Garifunas: One of ours
Title
Garifunas: One of ours
Vtmbh article article file
Vtmbh article article order
3
Vtmbh article author
Manuel Jaime
Vtmbh article blurb
If you pay close attention while walking down the streets of the South Bronx, you may notice a different type of Central American immigrantthe Garifuna. Though the Garifuna are a people of African descent, they are considered Latinos because they take the nationality of their country of birth and, for the most part, speak Spanish.
Vtmbh article body
If you pay close attention while walking down the streets of the South Bronx, you may notice a different type of Central American immigrantthe Garifuna. Garifunas are an African-descended group that populates the Atlantic coasts of Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Belize. They share a common history and culture, and, unlike other African-descended groups in the Americas, they were never enslaved.
In 1765, the Spanish exported the Garifunas from Africa to the New World, but the Garifunas were able to escape their captors when their ship capsized near St. Vincent Island in the West Indies. In 1796, the Garifunas fought against the English, but were expelled from their land and relocated to Roatan Island off the coast of Honduras. Later, a treaty signed with the Spanish granted them land on the continent.
Conservative estimates place the Garifuna population at 200,000 worldwide. While most live in Honduras and Belize, and it is estimated that 100,000 live in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and New York, the latter being home to some 30,000 and the largest U.S. center of Garifuna migration.
Garifunas in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala have been able to maintain their culture while assimilating to the culture of the country they live in. Because Garifunas take the nationality of their country of birth, and, for the most part, speak Spanish, they are considered Latinos. Those Garifunas born in Belize, a former English colony, are excluded from this category because their native language is not Spanish. The Garifuna community, conscious of the fact that they live in a country where everything is classified, prefer to call themselves Garifuna first, and descendents of their country of birth second. For Latinos in New York, the majority of whom are Caribbean, Garifunas are another one of our own.
In 1765, the Spanish exported the Garifunas from Africa to the New World, but the Garifunas were able to escape their captors when their ship capsized near St. Vincent Island in the West Indies. In 1796, the Garifunas fought against the English, but were expelled from their land and relocated to Roatan Island off the coast of Honduras. Later, a treaty signed with the Spanish granted them land on the continent.
Conservative estimates place the Garifuna population at 200,000 worldwide. While most live in Honduras and Belize, and it is estimated that 100,000 live in New Orleans, Los Angeles, and New York, the latter being home to some 30,000 and the largest U.S. center of Garifuna migration.
Garifunas in Honduras, Nicaragua, and Guatemala have been able to maintain their culture while assimilating to the culture of the country they live in. Because Garifunas take the nationality of their country of birth, and, for the most part, speak Spanish, they are considered Latinos. Those Garifunas born in Belize, a former English colony, are excluded from this category because their native language is not Spanish. The Garifuna community, conscious of the fact that they live in a country where everything is classified, prefer to call themselves Garifuna first, and descendents of their country of birth second. For Latinos in New York, the majority of whom are Caribbean, Garifunas are another one of our own.
Vtmbh article date
2002-11-15
Vtmbh article edition
44
Vtmbh article hit count
139
Vtmbh article keywords
Vtmbh article line breaks
1
Vtmbh article original language
Spanish
Vtmbh article publication
Hoy
Vtmbh article section
news
Vtmbh article thumb
Vtmbh article title
Garifunas: One of ours
Vtmbh article translator
Hannah Emmerich
Source
born-digital
Media Type
article
Original Name
If you pay close attention while walking down the streets of the South Bronx, you may notice a diffe
Created by Author
yes
Described by Author
no
Date Entered
2002-11-15
Collection
Citation
“Garifunas: One of ours,” September 11 Digital Archive, accessed October 1, 2026, https://911.dev.chnm.gmu.edu/items/1312/.