Garifuna Sistas Talk Spirituality

The Sistas revisit their conversation with Canon Jerris Valentine, a retired Anglican priest based in Dangriga, Belize. He teaches the Sistas about the Garifuna understanding of God, our relationship with the ancestors, and the impact of the Catholic Church on our community.

Recorded January 2021
Original publication: April 25, 2021

Connect with the Garifuna Sistas:

Co-hosts Kyleigh Simone and Feroza are back after their hiatus. In this episode, they share what they've been up to during the break and the topics they hope to learn for season 2.

Connect with the Garifuna Sistas:

Ashley, a San Francisco native with roots in Trujillo, Honduras, joins the Sistas this week as the final guest of the Modern Day Garifuna series. In this episode, Ashley discusses growing up in “the echoes of Garifuna culture”, using social media to connect with Garinagu across the diaspora, and the idea of being “Garifuna enough”. Ashley serves her community with a dedication to helping people see the greatness within themselves. As an Education Architect, she has a multifaceted approach to strategic whole child and youth invigoration. She is a Master Certified Life Coach, an Education Advocate, an Online Course Creator, an Author, and an Organizational Leadership Trainer. She helps communities access their joy for mental clarity and spiritual wellness through organizational training.

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This week the Sistas sat down with Dr. Gwen Nuñez Gonzalez, a Garifuna language educator based in Dangriga, Belize. She shares her views on Garifuna spirituality, the powerful experience she had on the pilgrimage to St Vincent and the Grenadines (Yurumein) in 2017 and the importance of learning the Garifuna language.

Book mentioned in the podcast:

From Villain to National Hero: Chatoyer and the Early Struggle for the Independence of St. Vincent (Yurumein)-[Fraser, Adrian]

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/Villain-National-Hero-Chatoyer-Independence/dp/1084115107

Contact Gwen to learn more and purchase her language books:

Martha is a proud Garifuna-American from the Bronx, NY with strong roots to Livingston, Guatemala. She shares how she came to understand her spiritual walk, and the lessons learned balancing spirituality with life, relationships, family and our ever-evolving culture.

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Garifuna Duchess stopped by to chat with the Sistas about her groundbreaking memoir, “My Spiritual Journey: A Symbiotic Relationship With My Ancestors”. In it, she vulnerably shares her experience of the beginning stages of her spiritual walk. She shares the confusion and the pain, but also the peace, joy and power of creating a healthy relationship with her ancestors.

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Connect with Garifuna Duchess—All links to purchase her book and/or follow her on social media are available on her website:

Raheem Mariano is known as one of the best drummers coming out of Barranco Village, Belize. He was 14 years old when he was first called to drum for a dügü (an ancestral family reunion), and this week he joins the Sistas to share his experience of having the drums run through his veins. Raheem talks about what it was like growing up in the village, and he details what it's like to drum for a dügü (a sacred ancestral reunion). He also shares the self care routine drummers must abide by when drumming for a ceremony.

Podcasts Mentioned in the Episode:

• Priestesses Prescribe: https://anchor.fm/priestesses-prescribe
• How Do YOU See Your Glass with Alison Martinez: https://anchor.fm/alison-martinez1

Contact the Garifuna Sistas:

This week, whip out your notebooks and your Bibles, folks! Nilson Gamboa is a Garifuna minister and educator from Livingston, Guatemala and is currently based in New York. He teaches the Sistas about the Biblical perspective on Garifuna Spirituality. He teaches about how the stories in the Old Testament are parallel to our own lives, and how they provide valuable lessons (especially when it comes to being ‘called’). He also provides a different perspective on what actually happens when the ancestors ‘punish’ their descendants for their disobedience.

Nilson is also a community organiser with a mission to improve the lives of Garifuna communities in Honduras and Guatemala. Find out more about his organisation and consider donating to the Genesis Inter-Community Group, Inc. (GICG):

This is a rich conversation with Joshua Arana, a talented Garifuna drummer from Dangriga, Belize. He talks about the spirit of “aü bun amuru nu” (“I for you and you for me”) from his perspective as a Garifuna drummer. Josh tells the story of how he struggled with his Garifuna identity as a youth growing up, understanding his purpose and calling as a drummer, and the value of the feminine aspect of drumming. He also shares about his experience in Yurumein (St Vincent and the Grenadines) in 2017 and what he learned.

