Gulisi Garifuna Museum
Stann Creek, Belize
Local Pick
At a glance
Ideal for
Known for
garifuna cultural heritage and traditions
Features
Local tip
On November 18, 2004, the Gulisi Garifuna Museum opened to the public, finally offering a place to locals and tourists alike to learn about the Garifuna culture, which is prevalent to this day in the southern Belize town of Dangriga.
- Gulisi Garifuna Museum
On November 18, 2004, the Gulisi Garifuna Museum opened to the public, finally offering a place to locals and tourists alike to learn about the Garifuna culture, which is prevalent to this day in the southern Belize town of Dangriga. Named for a Garifuna heroine who founded Punta Negra in the Toledo District, this museum is a must for anyone interested in local culture and history.
What to Expect
Exhibits include a history of the Garifuna people, a look at their customs and traditions, a tour of a working garden filled with traditional herbs and plants of the Garifuna, and a live showing of the Garifuna drums and traditional dance. Located within a spacious Spanish-style building, the property looks to be a large family home re-purposed as a museum.
The Garifuna are a unique culture that formed some 400 years ago when African slaves imported into the Caribbean intermarried with local Arawak and Carib people. After engaging in several uprisings against the British on the island of St. Vincent, the Garifuna were forced to flee, arriving en masse on the shores of Belize in 1802. The Gulisi Garifuna Museum is dedicated to showcasing the rich cultural heritage of the Garifuna people.
Garifuna MuseumWhy You Have to Visit the Gulisi Garifuna Museum in Dangriga On Your Vacation
Founded in 1984, shortly after gaining independence from Great Britain, the Gulisi Garifuna Museum is named for one of the heroes of the Garifuna’s flight across the Caribbean. Gulisi was the name of a single mother with 13 children who founded the village of Punta Negra (in today’s Toledo District) after escaping persecution from the British and a lengthy trek across the Caribbean.
Today, the museum has multiple interactive exhibits on the Garifuna culture, including traditional drumming, Garifuna spiritual beliefs, a living full-size garden with traditional herbs and plants, and traditional dancing. There is also a special exhibition dedicated to showcasing some of the most famous musicians in Belize who were of Garifuna descent. In 2001, UNESCO declared that the Garifuna language, music and dance were invaluable contributions to the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.
Where in Belize Is the Gulisi Garifuna Museum Located?
The museum is located two miles outside of Dangriga in Belize’s southeastern Stann Creek District. The museum’s only official address is Chuluhadiwa Park but there are signs pointing to it as it lies just adjacent to the Hummingbird Highway.
