Rastafari
movement |
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Main doctrines |
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Central figures |
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Key scriptures |
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Branches |
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Festivals |
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Notable individuals |
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See also |
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The
Rastafari movement is an African-based spiritual ideology that arose in the 1930s in
Jamaica. It is sometimes described as a religion but is considered by many adherents to be a "
Way of Life".
[1][2] Its adherents worship
Haile Selassie I, Emperor of
Ethiopia (ruled 1930–1974), some as Jesus in his
Second Advent, or as
God the Father.
Members of thstas, or The Rastafari. The way of life is sometimes
referred to as "Rastafarianism", but this term is considered derogatory
and offensive by most Rastafari, who, being highly critical of "isms"
(which they see as a typical part of "Babylon culture"), dislike being
labelled as an "ism" themselves.
[3]
The name
Rastafari is taken from
Ras Tafari, the title (
Ras) and first name (Tafari Makonnen) of Haile Selassie I before the coronation. In
Amharic,
Ras, literally "head", is an Ethiopian title equivalent to
prince or chief, while the personal given name
Täfäri (
teferi) means one who is respected or feared. 'Jah' is a Biblical name of God, from a shortened form of Jahweh or
Jehovah found in
Psalms 68:4 in the
King James Version of the
Bible. Most adherents see Haile Selassie I as
Jah or
Jah Rastafari, who is an incarnation of God the Father, therefore the second advent of Christ "Anointed one" or for some the
second coming of
Jesus Christ onto the earth, as well as God's chosen king on earth.
Many elements of Rastafari reflect its origins in Jamaica and Ethiopia, two countries with predominantly
Christian culture. Ethiopian Christianity traces its roots to the
Church of Alexandria, founded by
St Mark, and its 5th-century continuation in the
Coptic Church of Alexandria.
[4][5] Rastafari holds to many
Jewish
and Christian beliefs and accepts the existence of a single tri-une
Deity called Jah, who has sent his son to Earth in the form of Jesus (
Yeshua) and made himself manifest as the person of Haile Selassie I. Rastafari accept much of the
Bible, although they believe that its message and interpretation has been corrupted.
[2]
The Rastafari way of life encompasses themes such as the
spiritual use of
cannabis[6][7] and the rejection of the degenerate society of materialism, oppression, and sensual pleasures, called
Babylon.
[8][9] It proclaims
Zion, in reference to
Ethiopia, as the original birthplace of humankind, and from the beginning of the way of life calls for
repatriation to Zion, the
Promised Land and
Heaven on Earth. Literally, moving to Ethiopia physically, but mentally and emotionally repatriating before the physical
[10][11] Rastafari also embrace various
Afrocentric and
Pan-African social and political aspirations.
[6][12]
Rastafari is not a highly organized way of life. Many Rastafari do
not claim any sect or denomination, and thus encourage one another to
find faith and inspiration within themselves, although some do identify
strongly with one of the "
Mansions of Rastafari"—the three most prominent of these being the
Nyahbinghi, the
Bobo Ashanti and the
Twelve Tribes of Israel.
[13]
By the late twentieth century, awareness of the Rastafari movement
had spread throughout much of the world, largely through interest
generated by
reggae music, especially the major international success of Jamaican singer/songwriter
Bob Marley. By 1997 there were, according to one estimate, around one million Rastafari faithful worldwide.
[14] In the 2001 Jamaican census, 24,020 individuals (less than 1 percent of the population) identified themselves as Rastafari.
[15] Other sources estimated that in the 2000s they formed "about 5 percent of the population" of Jamaica,
[16] or conjectured that "there are perhaps as many as 100,000 Rastafarians in Jamaica".
[17]
World-views and doctrines
Jah
“ |
... Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God. |
” |
|
Rastafari are
monotheists, worshiping a singular God whom they call
Jah. Jah is the term in the King James Bible, Psalms 68:4. Rastas view Jah in the form of the
Holy Trinity
– Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit. Rastas say that Jah in the form of
the Holy Spirit (incarnate) lives within the human. For this reason,
they often refer to themselves as "I and I". "I and I" is used instead
of "We" to emphasize the equality between all people, in the belief that
the Holy Spirit within all people makes them essentially one and the
same.
The Trinity
Rastafari doctrines concerning the Trinity include stressing the
significance of the name "Haile Selassie," meaning power of the Trinity,
might of the Trinity, powerful trinity in
Ge'ez
or also Haile Selassie I (qedamawi Haile Selassie) meaning the (first
power of the Trinity) (the name given to Ras Tafari upon his baptism and
later assumed as part of his
regnal name at his November 2, 1930 coronation by the
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo church, then known as just the Ethiopian Tewahedo Church.
