The Africans were brought to the New World as slaves, the Europeans came as adventurers and entrepreneurs. Most slaves were taken from West Africa, from the present-day countries from Senegal to Angola. Most slaves came to Belize by way of Jamaica. Holm (1978:166) presents evidence that the largest numbers of slaves taken to Jamaica were from present-day Nigeria and the Igbo tribe. Evidence in Belize that there were many Igbos is the fact that a part of Belize City used to be called Iboe Town. There are also many linguistic evidences of connections with the Twi language of the Ashanti people of Ghana, West Africa.
According to Holm (1978:82), "There seems to have been a high proportion of Scots and North Countrymen among the British in the western Caribbean from the seventeenth century onwards." Forbes (1911:171) describes Belize in the late 1700s as "an essentially Scotch community." The presence of many Scottish surnames still in use today is further evidence of this connection.
Research Question
What other cultural activities are retained from Africa?
For example in dance, beliefs, foods, words.
It would be wrong to suggest that people with other ethnic backgrounds are not also Creoles. The descendants of people who came from India have fully integrated into the Creole community. Many Mestizos and Garifuna have intermarried with Creoles and identify with Creole culture. Even members of other Asian groups are becomming absorbed into Creole culture.
