The paper on the Garifuna Foodways authored by Hall was quite an insightful read. Just like the prior units, I went into this one without much knowledge as I have never heard of the Garinagu before. The history on this group is extensive and explained well in the reading, and there were a few key ideas that I extracted from the reading. Among them was “Ereba-making”, the idea of development, and the role that race plays when studying the Garinagu. While all of these points were notable, the one main topic that really caught my eye was the matrilineal ideals that this group possesses. Personally, I know that there are a few societies and groups around the world that hold matriarchal systems, but I have not really studied or experienced one until this unit. I find it so interesting that this group has women as the focal point of their society. The role the woman plays in their society is so important that households literally breakdown when the main woman of the household is no longer there. This is exemplified in the text where Hall (2019) explains, “If the focal woman leaves the household permanently (as happens when a couple separates and the woman does not own the house), or if she dies, the household usually breaks up, often immediately.” (p. 32).

Admittedly, I read the article before I looked over the keywords for this unit. When I looked over the list of keywords, there was only one that I felt could connect well to the matrilineal society that the Garinagu has and that was “Knowledge Systems”. I feel that the idea focal woman and knowledge systems go hand-in-hand with one another. In the “Keywords” post itself, the definition points towards a macro idea, but I also think that knowledge systems can be looked at a micro level when connecting it with the Garinagu. For example, passing down knowledge is key to the survival of the tribe’s culture. When looking at the Garinagu, not only do women do much of the everyday work, but one can also assume that much of the knowledge being passed down through each generation is through these focal women or any woman in their society. This places the onus on the woman to do much more in their society, as the survival of the group’s ideals and culture seemingly rests in their hands.