by William Ysaguirre (Freelance Writer)
BELIZE CITY, Thurs. July 10, 2025
The Garinagu people are a much misunderstood community, and a new booklet—“The Primer on the People Called Garifuna” — has been published by Garifuna social scientist and writer Myrtle Palacio to dispel these misconceptions and bring greater understanding of her people’s history and present cultural identity.
Myrtle Palacio
Launched at the Imagination Factri in Belize City on Wednesday, July 9, the new book replaces the previous, “The First Primer on the People Called Garifuna,” which was published and shared in 1993. It chronicles the Garinagu’s evolution from when their African ancestors were trafficked across the Atlantic aboard wooden sailing ships, in unspeakable conditions below deck, until their intermarriage with the indigenous people of the islands to create the new race – the Garinagu or Garifuna.
Palacio’s new and ongoing research has unearthed new facts and data to add to her people’s story. Palacio substantiates her narrative with maps, a list of legal documents to set out a timeline for how the Garinagu were transported into exile from the island of St. Vincent and marooned on the island of Baliceaux and then Roatan, to survive as best they might, and how they crossed over the mainland of Honduras, and their tenacious fight for survival that led them to trek north-west to Belize.
It further describes how Garinagu became the backbone of the colonial public service and every branch of civil society including the Church, and a force to be reckoned with in post-Independence Belize.
The book includes many colorful photographs of Garifuna utensils and traditions, and an extensive bibliography for the curious reader to engage in further research. Anyone seeking to buy a copy can find it on the 501 Academy website.
British Caribbean News
