A CARIBBEAN VOCABULARY COMPILED IN 1666

The existence of this list is indeed a very powerful testimony to the fact that our ancestors learnt, adapted and used the Garifuna language on the island of St. Vincent. This evidence validates and strengthens our claim to the history of the Garifuna in St. Vincent (Yurumein).

Here is in part an answer given in response by Nancy Gonzalez to the following questions: “What African language is Garifuna most similar to? Have any Garinagu gone to Africa and studied similarities and differences? Is there any documentation available?�

“Dear friends,
The Garifuna language has been extensively studied by linguists, and is basically of the South American Arawak family, with numerous words taken from the Carib family, also from South America. It has also borrowed heavily from French, English, and Spanish. No more than five possible loan words from African languages have ever been found, and these are not confirmed… My work, starting in 1955, has been oriented toward the ethnography and ethno-history of the Garifuna… The language, as well as most of the technology, much of the religious ritual, and the agricultural and fishing complex derive not from Africa, but from South America…Don’t let yourselves lose sight of this unique heritage. There is no other group in the world with your culture because it is a product of your unique history! It has changed through time as the people have faced new challenges, but its core, largely due to the language, has remained firmly in place. Best wishes for the holiday season and beyond. Nancie Gonzalez