Watch his TEDx Talk:

This week the Sistas are joined by their very own momma, Sylvia Sampson Cayetano. She shares about her upbringing as a Garifuna in Belize City, and the challenges of raising her daughters to be grounded in their identity in the midst of unique circumstances. Garifuna spirituality was never part of her childhood until she was awoken in the middle of the night by a message delivered from the ancestors. This ultimately led to organizing a healing pilgrimage to St Vincent and the Grenadines in 2017–the Garifuna Diaspora United in Healing. And, of course, the journey continues.

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Garifuna elder, Da Juliana Arana, teaches the Sistas, step by step, two Garifuna rituals: how to set food for our ancestors (adagaragüda) and how to bathe them (amuyadahani). If you’ve ever done it and wondered if you were doing it right, this is the conversation for you.

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Canon Jerris Valentine, a retired Anglican priest and author of the book “Garifuna Understanding of Death”, joins the Sistas this week. He talks about his journey into the priesthood and he details the impact of the Church on the Garifuna communities in Belize. He also teaches about the Garifuna understanding of God. This one is a doozy, folks.

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Books mentioned in this episode:

• The Garifuna Understanding of Death by Jerris Valentine
• The Rise and Fall of the Black Caribs, by C. I. Martin and I. A. Earle Kirby

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Support St Vincent and the Grenadines in the face of the eruption of the La Soufriere volcano:

This week the Sistas are joined by Lucia Regina Ellis. She is a herbalist, author, counsellor and owner/manager of NUMASA Wellness Center in Belize. The conversation ranges from the historical root of certain behaviors among Garinagu, how some of her books were birthed, and the journey of her calling to plant medicine. She also discusses the importance of spiritual hygiene and shares her recipe for a restorative spiritual bath.

Contact Lucia Ellis:

• Telephone: (501) 673-1330
• WhatsApp: +501-608-7236
• Email: numada2003@yahoo.co.uk

Find her books in Belize:

• Belize City- Brodies Bookstore and Image Factory
• Belmopan- Bakers Bookstore
• Dangriga: Integrated Bookstore and Chatuye Bookstore

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Donate to support St Vincent and the Grenadines in the face of the La Soufriere volcano eruption

This one is for the dreamers! Denise Valentine Sabal is from Hopkins Village, currently based in Belize City. She joins the Sistas to share her journey to becoming an ‘ounagule’ (spiritual messenger). She vulnerably shares the challenges of being a messenger, how she learned to interpret dreams, and the effect that disobeying the ancestors can have on one’s family. Hers is truly a story of resilience and triumph. 

Tongues totally in cheek, the Sistas break down the history of the Garifuna people: how were the Garifuna formed? What else was going on in the world while they were fighting against colonization in the 17th and 18th centuries? How did they end up in Central America? And WHAT does this have to do with spirituality? The Sistas tackle all these questions and more.

Books and Articles to Get You Started on Your Own Research:

Garifuna Nation Across Borders, Joseph Palacio
Sojourners of the Caribbean, Nancie Gonzalez
The Race Lept at Sauteurs: Genocide, Narrative and Indigenous Exile from the Caribbean Archipelago, Melanie J. Newton
Rise and Fall of the Black Caribs, I. A. Earl Kirby and C. I. Martin
The Black Carib Wars, Christopher Taylor
The Black Jacobins, C. L. R. James
Among the Garifuna: Family Tales and Ethnography from the Caribbean Coast, Marylin McKillop Wells
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus, Charles C. Mann

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Kyleigh Simone and Feroza introduce themselves. They discuss their individual journeys with Garifuna spirituality and how they came to acceptance, and they talk about the intention of the podcast. 

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A preview of what to expect from Garifuna Sistas Talk Spirituality, co-hosted by Feroza Cayetano and her "older-younger" sister, Kyleigh Simone. This show is a bi-monthly conversation where we chat with featured guests about different aspects of Garifuna spirituality and their journey to accepting their "Garifuna-ness". In this sneak peak, Feroza and Kyleigh discuss the intention of the podcast, and some of the challenges they encountered learning about Garifuna spirituality while living abroad. 

Join us on Feb 28 on Spotify, Anchor, Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

Got questions or suggestions of topics to discuss? Send us an email, send us a message on Instagram or Twitter, or send us a voice message through the Anchor app! So many options to reach out to us.

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