Song & Video Library

After several years of documenting rare Garifuna music across Honduras, the "Searching for the Songs of Wanaragua" team has compiled the lyrics, audio and video of over 100 unique songs for the first time in Garifuna, English and Spanish. There are also additional genres of traditional music such as Fedu, short documentary profiles of singers, and language videos with community members. The goal is to provide all of these materials as a free, public online resource for anyone interested in Garifuna language and culture. The work is still ongoing, check this space for new videos and updates.

Don Wistewa - Sangrelaya

Ramón "Wistewa" Castillo is one of the last people in Honduras that remembers the old songs of Wanaragua, a type of music created by the indigenous Garifuna people that commemorates resistance against colonizers.

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Spanish

Yofi Lambert - Punta Gorda, Roatán

In Punta Gorda, Roatán, the first Garifuna community in Central America, singer Yofi Lambert teaches some of the last remaining Wanaragua songs in the region.

Documentary Profile:

Full Performance:

Women of Batalla, Gracias a Dios

Wanaragua songs recorded with the women of Batalla, a small village in the Miskitia region of Honduras.

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Spanish

Common Phrases in Garifuna

Learn some typical phrases in Garifuna, the language spoken by the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people throughout the Caribbean Coast of Central America.

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Spanish

Kitchen Words in Garifuna

Learn some Garifuna vocabulary words to use in the kitchen from the village of Sangrelaya, Honduras

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Spanish

Roque Reyes Marín - Limón

Roque Reyes Marín is one of the last people in the town of Limón, Honduras that knows the lyrics to more than a dozen Wanaragua songs. Even though they’re usually sung at Christmas with drums and dancing, the lyrics often mention sadness, death and despair. The contrast alludes to the challenges that the community has faced through history.

Trilingual Lyric Book (PDF)

Garifuna only Lyric Book (PDF)

Video with English subtitles

Video with Spanish subtitles

José "Tai" Angel Blanco - Tornabé

José "Tai" Angel Blanco, one of the last people who remembers the lyrics to the songs in his community of Tornabé, explains the history of Wanaragua and the effort to pass the tradition on to the next generation.

Documentary Profile:

Full Performance:

Castillo Family Group - Cusuna

Eufemio "Heñu" Castillo and his family singing group in Gusunougati are retired now, but they sang for over 3 hrs straight on the day we filmed, without repeating any song twice. We had to stop recording once we lost the sunlight, but they could have continued. Unfortunately, although Gusunougati is considered one of the last outposts of traditional culture, Wanaragua hasn't been performed there in years.

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Spanish

Wanaragua Songs in Triunfo de la Cruz

Sorayda "Nelsy" Herrera, Jaima Aranda and Dixon Álvarez play Wanaragua songs on the beach of the village of Triunfo de la Cruz in Atlantida, Honduras.

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Spanish

Village Words in Garifuna

Learn some vocabulary words in Garifuna, the language spoken by the Afro-Indigenous Garifuna people throughout the Caribbean Coast of Central America.

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Spanish

Fedu Songs from Sangrelaya

Fedu is a type of a capella song sung by Garifuna women. However, due to a lack of standardized Garifuna language education, these songs, and the stories within them, are at grave risk of disappearing. We sat down with Inés Sabio, a retired teacher and Fedu singer, to help her remember and record several songs she wrote years ago and explain the stories behind them with her singing group Barauda.

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Spanish

Profile of a Garifuna Historian

Víctor Virgilio Lopez García is one of the most prolific Garifuna writers in Honduras. He was worked for decades to document the history of the Afro-indigenous Garifuna community before it disappears.

English

Spanish