Garífuna refers to both the people and language of the Garínagu. In their own language, Garifuna is the singular and Garinagu is the plural form. The Garifuna live along the Caribbean Coast in Belize, Guatemala (Livingston), Nicaragua and Honduras on the mainland, and on the island of Roatán.
National Geographic has a recent article.
The Garifuna are ethnically descended from Amerindian and African people; their language is a dialect of the Arawakan language family. The British colonial administration used the term Black Carib to refer to the Garifuna and distinguish them from Yellow Carib - the Amerindians who had not intermarried with Africans. In recent history, Garifuna have thrown off their colonial appellation and encourage others to refer to them as Garifuna. The Garifuna population is estimated to be around 400,000 both in the Caribbean homeland and in the United States, the latter due to heavy migration from Central America.
One of the earliest accounts of the ancestors of the Garifuna comes from the Frenchman Père Raymond Breton. Living on the island of St. Vincent in the 1630s, he recorded the Black Caribs' story of their migration from Brazil. According to legend, the Arawak speaking peoples of Northern Brazil came to St. Vincent long before the arrival of Europeans in the New World. They lived for a long time in peace and tranquility until one day the island was attacked by a group of Carib-speaking men from the mainland. The Carib men slaughtered all the Arawak men and took the women as their slaves and companions. At some point, escaped African slaves arrived on the island and were successfully integrated into the population, adding an African element to the culture.
A more fantastic, but scientifically unproven, version of the origin of "Black Caribs" states that pre-Columbian African explorers intermingled with the indigenous population (see "They Came Before Columbus" by Ivan van Sertima).
When the British took over Saint Vincent after the Treaty of Paris in 1763, they were opposed by French settlers and their Carib allies. After a series of Carib Wars which were encouraged and supported by the French and the death of their leader Satuye (Chatoyer), the Carib eventually surrendered to the British in 1796. The Black Caribs were considered enemies and were deported to Roatán, an island off the coast of Honduras. The British separated the more African-looking Caribs from the more Amerindian looking ones. They decided that the former were enemies who had to be deported, while the latter were merely "misled" and were allowed to remain. Five thousand Black Caribs were deported, but only about 2,000 of them survived the voyage to Roatán. Because the island was too small and infertile to support their population, the Garifuna petitioned the Spanish authorities to be allowed to settle on the mainland. The Spanish employed them as soldiers, and they spread along the Caribbean coast of Central America.
They are known for their dance which is called Punta, and for its associated musical style, which has the dancers move their hips from right to left in a circular motion.
In 2001 UNESCO proclaimed the Garifunas 'language, dance and music' as a "Masterpiece of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity" in Nicaragua, Honduras, and Belize. In 2005 the First Garífuna Summit was held in Corn Island, Nicaragua with the participation of the government of other Central American countries.
Garifuna communities are the easiest traditional communities to visit. Most tourists to Honduras will be passing near some Garifuna community. The most accessible Garifuna villages to visit are in La Ceiba area (Corrozal and Sambo Creek).
In Garifuna villages, you can see traditional architecture, such as houses of wild cane or palm leaves. You can find traditional foods like machuca—mashed green plantains with coconut milk soup and fried fish, and many kinds of traditional bread –cassava bread, buns, banana bread, pumpkin bread, etc.
Frequently there are traditional ceremonies going on. (Don’t go in unless invited.) You can hear traditional musical instruments. Some CD players sell traditional and modern Garifuna music, especially punta. You can also buy some on www.garinet.com (loads slowly). Garifuna ceremonies are not related to voodoo. The Garifunas dance for their ancestors.
Garifuna women wear both modern clothes and traditional Garifuna clothes which include headscarves and brightly colored dresses.
Garifuna villages are on beautiful beaches and the canoes of the fishermen rest on the beach. In active fishing communities, like Limon and Sambo Creek, nets dry on the beach. There are only a few craftsmen left. Sometimes you can see men making drums or weaving nets as they catch the breeze.
La Ceiba
In La Ceiba, you can buy Garifuna dolls at Souvenirs El Buen Amigo (there are two stores by this name, only one has them) and at Rainforest souvenirs. There are several Garifuna organizations in La Ceiba such as ODECO, OFRANEH, and Casa Gari. In the Zona Viva, Aurelio Martinez and his band often play live punta music at night for dancing, for example at Africa Dance.
To get to the Garifuna villages, take the Sambo Creek/Corozal bus or take any bus towards Tocoa, Colon and get off at Sambo or Corozal and walk towards the beach. There is a local hotel in Sambo Creek and restaurants in both communities, although it is easy to return to Ceiba for the night.