Ancestral ties that bind.

• Author: Sletto, Jacqueline Wiora
• Position: The Garifuna, Central American ethnic group

GARIFUNA ARTIST Benjamin Nicholas stands in his small, cluttered studio in Dangriga, Belize, and surveys one of his works-in-progress, a large mural depicting the military exploits of Chatoyer, the legendary leader of the Garifuna. The canvas swirls with bold color and high drama, and draws the eye irresistibly to the dominating figure of Chatoyer. Nicholas points to each panel in the mural and explains the scenarios. Here, Chatoyer meets with representatives of the British King George III. Here, surrounded by village round houses and drying fishing nets, he speaks with his people and encourages them to fight against oppression. Here, he leads his followers into battle against a ruthless British army bent on subduing them.

The mural is a bit of a departure from the artist's usual work, which tends to depict the traditional Garifuna lifestyle in innocent, happy scenes that ache with nostalgia. But is also an outgrowth of Nicholas' basic admiration and emulation of his stubborn, proud and fierce ancestors. Indeed, he draws much of his artistic inspiration from the past--from his forebears who maintained their independence by keeping their culture alive and by refusing to compromise with the Europeans. Like them, he makes no apologies for being Garifuna, an ethnic identity that is both enigmatic and misunderstood.

A small, Central American ethnic group scattered along the coasts of five countries, the Garifuna have kept themselves apart from other peoples for centuries. From the beginning, their ancestors sought neither to conquer nor to assimilate the cultures around them. They asked only to be left alone. This penchant for disassociation still remains strong among modern Garifuna. Because of this, it is difficult for an outsider to know or understand them. They have a reputation for mystery and aloofness, a collective reserve that perhaps stems from their origins 350 years ago when strange and terrible events shaped the destiny of their forebears.

Much of Garifuna history is cloaked in lies or half-truths told by Europeans, and the Garifuna themselves are unsure of the precise details of their genesis. They do agree, however, that their history begins in the early 1600s, when two slave ships carrying West Africans to the New World ran aground near St. Vincent in the Windward Islands. According to various accounts, the Africans who survived the wreck were either welcomed by the Carib Indians who inhabited the island or enslaved by them. Whatever the Caribs' initial reaction to the Africans, the two peoples did eventually intermarry and create the Garifuna.

Called "Black Caribs" by the British to distinguish them from Native American Caribs, the Garifuna were a proud people who resisted colonization for more than 100 years. Together with the Native American Caribs, who were slowly decimated by European illnesses and by warfare, the Garifuna participated in a string of uprisings and wars against the British who were determined to colonize St. Vincent.

In 1795, led by their chief, the military genius Chatoyer, they gathered together for one last great battle. They had been armed and supported over the years by the French, and believing the French would remain their ally, they attacked the British, with muskets and deadly determination. Chatoyer was killed, however, and the French withdrew their aid, leaving the charismatic chief's followers bewildered. The British managed to capture many warriors, including Chatoyer's brother, and by spreading the rumor that huge numbers of Garifuna were killed...