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Originally coined to denote the offspring of European settlers born in the New World, the term Creole (Kriol) was later used in Belize to describe any descendant of a combined European and African ancestry. Today the definition of Creole is no longer limited to a birthplace or an ancestral origin , but rather embodies a cultural admixture of African and European value systems, traditions, beliefs and language. Indeed the concept of Creole and that of ‘mixture’ have almost become synonymous to the extent that any individual with Afro-European ancestry combined with any other ethnicity, whether Mestizo, Garifuna or Mayan is now likely to be considered Creole. |
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It was not until the early 18th Century that African slaves were introduced into the Bay of Honduras settlement. This was in response to the need for a greater and sturdier labour force when the emphasis in the timber industry shifted from logwood to mahogany. The inevitable interaction between African slaves and their European masters in the slave society that existed between 1720 and 1834 gave birth to the first Belizean Creoles. |
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In the mahogany camps African slaves easily outnumbered their masters in a ratio of about 3:1 . As a measure of control, slave masters thought it prudent to have a slave band as heterogeneous as possible where slaves from different regions ,tribal origins and dialects found communication practically impossible. Indeed , any African verbal contact was discouraged. Out of this predicament was born the Creole language ( a sort of broken English with West African grammar interspersed here and there with original African words). Unlike the playing of the ‘Gombay’ drum which was outlawed in 1791, the Creole language has withstood the test of time and has become the principal form of communication among virtually all ethnic groups of Belize. |
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It may be considered a stroke of fortune for the Creole culture when the treaty known as “The Convention of London” was signed between Spain and Great Britain in 1786. This agreement limited the cutting of logwood and mahogany up to the Sibun River. As a result, runaway slaves were able to find sanctuary in Gales Point Manatee, a small coastal settlement south of the Sibun River boundary. In Malantee , as it was commonly called , they were able to practice and preserve much of the African culture and traditions , including the ‘jumping of the sambai’ a fertility dance performed during the full moon , the beating of the ‘talking drums’, and other drums with names like djimbe, sambai, dun-dun and kinkini. |
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Apart from this tiny cluster of Creole culture , songs with a traditionally African ‘call and response structure’ have found expression in the “Buru-brukdown” originating from the Belize River valley and Monkey River areas. The Creole culture has made a number of contributions in arts and crafts including basketry , wood and cow horn sculpturing. In food ,European and African influences are seen in the use and preparation of ground food (root tubers)such as cassava , yam, Irish potatoes, carrots , sweet potatoes as well as boiled cakes and English Johnny cakes and fried jacks. Folklore involves typical African stories of a spider named Bra (brother) Anansi , characterized as being lazy, selfish, cunning and deceptive , whose wits are continuously pitted against a smart but more naïve Bra Tiger. Storytelling and other verbal accounts were traditionally used in African culture to entertain , teach moral lessons and recount historical events.
Cultural vibes and rhythms of Belize endeavours to stimulate your imagination of yesteryear’s life in logwood and mahogany camps and to rekindle the almost forgotten musical culture of the maroon Creoles of Gales Point Manatee and the old Belize River valley.
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