Descendants of the Garifuna from Central America, the United States, other parts of the Garifuna Diaspora, as well as St Vincent and the Grenadines paid homage to their ancestors on Sunday, March 12, 2023 with a pilgrimage to the island of Baliceaux.
It was on that island that over 5000 Garifuna were exiled in July 1796 after Paramount Chief Joseph Chatoyer was killed on March 14, 1795.
Over 2000 Garifuna perished on that dry, barren island.
Less than one year later, by the time the survivors were further exiled by the British to Roatan island, Honduras, their numbers had dwindled to 2026.
As the community grew in numbers they later spread to Belize and other areas.
The Garifuna regard Yurumein (St Vincent) as their ancestral homeland and Baliceaux as a sacred place.

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