The St. Vincent Indigenous People (SIP) which includes the Garifuna and the Kalinago as the existed between 1635 and 1779, had a religion that was based on that which was being practiced by the Kalinago people with a fusion of that of the ship wreck survivors and to a lesser extent the maroons.
Most people are of the opinion that drums were introduced into the St. Vincent Indigenous people’s culture, after the Ship wreck survivors joined the Kalinago people and merged with them. But there is evidence to suggest, the use of drums was always a part of the Kalinago people existence. As a result, the addition to the indigenous people’s community, with those who were destined to become slaves may have introduced aspects of their varying cultural rituals that required the use of drums. But the Kalinago people used drums in their ceremonies, celebrations and in their healing process.
It is believed that the SIP practiced some level of spiritualism. They believed that their dead relatives, and respected tribal leaders were directly involvement their lives and their fortune or misfortune were based on their pleasure or displeasure. As such, a great deal of time were spent appeasing their dead ancestors. Illness, consistent and unexpected bad fortune were cause by a displease God or the ancestors. They believed illnesses were caused by a bad spirit that possess the ill person and as wellness can only be regained by the casting out of the spirit; and such required a special ceremony, that must be conducted by the Piaye (the priest) to chase out or expel the evil or bad spirit from within the ill person.
In such cases, the Piayes were required to perform a ceremony, in the ceremony the Paiye will using rattles, smoke, chanting, drums and dancing. They will inhale large quantity of tobacco smoke to get them to a semiconscious state. This was the state he was required to be in, in order for him or her to communicate with the ancestors. In these ceremony, the priest will summon the help of their ancestor in the eviction of the unwelcome evil spirit and the healing of the ill person.
There were different ranked Piaye; there were also a chief Piaye, who was responsible for leading all official ceremonies. The chief Piaye, was the one who excelled in supernatural affairs, command the respect of the tribal elders and who were better able to get results.
Later as the SIP were separated by the English, the religious practices of the banished Garifuna people, began to evolved to meet their needs and by the influence of the people around them. While the remnant Garifuna, who escaped banishment, were try their best to adopt to whatever would have kept their Garifuna identity from being discovered by the English. The Kalinago on the other hand slowly abandoned their religion to appease the English, who spare them the inconvenience of being banished along with their darker complexioned younger brother: The Garifuna.
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