Haile Selassie I
Haile Selassie I (1892–1975) was the Emperor of
Ethiopia from 1930 to 1974. Rastafari claim that he will lead the righteous into creating a perfect world called
Zion – the ultimate paradise for Rastafari.
The future capital city of Zion is sometimes put forward as the
New Jerusalem (
Lalibela, Ethiopia) and the very Habitation of the Godhead (Trinity) creator, Ras Tafari. Prophetic verses of the Hebrew
Bible (such as
Zephaniah
3:10 "From beyond the rivers of Ethiopia My worshipers, the daughter of
My dispersed ones, shall bring my offering") have been interpreted as
subtly hinting that the messianic king will be in Ethiopia and the
people will come from all over world beyond its rivers.
Rastas may say that Haile Selassie I's coming was prophesied from
Genesis to the
Book of Revelation. Genesis, Chapter 1: "God made man in His own image."
Psalm 2:
"Yet I set my Holy king On My Holy hill of Zion." Psalm 87:4–6 is
interpreted as predicting the coronation of Haile Selassie I. During his
coronation, Haile Selassie I was given 38 titles and anointments taken
from the Bible: "King of Kings," "Elect of God," "Conquering Lion of the
Tribe of Judah the Author of Mankind," "the Power of Authority," etc.
He also received acclaim from various Christian and Muslim leaders and
clergy for the work he performed towards establishing world peace and
the brotherhood of mankind; this being one of the primary reasons his
followers hold him as a God incarnate. Rastas also refer to Haile
Selassie I as "His Imperial Majesty" (or the acronym thereof, HIM) and
"Jah Rastafari."
According to tradition, Haile Selassie I was the 225th in an unbroken line of Ethiopian monarchs of the
Solomonic Dynasty. This dynasty is said to have been founded in the 10th century BC by
Menelik I. Menelik I was son of the Biblical
King Solomon and Makeda, the
Queen of Sheba, who had visited Solomon in Israel.
1 Kings
10:13 claims "And King Solomon gave unto the Queen of Sheba all her
desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave her of his
royal bounty. So she turned and went to her own country, she and her
servants." On the basis of the Ethiopian national epic, the
Kebra Negast,
Rastas interpret this verse as meaning she conceived his child, and
from this, conclude that African people are among the true children of
Israel, or Jews.
Beta Israel
black Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries, disconnected from the
rest of Judaism; their existence has given some impetus to Rastafari, as
Rastas believe it validates their assertion that Ethiopia is Zion.
[citation needed].
The death of Haile Selassie I is a topic of some debate amongst Rastafari.
[6] Some Rastas consider this a partial fulfillment of prophecy of the "Temporary Messianic Kingdom" found in the apocalyptic
2 Esdras
7:28. Some believe that Haile Selassie's 1975 reported death was a
hoax. It has also been claimed that he entered the monastery and is now
known by many as Abba keddus, (Amharic)-for (Holy Father) and will
return to liberate his followers and vanquish all evil, restoring his
creation. "Rastafari's reaction to Haile Selassie's supposed death was
summed up by Bob Marley's song "Jah Live," which declares emphatically
that "God cannot die." Many Rastafari and claim to have met Haile
Selassie After his reported Death and know him also by his claimed new
name Abba Keddus or Abba Keddus Keddus Keddus
[18]
For Rastafari, Haile Selassie I remains their God and King.
[19]
They see Haile Selassie I as being worthy of worship for having stood
with great dignity in front of the world's press and the representatives
of many of the world's powerful nations, especially during his appeal
to the
League of Nations in 1936 when he was still the only independent black monarch in Africa.
[19]
From the beginning, the Rastas decided their personal loyalty lay with
Africa's only black monarch, Haile Selassie I, and that they themselves
were free citizens of Ethiopia, loyal to its Emperor, and devoted to its
flag representing the Solomonic Dynasty prior to the
Communist coup.
Iyesus Christos
Acceptance of the Jesus-incarnate status of Qedamawi Haile Selassie
is Rastafari doctrine, as is the notion of the corruption of his
teachings by secular, Western society, figuratively referred to as
Babylon. For this reason, they believe, it was prophesied in the
Book of Revelation—"
And
I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a
hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of
Israel."
