The Garinagu people, known more commonly as the Garifuna (the name of their culture and language), are the descendants of African slaves who shipwrecked off the island of St. Vincent in the 1600’s and found shelter among the Arawak and Carib Natives. Colonial powers later forced them from the island, and the Garifuna founded communities along the coasts of Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Honduras. Today, the heart of Garifuna culture lies in the coastal town of Dangriga, Belize, where about 50% of the population are of Garifuna heritage. According to the Belize National Garifuna Council, there are an estimated 500,000 Garifuna worldwide, and UNESCO has recognized the Garifuna culture as “a masterpiece of the oral and intangible heritage of humanity.”



Summer 2014 marked the eighth year that students and faculty of The University of Arkansas have worked alongside Peacework (a 501(c)3 global nonprofit organization that engages communities, academic institutions, and corporations in innovative cross-sector solutions for sustainable development around the world) and the community of Dangriga on their journey towards sustainable development, involving projects among several disciplines. It was also the first time an Anthropology team joined the group, and the book you are holding is the result of part of our applied visual research project to help document the production of cassava - a staple of the Garifuna culture and diet - by the Sabal family at the only cassava farm in Belize.



This book is part of the Anthropology team's effort to help record, preserve, and share the tradition and craft practiced and shared with us by the Sabal family. Some team members concentrated on photographs, others on interviews, others on creating a new sign for the Sabal farm. This project is a result of all of these combined efforts.