Endangered languages
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WELGR 17: Garifuna / Andy Palacio
25 Jan 2008, 14:34
THE LANGUAGE: GARIFUNA
Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Belize by the Garifuna people. It is spoken by a majority of Afro-Hondurans.
The Garifuna language has survived centuries of persecution and linguistic imperialism.
It is rich in tales (raga), which originally served as an activity during wakes or large gatherings. Nowadays, this story-telling art is being lost at the same time as the language is in retreat.
There is a very strong link between the Garifuna language and the songs and dances which are associated with it. The melodies bring together African and Amerindian elements and the texts are a veritable store of the history and traditional knowledge of the Garifuna, such as cassava-growing, fishing, canoe-building and the construction of baked mud houses.
The dances are generally accompanied by three types of drum and the onlookers mix with the dancers during the ceremonies. There is also a considerable amount of satire in these songs, which is particularly directed at certain forms of behaviour.
Economic migration, ethnic discrimination and the complete absence of the Garifuna language in the school system in Belize are endangering its survival.
The language is still widely spoken but it is now taught in only one village. Consequently, the young no longer have mastery of their language and are no longer aware of their history; this then makes them vulnerable to the influence of the dominant culture. The National Garifuna Council (NGC) has put together the Garifunda agenda and has signed a memorandum with the Government of Belize, which commits itself to according proper recognition to the Garifuna culture.
The Garífuna are ethnically descended from Amerindian and African people. The British colonial administration used the term Black Carib to refer to the Garífuna and distinguish them from Yellow Carib - the Amerindians who had not intermarried with Africans. In recent history, Garífuna have thrown off their British appellation and encourage others to refer to them as Garífuna. The Garífuna population is estimated to be around 400,000 - 500,000 both in their Central American 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 Garífuna 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. Another version of the origin of "Black Caribs" states that pre-Columbian African explorers intermingled with the indigenous population.
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 Garífuna 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 Garífuna's 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.
SOURCES:
Wikipedia: Garifuna language
Wikipedia: Garifuna People
UNESCO: Garifuna Language
THE ARTIST: Andy Palacio
Andy Palacio was not only the most popular musician in Belize, he was also a serious music and cultural activist with a deep commitment to preserving his unique Garifuna cultureis work as a recording and performing artist thanks to the critical success of his early 2007 album Wåtina.
Andy Vivien Palacio was born in the small coastal village of Barranco, Belize on December 2, 1960. Palacio grew up listening to traditional Garifuna music as well as imported sounds coming over the radio.
It was while working with a literacy project on Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast in 1980 and discovering that the Garifuna language and culture was steadily dying in that country, that a strong cultural awareness took hold and his approach to music became more defined. “I saw what had happened to my people in Nicaragua. The cultural erosion I saw there deeply affected my outlook,” he said in late 2006, “and I definitely had to react to that reality.”
His reaction took the form of diving deeper into the language and rhythms of the Garifuna “It was a conscious strategy. I felt that music was an excellent medium to preserve the culture. I saw it as a way of maintaining cultural pride and self esteem, especially in young people.”
Palacio became a leading figure in a growing renaissance of young Garifuna intellectuals who were writing poetry and songs in their native language. He saw the emergence of an upbeat, popular dance form based on Garifuna rhythms that became known as punta rock and enthusiastically took part in developing the form.
He helped found Sunrise, an organization dedicated to preserving, documenting and distributing Belizean music.
Palacio also brought his passion for Garifuna culture into the public sector. In December 2004, Palacio was appointed Cultural Ambassador and Deputy Administrator of the National Institute of Culture and History of Belize.
About five years ago, Belizean producer Ivan Duran, Palacio’s longtime collaborator and founder of the local label Stonetree Records, convinced Palacio that he should focus on less commercial forms of Garifuna music and look more deeply into its soul and roots. Duran and Palacio set out to create an all-star, multi-generational ensemble of some of the best Garifuna musicians from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.
Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective unites elder statesmen such as legendary Garifuna composer Paul Nabor, with up-and-coming voices of the new generation such as Aurelio Martinez from Honduras and Adrien martinez from Belize.
The Garifuna Collective rather then focusing solely on danceable styles like punta rock, the Collective explores the more soulful side of Garifuna music, such as the Latin-influenced paranda, and the sacred dügü, punta and gunjei rhythms.
Palacio and Duran embarked on the production of Wátina, an album that would come to redefine modern Garifuna music and become one of the most critically-acclaimed world music releases of 2007. The initial recording sessions for this exceptional album took place over a 4-month period in an improvised studio inside a thatch-roofed cabin by the sea in the small village of Hopkins, Belize.
It was an informal environment, where the musicians spent many hours playing together late into the night, honing the arrangements of the songs that would eventually end up on this album. While the traditions provided the inspiration, the musicians also added contemporary elements that helped give the songs relevance to their modern context. After the sessions, Ivan Duran worked tirelessly back at his studio to craft what is surely the pinnacle of Garifuna music production to date.
In November, 2007, Palacio became the first Caribbean and Central American artist to be designated awas named a UNESCO Artist for Peace. He received the prestigious WOMEX Award in October, 2007 which was co-awarded to Ivan Duran. In September, 2007 Palacio was conferred the Order of Meritorious Service by the Prime Minister of Belize. Wátina was also nominated for the influential BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.
At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio’s example.
January 19, 2008 was declared dead at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. He was 47.
SOURCE:
cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com
Garifuna is an Arawakan language spoken in Honduras, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Belize by the Garifuna people. It is spoken by a majority of Afro-Hondurans.
