Intangible Cultural Heritage
Language, dance and music of the Garifuna
A population of mixed origin incorporating cultural elements of indigenous Caribbean and African groups the Garifuna settled along the Atlantic coast of Central America after being forced to flee from the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent in the eighteenth century Today Garifuna communities mainly live in Honduras Guatemala Nicaragua and Belize The Garifuna language belongs to the Arawakan group of languages and has survived centuries of discrimination and linguistic domination It is rich in tales úraga originally recited during wakes or large gatheringsThe melodies bring together African and Amerindian elements and the texts are a veritable repository of the history and traditional knowledge of the Garifuna such as cassavagrowing fishing canoebuilding and the construction of baked mud houses There is also a considerable amount of satire in these songs which are accompanied by various drums and dances which the spectators may join in These traditions are still very important to the life and survival of the Garifuna people The elders are the ones who maintain many of the ceremonies festivals and oral traditions However economic migration discrimination and the complete absence of the Garifuna language from the school system are endangering its survival Although the language is still widely spoken it is now taught in only one village
Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Belize -