Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
found elsewhere in Guatemala, giving this region a unique flavor. Guatemalans
are often surprised to see Afro-Caribbean people when they visit the Atlantic
Coast, as they are not readily in evidence elsewhere in the country, looking upon
them with a certain sense of wonder simultaneously fueled by a form of racism
familiar to the country's Mayan people. A number of far-fetched myths have
beenaffixedtoGarífunas,includingthebeliefthatseeinganAfro-Caribbeanper-
son on the street (outside of Lívingston) means you will soon come in contact
with a long-lost acquaintance. Also common is the general suspicion of wide-
spread practice of voodoo and cannibalism by Garífuna peoples.
Guatemala'sGarífunapopulationnumbersabout4,000andtracesitshistoryto
theCaribbeanislandofSt.Vincent.Ethnically,theyareamixofAmerindianand
AfricanpeoplesandtheirlanguagecomesfromtheBrazilianArawakanlanguage
family. These Arawak-speaking peoples migrated from northern Brazil long be-
forethearrivalofEuropeansintheNewWorldandlivedpeacefullyontheisland
until they were subdued by Carib speakers from the South American mainland.
The African element of their bloodline came about after intermingling with the
survivors from the wreck of a Spanish ship carrying Nigerian slaves just off the
coast of St. Vincent. These people eventually became known to the British as
Black Caribs—in their own language, Garinagu. Garífuna is the Spanish trans-
lation of this word. In the 1760s, the British tried to take St. Vincent but were
driven off by the Caribs with help from the French. The Caribs would continue
to oppose the British on and off for several years until finally being defeated in
1796, when they surrendered. The Garífuna were subsequently captured and im-
prisoned by the British before being shipped off to the island of Roatán, off the
coast of Honduras. One of the ships transporting the prisoners was captured by
Spanish forces and sent to the Honduran mainland. Only 2,000 Garífuna made it
to Roatán, as many died during their imprisonment on St. Vincent or along the
subsequent journey.
Pleas for help from the Garífuna stranded on the tiny island of Roatán were
answered by the Spanish forces who arrived some time later to take survivors to
Trujillo (Honduras), where they were conscripted to serve in the armed forces
or work in agricultural fields. The Garífuna continued to move along the coast,
eventually settling other parts of Honduras as well as Nicaragua. Some were
taken to southern Belize to work in logging operations, from where they spread
to Guatemala, establishing Lívingston in 1806. Today, the largest population of
Garífuna can be found along the coast of Honduras (100,000), but there are also
sizable populations in New York (50,000), New Orleans , and Los Angeles. Like
other ethnic groups in Central America, they have been emigrating to the United
States in increasing numbers since the 1970s.