The Garifuna language has survived centuries of persecution and linguistic imperialism.
It is rich in tales (raga), which originally served as an activity during wakes or large gatherings. Nowadays, this story-telling art is being lost at the same time as the language is in retreat.
There is a very strong link between the Garifuna language and the songs and dances which are associated with it. The melodies bring together African and Amerindian elements and the texts are a veritable store of the history and traditional knowledge of the Garifuna, such as cassava-growing, fishing, canoe-building and the construction of baked mud houses.
The dances are generally accompanied by three types of drum and the onlookers mix with the dancers during the ceremonies. There is also a considerable amount of satire in these songs, which is particularly directed at certain forms of behaviour.
Economic migration, ethnic discrimination and the complete absence of the Garifuna language in the school system in Belize are endangering its survival.
The language is still widely spoken but it is now taught in only one village. Consequently, the young no longer have mastery of their language and are no longer aware of their history; this then makes them vulnerable to the influence of the dominant culture. The National Garifuna Council (NGC) has put together the Garifunda agenda and has signed a memorandum with the Government of Belize, which commits itself to according proper recognition to the Garifuna culture.
The Garífuna are ethnically descended from Amerindian and African people. The British colonial administration used the term Black Carib to refer to the Garífuna and distinguish them from Yellow Carib - the Amerindians who had not intermarried with Africans. In recent history, Garífuna have thrown off their British appellation and encourage others to refer to them as Garífuna. The Garífuna population is estimated to be around 400,000 - 500,000 both in their Central American 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 Garífuna 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. Another version of the origin of "Black Caribs" states that pre-Columbian African explorers intermingled with the indigenous population.
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 Garífuna 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 Garífuna's 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.
SOURCES:
Wikipedia: Garifuna language
Wikipedia: Garifuna People
UNESCO: Garifuna Language
THE ARTIST: Andy Palacio
Andy Palacio was not only the most popular musician in Belize, he was also a serious music and cultural activist with a deep commitment to preserving his unique Garifuna cultureis work as a recording and performing artist thanks to the critical success of his early 2007 album Wåtina.
Andy Vivien Palacio was born in the small coastal village of Barranco, Belize on December 2, 1960. Palacio grew up listening to traditional Garifuna music as well as imported sounds coming over the radio.
It was while working with a literacy project on Nicaragua's Atlantic Coast in 1980 and discovering that the Garifuna language and culture was steadily dying in that country, that a strong cultural awareness took hold and his approach to music became more defined. “I saw what had happened to my people in Nicaragua. The cultural erosion I saw there deeply affected my outlook,” he said in late 2006, “and I definitely had to react to that reality.”
His reaction took the form of diving deeper into the language and rhythms of the Garifuna “It was a conscious strategy. I felt that music was an excellent medium to preserve the culture. I saw it as a way of maintaining cultural pride and self esteem, especially in young people.”
Palacio became a leading figure in a growing renaissance of young Garifuna intellectuals who were writing poetry and songs in their native language. He saw the emergence of an upbeat, popular dance form based on Garifuna rhythms that became known as punta rock and enthusiastically took part in developing the form.
He helped found Sunrise, an organization dedicated to preserving, documenting and distributing Belizean music.
Palacio also brought his passion for Garifuna culture into the public sector. In December 2004, Palacio was appointed Cultural Ambassador and Deputy Administrator of the National Institute of Culture and History of Belize.
About five years ago, Belizean producer Ivan Duran, Palacio’s longtime collaborator and founder of the local label Stonetree Records, convinced Palacio that he should focus on less commercial forms of Garifuna music and look more deeply into its soul and roots. Duran and Palacio set out to create an all-star, multi-generational ensemble of some of the best Garifuna musicians from Guatemala, Honduras and Belize.
Andy Palacio & The Garifuna Collective unites elder statesmen such as legendary Garifuna composer Paul Nabor, with up-and-coming voices of the new generation such as Aurelio Martinez from Honduras and Adrien martinez from Belize.
The Garifuna Collective rather then focusing solely on danceable styles like punta rock, the Collective explores the more soulful side of Garifuna music, such as the Latin-influenced paranda, and the sacred dügü, punta and gunjei rhythms.
Palacio and Duran embarked on the production of Wátina, an album that would come to redefine modern Garifuna music and become one of the most critically-acclaimed world music releases of 2007. The initial recording sessions for this exceptional album took place over a 4-month period in an improvised studio inside a thatch-roofed cabin by the sea in the small village of Hopkins, Belize.
It was an informal environment, where the musicians spent many hours playing together late into the night, honing the arrangements of the songs that would eventually end up on this album. While the traditions provided the inspiration, the musicians also added contemporary elements that helped give the songs relevance to their modern context. After the sessions, Ivan Duran worked tirelessly back at his studio to craft what is surely the pinnacle of Garifuna music production to date.
In November, 2007, Palacio became the first Caribbean and Central American artist to be designated awas named a UNESCO Artist for Peace. He received the prestigious WOMEX Award in October, 2007 which was co-awarded to Ivan Duran. In September, 2007 Palacio was conferred the Order of Meritorious Service by the Prime Minister of Belize. Wátina was also nominated for the influential BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards.
At home in Belize, the international success of Wátina has sparked a revival of Garifuna music, as young musicians have become inspired by Palacio’s example.
January 19, 2008 was declared dead at 9pm Belize time due to a massive and extensive stroke to the brain, a heart attack and respiratory failure due to the previous two conditions. He was 47.
SOURCE:
cumbanchamusic.blogspot.com
