Punta

Punta is an Afro-indigenous dance and cultural music originated by the Garifuna people of Saint Vincent (Antilles) with African and Arawak elements.

Punta is the best-known traditional dance belonging to the Garifuna community. It is also known as banguity or bunda, before the first arrival of the Garifuna people in Punta Gorda, Roatan, Honduras on April 12, 1797. The first album record of traditional punta music was originally released in 1955 in Honduras by Stone record, a Belizean record company. In 1987, El Sambunango Teleño by Los Gatos Bravos became known as the first commercially produced punta music song. The most famous song of punta music is Sopa de Caracol by Banda Blanca. The song was originally written by Belizean singer Hernan "Chico" Ramos.

The diaspora of Garifuna people, commonly called the "Garifuna Nation", dates back to the amalgamation of West African slaves and the Arawak and Carib Amerindians. Punta is used to reaffirm and express the struggle felt by the indigenous population's common heritage through cultural art forms, such as dance and music, and to highlight their strong sense of endurance. Besides Honduras, punta also has a following in Belize, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the United States.