By Robin Caudell

Andy Pala- cio & the Garifuna Collective is a beautiful baptismal for those virgin to Afro-Amerindian rhythms.  

For those who heard the fiery lushness of Garifuna music in Belize, Guatemala, Honduras or Nicaragua, you will understand why Palacio & the Garifuna Collective are cresting in world music with their debut release "Watina," on the Vermont-based Cum- bancha label.

"For me, it has been the opportunity to tell our story to global audience, which I never really imagined," said Palacio, who performs with the collective tonight at Higher Ground Music in South Burlington.

“In the beginning, I was working on doing something for us as a people. I never imagined that people would translate it in something with greater implications for the Garifuna people on a global scale. That has been the biggest thing. It's been a mind-blowing experience."

Palacio doesn't get his synapses tangled with the roots of Garifuna, whether his people resulted from a 17th-century slave shipwreck off the Honduran coast and a cultural fusion with welcoming Arawak Indians and the surviving Africans or Columbus African mariners settling in Arawak lands, or enslaved Africans escaping from plantations to live with the Caribs and the Arawaks.

"I simply place the genesis of Garifuna culture on St. Vincent at the point where African culture merged with Amerindian culture."

In Belize, Palacio serves as deputy administrator of the National Institute of Culture and History.

“The institute has four divisions, and I take full responsibility for culture in the public sector."

This was a trajectory started at 18, when he traveled to Nicaragua with a brigade of workers on a national literacy campaign. Their ship docked in Nicaragua because of a threatening storm. While there, Palacio encountered an old Garifuna, who thought his language and culture dead with his generation. He rejoiced to hear someone as young as Palacio speak Garifuna and embraced him as prodigal son.

"I came back with a sense of purpose having come face to face with cultural decline by the Garifuna people in Nicaragua. I was taking everything for granted really. I didn't learn Garifuna. I am Garifuna. I didn't think there would be a need to have to take action to retrieve or preserve Garifuna culture."

After teaching, Palacio became a "punta" star performing the home-grown Garifuna pop music similar to merengue and soca. Not one track of "Watina" is punta.

"That was deliberate. Simply to show the diversity of Garifuna music. We were getting a lot of pop through punta and punta rock. There was a perception, it was limited to this genre.”

The serene but melancholy title track, translated as “I Called Out," is about stranded singer on the road being passed by because of his appearance.

The album was recorded at Hopkins Village, which Palacio describes as one of the remaining fortresses of Garifuna culture in Belize.

"Although the culture is alive and well in many parts of the country, where language is concened, Hopkins is arguably the last place in Belize where Garifuna is a first language. The people are immersed in Garifuna culture.

"The pure ambiance was perfect for the musicians — Adrian Martinez, Aurelio Martinez, Rolando "Chichi" Sosa, Justo Miranda, Sofia Blanco, Lugua Centeno, and Paul Nabor — and the CD's outcome.

"It gave me an opportunity to draw on the diverse expertise of various members of the collective. We were not all from the same community or the same generation. It added to the potential of the album to deliver a very diverse product."

"Miami," track 3, is an ex ample of a paranda, Spanish for "party."

"It is a medium-tempo beat. One of the more popular dance sounds of the Garifuna generally associated with Christmas-time celebrations where musicians go from house to house to serenade."

"Baba" (Father), "Weyu Larigi Weyu" (Day By Day) and "Aguyuha Niduhenu” (My People Have Moved On) are lyric examples of dugu.

"Dugu is a healing ritual that takes into account of ferings of food, drink, music, dance and prayers. It is a medicinal healing over a period of a few days."

"Amunegu" (In Times to Come) and "Gaganbadiba" are gunjei rhythms.

"On one level, I simply wanted the music to be appreciated for what it is without us having to go through the task of translating the meaning and interpretation. To my pleasant surprise, it seemed we have been able to accomplish that. The reaction to the music is much understanding. It goes beyond simple appreciation.”

"Watina" reverberates Garifuna youth.

"It has on one level been a boost to their self esteem and reinforcing their sense of identity,” Palacio said.