With its electrifying pounding of the drums and shaking of the hips, punta is perhaps the most popular Garífuna dance today. 'Punta rock' musicians have tuned their electric guitars to traditional punta music and brought to life dance clubs in Los Angeles and other U.S. cities. Punta, however, was traditionally a ritual dance peformed at first- and ninth-night wake ceremonies. It is a legacy of the Yoruba tribes of West Africa.

Punta has not been formally studied by anthropologists. Therefore, opinions vary widely about the meaning of this cultural tradition. Some Garífuna see punta as a sacred means of communication with their ancestors. Others argue it is a popular dance to bid farewell to a loved one that has left this world. While still others call punta a fertility dance.

Draw your own conclusion about what punta dance means! Read the different opinions held by our Garífuna cultural experts (right).