it attracted visitors from other countries who saw the CDS flag flown in the context of the celebrations, saw it as the Garifuna flag and took it home with them as such. The black, red and yellow flag of the Carib International Society was never associated with a similar celebration or even with an international flavor.
Each Garifuna community in Belize had a Carib/Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations Committee to organize the celebrations. These celebration Committees were creatures of CDS. It was these Committees that were brought together with an expanded mandate and established as branches at the founding of National Garifuna Council. This means that National Garifuna Council is a direct descendant of the Carib Development Society and like its parent, the Settlement Day Celebration Committee(s), can be said to be guardian and owner of the flag.
What is the significance of the colours of the Garifuna flag? This question has been asked quite frequently and some attempts have been made to answer it although I am not aware of any written explanation. I will now try to piece together what I have heard, with the hope that this will evoke some reaction that can contribute to a full and complete documentation of the significance of the colours. It should also be noted that it is people who give meaning to symbols. We, therefore, have the option of expanding on whatever meanings have been handed down to us by the originators of the CIS and CDS flags.
Black - The black strip, which is located at the top, represents the black ancestry of the Garifuna people. The people have always acknowledged the African input into what became the Garifuna people, a phenomenon that occurred in St. Vincent starting in the seventeenth Century. This colour, at another level, recognizes the hardships and injustices that the people have had to endure, their struggles for survival and the odds that they have had to overcome in the course of their history. Apart from the experience of the Middle Passage, which we share with other black people of the Americas, there was the imprisonment on Balliceaux, the exile from our Vincentian homeland after the so called Carib Wars and the replay of the Middle Passage in the form of the mass forced relocation to Central America. Tough though these experiences have been, they helped to strengthen our spirit and shape our spirituality which is based on the principle of reciprocity captured in the Malí song in the words “Aura buni Iyaya waü, amürü nuni” – I for you, Grandmother, and you for me.
Yellow - The yellow strip at the bottom of the flag symbolizes the other half of the ancestry of the Garifuna – the Amerindians or Yellow Caribs as they were referred to by Europeans. These were actually a mixture of Caribs and Arawaks and formed the host community in which the fusion of Africa and South America took place to give rise to the emergence of the Garinagu as a distinct group indigenous to the circum-Caribbean region.
In contrast to the hardships experienced in the course of history, the yellow symbolizes the hope and prosperity. Yellow is the colour of grated cassava, which is further processed to make ereba, one of our staple foods. It is the colour of cassava juice, a colour that is further brought out in the process of turning it into dumari, an additive for enhancing sauces, soups and stews. (It seems to have been an identifying feature of Garifuna people as it is the “tumali” that is referred to in the racial slur “Salt head Kerub, tumali water”). Yellow is also the colour of the rising sun, which brings new promise and much hope for a better life. Yellow, therefore, represents hope, plenty and prosperity, as well as the Carib/Arawak input into the Garifuna identity.
White - The white strip, located in the middle between the black and the yellow, reminds us of the role of the white man (Europe) in the history and formation of the Garifuna people – the forcible removal and enslavement of the African, the seizure of Garifuna land, which precipitated the Garifuna resistance, and the forcible removal of the people from St. Vincent. Even after the arrival and dispersal in Central America, it was still necessary to deal with the white man. At another level, white symbolizes the peace that has eluded the Garifuna people for most of their turbulent history – the peace for which they continue to yearn.
Summary
At one level, the colours represent the three principal races, with the black and yellow representing the African and the Carib/Arawak elements that fused to become the Garifuna. At a deeper level, the black symbolizes the hardships and injustices that we managed to survive in the course of our history, the yellow symbolizes hope and the prosperity for which we continue to struggle, and the white symbolizes peace.
The Garifuna flag consists of three horizontal strips of black, white and yellow, in that order, starting from the top. This flag has long been accepted internationally as the flag of the Garifuna Nation and the colours have been used in any forum where Garifuna people assert their Garifuna identity. The flag of National Garifuna Council is identical to the Garifuna flag with the addition of the NGC logo set in a white circle in the center.
This flag represents an evolution that commenced with the Carib International Burial and Sick Aid Society (CIS) founded in the early 1920’s, whose flag was made up of horizontal strips of red, yellow and black. Red (funati) stood for the blood of the Garifuna, black (würiti) the skin of the Garifuna and yellow (dumari) the food of the Garifuna. T.V. Ramos added the strip of white (haruti) in the middle, substituting it for the red, when he formed the Carib Development Society (CDS) later in the same decade. Carib International Society, as the name implies, was international in scope and its development appears to have been facilitated by the convergence of Garinagu from the various countries in places like Puerto Barrios where they flocked in search of employment with the United Fruit Company. The area of operations of the Carib Development Society, on the other hand, was limited to Belize although the influence of its initiatives spread far beyond the borders of Belize and laid the foundation for the later emergence of its successor, National Garifuna Council.
