Deepest Wisdom of the Garifuna

The first few hours after returning to the village of Punta Gorda in Roatan, Honduras I was again swept away by the wisdom, connection and compassion of the Garifuna people.

This is the 4th time I’ve been here to this part of Honduras, working with the locals, living with them in their village, establishing incredible friendships and being reminded that in life we can impact others in profound ways as well as being profoundly impacted by others.

After reaching my friends house in Punta Gorda, we walked down the main road in the village that lines the pristine Caribbean sea and I witnessed how everyone seems to recognize and acknowledge one another.

This is primarily done with a few words of greeting followed by a fist bump that is then brought to your heart. This form of greeting has stuck with me since I first visited nearly 4 years ago.

It is as if there is an underlying respect for one another, an appreciation and a willingness to see deeper than the flesh of a person, connecting with the spirit within.

Embracing Native Cultures

The Garifuna people are Africans who settled in Central America and the Caribbean islands hundreds of years back. They taught me that the Garifuna people were brought here as slaves in the 1600’s but their strength, power of community and unwillingness to be dictated by another culture caused them to revolt and kill all the slave captors who brought them to the St. Vincent island.

Another history of the Garifuna people is that they were apart of the great Mali Empire in Africa and set sail to Central America in the 1200’s and intermingled with the Carib and Arawak people throughout the Caribbean.

While both stories are intriguing, I like the latter explanation, especially since they still have their own language, a dialect found in Nigeria, are extremely connected to the sea and have a six sense when it comes to nature.

I share these stories to encourage you to open your mind and heart to the history of others, especially native cultures. In doing so, you never know how that knowledge may plant new seeds of wisdom in your life.

Wise Words From the Elders

Because I’ve had the opportunity to stay in the village of Punta Gorda for many months at a time, I have a great relationship with many of the locals.

In addition to fist pounds and heart to heart recognition, the elders in this community always make me think deeper.

There is one elder in particular who I call, Brother Alfred, he is in his late 60’s. Every time I see him he is telling me about a new project he is working on, about his abundant farm that produces plantains, bananas, coconuts, mountain peppers and sugar cane, about his natural perfume, soap and shampoo he makes, and our most recent talk was about how many towns the Garifuna have helped establish and the map he found.

I am grateful to sit at the feet of the elders in the Garifuna community, listen to their insights and enrich my life. This is one thing we forget about where I stay in America, listening to the wise elders and applying their wisdom to our lives.

So for those who haven’t soaked in deep wisdom for sometime, I have a few of the deepest keys of wisdom I’ve learned from the Garifuna people.

3 Keys of Wisdom of the Garifuna

#1 – Kindness, Compassion and Community – Each morning you hear echoes of “Buenas Dias” (good morning) from the young kids walking to school, the adults strolling the beach, and the elders on their morning walk. It seems like mornings, afternoons, and evenings are filled with warm greetings, taking time to recognize one another and an unspoken way of respecting nearly all people in the village. The kindness is contagious and even though I hardly know Spanish you’ll still hear me saying hello to every person I pass.

#2 – Connection to Nature – From planting small farms filled with plantains and banana trees, to climbing coconut trees for a fresh coconut to drink, to chopping down wood from the jungle to build palapa on the beach or sailing into the sea to go diving for fish with just a snorkel, mask, flippers and speargun, the connection the Garifuna have with nature is inspiring. Indescribable sunsets, pristine ocean views, and fresh air, bring a sense of calmness, oneness.

#3 – Life Food – The final key of wisdom is the Life Food that is served each day. This consists of fresh fish, lobster and shrimp from the sea, organic fruits and veggies grown on the small farms sprinkled throughout the village and the compassionate, caring and gifted hands that prepare the food. I often pause before eating and give thanks for all that goes into creating the food I eat each day.

Wisdom Found Everywhere

I believe that we could all use these 3 Keys of Wisdom from the Garifuna, embracing kindness, compassion and community, strengthening our connection to nature and honor the food we eat each day.

I also believe that you don’t have to wait to travel to a place like Punta Gorda, Roatan to find this wisdom, peace and abundance, all you need to do is look within.

 

Peace

Happiness

Compassion

Respect

 

Jeffon Seely

 

Three Key Life

Wisdom of the Garifuna Photo Credit: Myself