Linking Culture and the Environment

188 Local Participation and Attaining Sustainable Tourism
‘patronato’ (town council), ‘junta de agua’ (water commission) and ‘sociedad
de padres de familia’ (local PTA). With very few exceptions, all northern
Honduran communities possess at least one of these three groups.
The functions of the formal groups generally consist of recruiting support
from their community for specific activities or projects. Most people said
they joined these groups when they were solicited to do so, but otherwise
they did not participate. A strong sense of moral obligation when called upon
was evident but individual proactive initiative is very rare. The functions of
the formal groups generally consist of recruiting support from their community
for specific activities or projects.
A common complaint among respondents is the lack of follow-up after
community projects were completed. Ironically, the very people who complained
generally admitted that they did not partake in any of the planning
and/or organized activities since the completion of projects in their respective
towns. Distrust in the (mis)allocation of funds is repeatedly cited as a
reason for not being more supportive and active. One interviewer’s response,
which resonated with many others, was ‘people in charge always do what
they want and use public money for their own personal benefit. Why should
I support them after I receive what I need?’
In both study sites, informal groups are present, especially church groups
and soccer players who met regularly to play the game. Of the few informal
groups mentioned, the church groups (catholic, Mormon and evangelical)
are the most permanent. Other organized groups are addressed in the past
tense, especially women’s groups and cooperatives. Many such groups had
generally been organized by an outside agency (i.e. Peace Corps, Ministry of
Agriculture) and disbanded after the volunteer or programme left the area.
Generally speaking, none of the informal groups cited by the respondents
met to carry out community planning, activities or services.
In the organization of informal groups, the two areas differ more from
each other than in formal organization. This is primarily due to the ethnic
make-up of the communities. In the vicinity of Cuero y Salado, the population
is primarily Latino (98%), whereas in Guaimoreto, over a quarter of the
population is Garífuna (Black Caribe). The Garífuna, unlike the Latino, rely
more on community or neighbourhood support in their traditional and modern
activities. The reasons for this appear to be influenced by tradition and
culture as well as by political and social marginalization and racial discrimination.
Accordingly, the Garífuna count heavily on mutual support. At the
same time, their unique culture with a distinct language, music and dance,
food, etc. creates a social bond not equivalently found in their Latino counterparts.
As a result, the Garífunas tend to more frequently congregate informally
to carry out their business activities, play music, dance, play soccer,
etc. Generally, the Garífunas demonstrate greater solidarity than do the
Latinos. None the less, the Garífunas do not consider these groups as organized
per se, but as cultural tradition and thus, do not consider them as either
formal or informal organizations. One Garífuna teacher stated that ‘we resent
the imposed political structures of the whites because it dismantles our