It is the CDS flag that became established as the Garifuna flag while the CIS flag became relegated to the dustbin of history in the sense that hardly anyone remembers it and there seems to be no written record of it. It does not even feature in the 1931 photograph of attendees at a CIS meeting in Barranco. Why did the CDS flag and not the CIS flag come to be seen as the Garifuna flag? One can conclude that it had to be because of the founding of the Garifuna Disembarkation Day (which later became Garifuna Settlement Day) in 1941 by T.V. Ramos, who was also the founder of the Carib Development Society. This was the only Garifuna day celebrations in the world and it attracted visitors from other countries who saw the CDS flag flown in the context of the celebrations, saw it as the Garifuna flag and took it home with them as such. The black, red and yellow flag of the Carib International Society was never associated with a similar celebration or even with an international flavor.
Each Garifuna community in Belize had a Carib/Garifuna Settlement Day Celebrations Committee to organize the celebrations. These celebration Committees were creatures of CDS. It was these Committees that were brought together with an expanded mandate and established as branches at the founding of National Garifuna Council. This means that National Garifuna Council is a direct descendant of the Carib Development Society and like its parent, the Settlement Day Celebration Committee(s), can be said to be guardian and owner of the flag.
What is the significance of the colours of the Garifuna flag? This question has been asked quite frequently and some attempts have been made to answer it although I am not aware of any written explanation. I will now try to piece together what I have heard, with the hope that this will evoke some reaction that can contribute to a full and complete documentation of the significance of the colours. It should also be noted that it is people who give meaning to symbols. We, therefore, have the option of expanding on whatever meanings have been handed down to us by the originators of the CIS and CDS flags.
Black - The black strip, which is located at the top, represents the black ancestry of the Garifuna people. The people have always acknowledged the African input into what became the Garifuna people, a phenomenon that occurred in St. Vincent starting in the seventeenth Century. This colour, at another level, recognizes the hardships and injustices that the people have had to endure, their struggles for survival and the odds that they have had to overcome in the course of their history. Apart from the experience of the Middle Passage, which we share with other black people of the Americas, there was the imprisonment on Balliceaux, the exile from our Vincentian homeland after the so called Carib Wars and the replay of the Middle Passage in the form of the mass forced relocation to Central America. Tough though these experiences have been, they helped to strengthen our spirit and shape our spirituality which is based on the principle of reciprocity captured in the Malí song in the words “Aura buni Iyaya waü, amürü nuni” – I for you, Grandmother, and you for me.
Yellow - The yellow strip at the bottom of the flag symbolizes the other half of the ancestry of the Garifuna – the Amerindians or Yellow Caribs as they were referred to by Europeans. These were actually a mixture of Caribs and Arawaks and formed the host community in which the fusion of Africa and South America took place to give rise to the emergence of the Garinagu as a distinct group indigenous to the circum-Caribbean region.
In contrast to the hardships experienced in the course of history, the yellow symbolizes the hope and prosperity. Yellow is the colour of grated cassava, which is further processed to make ereba, one of our staple foods. It is the colour of cassava juice, a colour that is further brought out in the process of turning it into dumari, an additive for enhancing sauces, soups and stews. (It seems to have been an identifying feature of Garifuna people as it is the “tumali” that is referred to in the racial slur “Salt head Kerub, tumali water”). Yellow is also the colour of the rising sun, which brings new promise and much hope for a better life. Yellow, therefore, represents hope, plenty and prosperity, as well as the Carib/Arawak input into the Garifuna identity.
White - The white strip, located in the middle between the black and the yellow, reminds us of the role of the white man (Europe) in the history and formation of the Garifuna people – the forcible removal and enslavement of the African, the seizure of Garifuna land, which precipitated the Garifuna resistance, and the forcible removal of the people from St. Vincent. Even after the arrival and dispersal in Central America, it was still necessary to deal with the white man. At another level, white symbolizes the peace that has eluded the Garifuna people for most of their turbulent history – the peace for which they continue to yearn.
Summary
At one level, the colours represent the three principal races, with the black and yellow representing the African and the Carib/Arawak elements that fused to become the Garifuna. At a deeper level, the black symbolizes the hardships and injustices that we managed to survive in the course of our history, the yellow symbolizes hope and the prosperity for which we continue to struggle, and the white symbolizes peace.