Punta

This article is about Punta in music. For more meanings, see Punta (disambiguation) .

Punta is the name of a musical tradition, especially in Belize as well as Honduras and El Salvador, as well as a dance of the Garifuna .

music

Today's variant of Punta, Punta Rock , goes back in part to the Punta dance of the Garifuna. Punta Rock first became known to an international public in 1978 when Pen Cayetano and the Turtle Shell Band mixed traditional Garifuna instruments such as garawon (drum), rattles and turtle shells with modern electronic instruments. Pen Cayetano's songs expressed the political, social, economic problems and interests of the Garifuna in Belize and contributed to the self-confidence of the Garifuna. Today's Punta music is sometimes supplemented by other instruments - such as piano or string instruments.

dance

The punta dance is originally a fertility dance of Indian ( Caribbean ) or West African origin. The punta is a circular dance with a binary rhythm. This rhythm is very similar to the Bunda of the West African mande . In the middle of the dance circle a man and a woman move while the other participants sing and clap their hands. The punta dance is also known as kuliao (from Spanish culeado ). Another Garifuna dance in Belize is the yankunu , which is danced on Christmas Eve . The warini , masked participants, dance the yankunu accompanied by drums and solicit alms in streets and houses.