The Dugu is an ancient extended funerary ceremony (in Guatemala , Belize , Honduras , Nicaragua it is also known as the 9 nights ceremony) practiced by the

Garifuna people The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian Cre ...

. The Garifuna is a small-to-medium-sized Central American ethnic group that has inhabited many

Central American Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. Cen ...

countries such as

Guatemala Guatemala ( ; ), officially the Republic of Guatemala ( es, República de Guatemala, links=no), is a country in Central America. It is bordered to the north and west by Mexico; to the northeast by Belize and the Caribbean; to the east by Hon ...

Belize Belize (; bzj, Bileez) is a Caribbean and Central American country on the northeastern coast of Central America. It is bordered by Mexico to the north, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and Guatemala to the west and south. It also shares a wa ...

and

Honduras Honduras, officially the Republic of Honduras, is a country in Central America. The republic of Honduras is bordered to the west by Guatemala, to the southwest by El Salvador, to the southeast by Nicaragua, to the south by the Pacific Oce ...

since the 17th century. Their roots come from both the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean ...

and

Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...

n coasts. The story goes that slaves being brought over to the Americas crashed into

St. Vincent Saint Vincent may refer to: People Saints * Vincent of Saragossa (died 304), a.k.a. Vincent the Deacon, deacon and martyr * Saint Vincenca, 3rd century Roman martyress, whose relics are in Blato, Croatia * Vincent, Orontius, and Victor (died 305) ...

. The indigenous Caribbean Indians and Africans soon formed a community and ethnic group called the Garifuna. They were identified as the "Black Caribs" to differentiate them from the native Caribbean population. The ''Dugu'' is a type of funeral ceremony that brings the community and families together. It is a festival that aims to bring deceased ancestors of the

Garifuna The Garifuna people ( or ; pl. Garínagu in Garifuna) are a people of mixed free African and indigenous American ancestry that originated in the Caribbean island of Saint Vincent and speak Garifuna, an Arawakan language, and Vincentian Cr ...

to the present and lasts between two days to as much as two weeks. The ceremony seeks to cure ill persons that have become sick because they have displeased the '' gubida'' (spirits). Families and friends gather around drums and sing, calling the ''gubida'' to the ceremony. This ceremony is headed by the '' Buyai'' (shaman). The Buyai is responsible for organizing and ordering all parts of the ceremony including food, clothes worn, sacrifices, and its length. Once the Buyai believes the spirits of the ancestors are present, the sick person is given food and rum. The rest of the food and alcohol is sacrificed and the person is predicted to be cured. The ''Dugu'' ritual has recently become more common. In the 1850s and 1860s the ''Dugu'' was little practiced due to fear the government (appointed by the British) would ban the ritual altogether. Now, however, the ''Dugu ji'' is practiced in many countries throughout

Central America Central America ( es, América Central or ) is a subregion of the Americas. Its boundaries are defined as bordering the United States to the north, Colombia to the south, the Caribbean Sea to the east, and the Pacific Ocean to the west. ...

, but mainly in Livingston, Guatemala. There are many reasons for the increase, one of which is to help unify the

people and also become politically visible as an ethnic group.Jenkins 1983

Notes

References

* Jenkins, Carol L. (1983 (Aug.)). "Ritual and Resource Flow: The Garifuna 'Dugu'". American Ethnologist. Vol 10.3 pp. 429–442. Retrieved 2009-09-20. * Palacio, I. Myrtle (2011 (June)). "Adügürahani: A Walk Through Garifuna Spiritualism". Glessima Research and Services, Belize. * Sletto, Jacqueline Wiora. (1991(Jan-Feb)). "Ancestral Ties that Bind. (The Garifuna, Central American Ethnic Group)". Americas (English Edition). Vol 43.n1 pp. 20–28. Retrieved 2009-09-18. {{refend Death customs Garifuna