Introduction
The minute you step off the plane to Belize and you are surrounded by a warm beautiful tropical environment. As you walk from the runway to the main airport you are directed by several Belizeans, all with very distinct ethnic features. Some you can tell have deep Mayan roots, and others are clearly of an African decent. Yet as they direct you to the baggage claim you can hear them speaking the same Creole language to each other regardless of perceived ethnicity. Once you reach baggage claim, you are serenaded by Garifuna music, and it seems like you have reached paradise at last. You may not stop to think about how all of these people of different backgrounds have come to call this place home, but to understand the culture of Belize it is also imperative to understand what influences shaped the country.
Melanie Smith is a sociologist who teaches at the University Belize. She has a very deep understanding of how this multi-ethnic society grew and came to our small University of Denver interterm course to speak to us on the importance of understanding how the social structure of Belize can impact how Belize goes about approaching sustainability.
Belize's History
Pre-colonial Belize
Pre-Colonial Belize was a part of Mesoamerica. Architectural evidence proves that the Maya lived on these lands long before settlers arrived in the 16th and 17th centuries. The Maya resisted the Europeans who attempted to colonize them. However, they began contracting European diseases and the resulting population decline weakened its ability to resist conquest. By the 17th century, Spanish missionaries established churches to try to control the Maya.
Melanie Smith explains that this Mayan culture of resistance is still alive today as people continue to identify with their Mayan roots. Though Belize struggles with issues such as violence and social inequality, Smith believes that Belizeans can draw from the strength of their ancestors' roots and know that they have the power to resist the violence and corruptness in Belize and fight for themselves.
Colonization
1638 marks the beginning of British Honduras. This was the time of the rise of the Baymen who utilized the coasts of Belize and pulled resources like log wood. This is the time period where Belize became the only English speaking country in Central America. The Treaty of 1763 gave boundaries between Spanish territory and British territory, thus making Belize no longer Spanish property, and explicitly asked for protection of the Baymen occupying British Honduras. In the 18th century, the British and French fought for supremacy over the new world. Britain controlled the Caribbean by the 19th century and Belize was thus integrated as a Caribbean country and not a Central American one.
Since colonization, Belize has always faced deforestation and because of that it is difficult for Belizeans to change that mentality. When British Honduras first came into existence Belize provided log wood consistently for years. In 1770 it became less needed and was no longer profitable, and it was expected that the lumber industry in Belize would end. Not long after, however, mahogany was discovered and destruction of forests have continued until modern day.
Arrival of various ethnic groups
As lumber collection was very exhausting and the need could not be sufficed by just Baymen, slavery was introduced to British Honduras in the early 1700s. Slaves were already being imported to the Caribbean at the time so it was very easy to convert them into the new Belizean labor force. By the 1790 consensus, three-fourths of the population were slaves of African decent, one-tenth of the population was white property owners, and the rest were free blacks and people of mixed races. Another small group were white workers from Europe. European convicts were sent to the Caribbean and forced to work, while poor Europeans came over as "indentured servants". In order to keep ethnic groups from joining together and revolting, the British tried to give each of these groups their own distinct identity so that they would not feel solidarity with one another. Some of that is still in play today, which is partially why it may be difficult for ethnic groups to see eye to eye this day and age. British slave owners would stress that slavery was best under British control and that slaves were lucky to have been enslaved by the British. This mentality is still in history books today and still effects the self image that the various ethnic groups have of themselves.
During the 17th century, Africans who had escaped slavery intermarried with Caribs and other natives who lived in the Eastern Caribbean islands. These unions and their resulting children were exiled throughout the Caribbean until they were finally accepted in Belize. This mixture is called Garifuna. The Garifunas traditionally had a very coastal lifestyle and practiced rituals unknown to the greater Belizean population. They have faced much discrimination over the years, but have lately, due to affirmative action measures, become more integrated into jobs within the private and public sectors. Their music, Punta Rock, has become popularized Belizean music, and they still practice their sacred rituals and celebrate the date of their original settlement in Belize.
Between 1844-1917 Indians were indentured to work in the British Colony experimental rice farms in the Caribbean. Eventually they also became sugar plantation workers. To this day, there are still pockets of these Indian immigrants within Belize. The 1950's brought form the Mennonites, people from the Swiss Alps moving away from religious persecution. At that time, the government of Belize was giving away land to people who had agricultural background, and so the Mennonites (similar to the Amish) traveled to Belize. There are still traditional Mennonites (they choose not to use electricity) in Belize today, but there are also modernized ones (such as a current Mennonite government representative). There is still discrimination due to both their lifestyle and how they self segregate, but they are also the main producers of chicken in Belize.
Road to independence
An important thing to note is that though on the surface Belize appears to be a melting pot, Belizeans are really living in a society of multiple ethnicities that separate themselves, even all of these years later. And a lot of this is a direct effect of British control techniques. That said, Belizeans did learn to unite as they began rejecting the idea of being a British colony. Labor movements began in 1919 demanding for justice within the workforce, and eventually led to Nationalist Movements from the 1930's-40's that push for autonomy. By 1950 Belize had created its own political party and in 1964 they had their own self government. They changed their name from British Honduras to Belize in 1974 and finally became independent in 1981. This proves that Belizeans can work together despite the different ethnic backgrounds. Belizeans have a history of fighting for their rights and in this day and age it is incredibly important for them to remember that history and stand up for a sustainable future.
Conclusion
Since it has become it's own country, Belize has seen waves of Asian immigration, specifically between 1988-1992, where Belize invited people to purchase citizenship to Belize. Many of these immigrants- coming from Taiwan, China, Korea, and India - invested in Belize and now many merchants are Asians. Though these immigrants still see themselves as Asian, they also consider themselves Belizean. This forming of a collective nationality is part of what needs to happen if Belize wants to demand something as a whole from their government. There is such a strong divide between political ideologies, cultures, religion, and other factors that Belizeans need to start finding something in common - a nationality in common - in order to move forward.
