It is reported that in the early 1600s shipwrecked slaves were integrated to the population of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. By 1763, there was a group of Black or Negroid people who spoke the Carib language (Garifuna) and practiced Carib ritual (such as Couvades or Gubida) called the Black Caribs. Another of their spiritual service is called the “Dugu”, in which a high priest (Buyei) contacts ancestors for help in resolving problems. Their spiritual contact is called an Owehani. Their singers are called Gayusa.

The French settled on Saint Vincent and bonded with the Garinagu in the min 1600s. Later on war broke out between the French and the English. The Black Caribs sided with the French but unfortunately the British won that war. The Black Caribs were not contented with the English. They rebelled against them over and over again and war followed this continued for over 150 years. By the end of last English-Carib war which lasted from 1795 to 1796 the Garinagu population was estimated to be about 5,000 in numbers.

English farmers on Saint Vincent were outnumbered by the Caribs and were unable to live peacefully among them. In 1796, The Black Carib leader Joseph Satuye was killed in a fight (duel) with Sir Ralph Abercromby a British military commander early in the month of March. The following year (1797), approximately 5,000 Garinagu people were packed aboard the HMS Experiment (military ship) and taken to the island of Roatan, Honduras.

Punta Gorda, The Garifuna Community in Roatan

Punta Gorda community was founded in 1797 by Garifuna a micture of Africans and the yellow Caribs of Saint Vincent in the western caribbean. The Garifuna began aiding the French in the war against the British won the war and punished the Garifuna by mourning them on the island of Roatan. The Garifuna is the only group of natives that have conserved and preserved their customs, traditions and culture. They have created the famous music called Punta.

The community was declared National Monument, for being the First Garifuna Community in Central America. At Punta Gorda, you can visit the monument or statue of the first leader of the Garifuna people Joseph Satuye. This community has many small restaurant and bars where you can enjoy a variety of dishes, the most popular the Machuca.

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Men such as Edward Tech (The famous Black Beard), Kidd, Roberts, John Coxen, Captain Morris and Captain Jackman anchored their convoy at Port Royal Roatan in 1665. Captain Sharp, Van Horn, Ned Low, Edward Teach and a Welch man naed Henry Morgan and other Pirate leaders visited the Bay Islands frequently during this same period. It is believed that captain John Coxen lived and commanded a band of pirates in the south western area of Roatan known today as Coxen Hole, from around 1687 to 1697. Historian claimed that after the destruction of Port Royal in Jamaica by the powerful earthquake of June 7th, 1692. Port Royal at Roatan island became home to many of these ruffians.

Privateering officially came to an end with the Treaty of Utrecht in 1713 – 1714, as a result of this treaty, Spain and France ceased hostilities towards Great Britain; therefore, the era of piracy continued on a smaller scale in the West Indies, In 1670, Spain and Great Britain signed the Treaty of Madrid giving “all those lands, islands, colonies, and places whatsover situated in the West Indies” over to Britain. This treaty established and recognized Britain as a world power thus reducing Spain’s reign and dominance over the American continent.

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Mangrove leaves, nectar and fruit, feed a variety of animals above the water, Decomposing leaves in the water feed an entire different ecosystem. Mangroves serve as important nursery grounds for many marine animals, including valuable species like bonefish, snappers, lobsters, conchs, and shrimps.

These trees have the ability to survive in the salty inter-tidal area by the seacoast. Red mangroves colonize the seaward fringe. These give way to muddy zone of Black mangroves and eventually stretch to the land where White mangroves and Button wood dominate.

They have developed remarkable strategies to deal with their hostile environment. How do they cope with salt water, when they actually depend on fresh water for their survival? Some mangroves have mechanisms for concentrating the salt into their sap. Others remove the salt and store it in old leaves which are ready to fall. Still others actively secrete salt through glands on their leaves or roots.

Roatan Five Stars offers this great experience enjoying the mangrove tunnels in multiple sites in the east end of Roatan, please visit our all day packages section (Mangrove Tunnels Tours) for more details.

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