[20]—that
Jesus would return with a new name that would be inscribed on the
foreheads of 144,000 of his most devoted servants. Rastas hold that they
represent this fulfillment based on their experience in the light of
Haile Selassie I's return and coronation as the King of Kings on 2
November 1930, whom they see as the second coming of Jesus or the coming
of the holy spirit, and therefore
Jah, onto the
Earth. Thus the great messiah king whom the
Jews are still waiting for has indeed now returned to earth, according to the Rastas.
Rastas feel that the way Western Society (or Babylon) has commonly depicted the
Godhead for centuries as a white man is a colonialist and racist act.
Zion vs. Babylon
Rastas assert that
Zion (i.e., Africa, especially Ethiopia) is a land that Jah promised to them. To achieve this, they reject modern
western society, calling it "
Babylon", which they see as entirely corrupt due to materialism and greed.
[6][12][21]
"Babylon" is considered to have been in rebellion against "Earth's
Rightful Ruler" (Jah) ever since the days of the Biblical king
Nimrod.
Rastas claim that they are the real
Children of Israel. The Rastafari seek to validate a link between Ethiopia and Israel, pointing to the title
Lion of Judah, and their goal is to repatriate to
Mount Zion, that is, Africa. (Rasta
reggae is peppered with references to Zion; among the best-known examples are the
Bob Marley songs '"
Zion Train" and "
Iron Lion Zion").
Paradise
Many Rastafari are physical
immortalists
who maintain that the chosen few will continue to live forever in their
current bodies. This is commonly called "Life Everliving".
Everliving in
Iyaric replaces the term "everlasting" to avoid the "negative wordsound" of
last implying an end. Rastas say their life will never have an end, but will be everliving, with Jah as king and
Amharic the official language. Rastas strongly reject the idea that heaven is in the sky, or is a place where dead people go
[22] and instead see heaven as being a place on Earth, specifically Ethiopia.
[23]
Afrocentrism
Afrocentrism is another central facet of Rastafari culture. They teach that
Africa, in particular
Ethiopia,
is where Zion, or paradise, shall be created. As such, Rastafari
orients itself around African culture. Rastafari holds that evil
society, or "Babylon", has been
white-dominated since the rise of
Rome, and has committed such acts of aggression against the African people as the
Atlantic slave trade.
Rastafari developed among poor and oppressed
Jamaicans
of African descent who experienced a society which was largely contrary
and apathetic to their problems. Rastafari incorporates sociopolitical
views and teachings of Jamaican publicist, organizer, and
black nationalist Marcus Garvey (also often regarded as a prophet) who was a keen proponent of the "
back to Africa"
movement, advocating that all people of the black race should return to
their ancestral homeland of Africa, and worship the Creator "through
the spectacles of Ethiopia".
[24]
In an October 1963 speech before the
United Nations.
[25] (which provided the lyrics for the
Carlton Barrett and Bob Marley song "
War"), Haile Selassie made the following statement:
"Last May, in Addis Ababa, I convened a meeting of Heads of African
States and Governments. In three days, the thirty-two nations
represented at that Conference demonstrated to the world that when the
will and the determination exist, nations and peoples of diverse
backgrounds can and will work together. In unity, to the achievement of
common goals and the assurance of that equality and brotherhood which we
desire.On the question of racial discrimination, the Addis Ababa
Conference taught, to those who will learn, this further lesson: That
until the philosophy which holds one race superior and another inferior
is finally and permanently discredited and abandoned; That until there
are no longer first-class and second-class citizens of any nation; That
until the colour of a man's skin is of no more significance than the
colour of his eyes; That until the basic human rights are equally
guaranteed to all without regard to race; That until that day, the dream
of lasting peace and world citizenship and the rule of international
morality will remain but a fleeting illusion, to be pursued but never
attained; And until the ignoble and unhappy regimes that hold our
brothers in Angola, in Mozambique and in South Africa in subhuman
bondage have been toppled and destroyed; Until bigotry and prejudice and
malicious and inhuman self-interest have been replaced by understanding
and tolerance and good-will; Until all Africans stand and speak as free
beings, equal in the eyes of all men, as they are in the eyes of
Heaven; Until that day, the African continent will not know peace. We
Africans will fight, if necessary, and we know that we shall win, as we
are confident in the victory of good over evil."
He concluded this speech with the words, "We must become members of a
new race, overcoming petty prejudice, owing our ultimate allegiance not
to nations but to our fellow men within the human community."
Rastafari learn and know
Amharic,
both because this was the language of Haile Selassie I, and in order to
further their identity as Ethiopian. There are reggae songs written in
Amharic.
