The Garinagu (Garifuna people) emerged on Yurumein (St. Vincent and the Grenadines) from the blending of Africans—most of whom were self-liberated and never enslaved—and Island Carib/Kalinago peoples, forming a distinct Afro-Indigenous nation. Under the leadership of Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer (Satuye), the Garinagu fiercely resisted British expansion, leading two “Black Carib Wars” in 1772 and 1795 to defend their lands and sovereignty. Chatoyer, who fell in battle in 1795, is honored as a National Hero of St. Vincent and revered among Garinagu worldwide for his courage and legacy of freedom.

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Following their defeat, the British imprisoned over 5,000 Garinagu—mostly women and children—on the barren island of Balliceaux, where nearly half perished. On March 11, 1797, the survivors were forcibly exiled to Roatán, Honduras, from which they resettled along the Caribbean coasts of Honduras, Belize, Guatemala, and Nicaragua, and later extended to the United States and beyond, forming a vibrant transnational diaspora.

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The Garifuna presence in Belize was first recorded in 1802, with early Garinagu serving as wage laborers in the logging industry and other trades. A larger wave of migration from Honduras occurred in 1823, establishing strong coastal communities that became cultural anchors of Garifuna identity.

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In Belize, educator and activist Thomas Vincent Ramos (T.V. Ramos) institutionalized recognition of this journey by founding Garifuna Settlement Day, observed annually on November 19. His work also laid the foundation for mutual-aid structures that strengthened community welfare and solidarity.

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Today, the Garifuna language—rooted in Arawakan with Carib, Spanish, English, and French influences—along with drumming and dance traditions such as punta, paranda, and wanaragua, as well as distinct cuisine and spiritual practices (including the Dügü ancestral rite), underpin a resilient culture recognized by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. This living heritage thrives through ongoing education, cultural revitalization, and creative-economy initiatives that connect Garinagu across generations and geographies.