Ceremonies
There are two types of Rasta religious ceremonies: Reasoning and Groundation.
Reasoning
A "reasoning" is a simple event where the Rastas gather, smoke
cannabis
("ganja"), and discuss. The person honored by being allowed to light
the herb says a short sentence beforehand, and the ganja is passed in a
clockwise fashion except in times of war when it is passed
counterclockwise. It is used to reason with Jah.
Groundation
A "groundation" (or "grounation") or "binghi" is a
holy day;
[26] the name "binghi" is derived from "
Nyabinghi"
(literally "Nya" meaning "black" and "Binghi" meaning "victory"),
believed to be an ancient, and now extinct, order of militant blacks in
eastern Africa that vowed to end oppression. Binghis are marked by much
dancing, singing, feasting, and the smoking of ganja, and can last for
several days.
In public gatherings, Rastafari often say the following standard prayer, with several variants, comparable to the
Lord's Prayer:
- "Princes and princesses shall come forth out of Egypt, Ethiopia now
stretch forth her hands before Jah. O Thou God of Ethiopia, Thou God of
Thy Divine Majesty, Thy Spirit come into our hearts, to dwell in the
paths of righteousness. Lead and help I and I to forgive, that I and I
may be forgiven. Teach I and I Love and loyalty on earth as it is in
Zion, Endow us with Thy wisemind, knowledge and Overstanding to do thy
will, thy blessings to us, that the hungry might be fed, the sick
nourished, the aged protected, the naked clothed and the infants cared
for. Deliver I and I from the hands of our enemy, that I and I may prove
fruitful in these Last Days, when our enemy have passed and decayed in
the depths of the sea, in the depths of the earth, or in the belly of a
beast. O give us a place in Thy Kingdom forever and ever, so we hail our
majesty Haile Selassie I, Jehovah God, Rastafari, Almighty God,
Rastafari, great and powerful God Jah, Rastafari. Who sitteth and
reigneth in the heart of man and woman, hear us and bless us and
sanctify us, and cause Thy loving Face to shine upon us thy children,
that we may be saved, Selah."
When lighting a
chalice,
the following, shorter invocation is often used: "Glory be to the
Father and to the Maker of Creation, as it were in the Beginning, is now
an shall be forever, world without end, SELAH."
Some important dates when groundations may take place are:
- January 7 – Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas
- March 25 – The birthday of Empress Menen
- April 21 – The anniversary of Haile Selassie's visit to Jamaica. Also known as Grounation Day.
- May 25 – African Liberation Day
- June 16 - The birthday of Leonard P. Howell (founder)
- July 23 – The birthday of Emperor Haile Selassie
- August 17 – The birthday of Marcus Garvey
- September 11 – Ethiopian New Year
- November 2 – The coronation of Haile Selassie
Places of worship
Generally, Rastas assert that their own bodies are the true church or
temple
of God, and so see no need to make temples or churches out of physical
buildings. However, some Rastafarians have created temples, as some call
spiritual meeting centers in international communities with large
Rastafarian populations.
Sects and subdivisions
There are three main
Mansions (sects or orders) of Rastafari
today: the Nyahbinghi Order, Bobo Ashanti and the Twelve Tribes of
Israel. All agree on the basic principles of the divine status of Haile
Selassie and the importance of black images of divinity. Many Rastafari
do not belong to any sect.
Nyahbinghi Order
The Nyahbinghi Order (also known as Haile Selassie I Theocratical
Order of the Nyahbinghi Reign) is the oldest of all the Rastafari
mansions and was named after Queen Nyahbinghi of Uganda, who fought
against colonialists in the 19th century.
[27]
The Nyahbinghi Order holds steadfast to ancient biblical values. It
focuses mainly on Haile Selassie I, Ethiopia, and the eventual return to
Africa. It is overseen by an Assembly of Elders. Nyahbinghi brethren
also accept the Bible according to the teachings of Haile Selassie I.
Bobo Ashanti
Bobo Ashanti was founded by Prince
Emanuel Charles Edwards in Jamaica in 1958.
[28]
"Bobo" means black and "Ashanti" refers to the Asante ethnic group in
Ghana, from whom the most Jamaican slaves had originated. Members of
Bobo Ashanti are also known as Bobo Dreads.
In belief, Bobo Dreads are distinguished by their worship of Prince
Emmanuel (in addition to Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie) as a
reincarnation of Christ and embodiment of Jah; their emphasis on the
return to Africa ("repatriation").
Members of the Bobo Ashanti order wear long robes and tightly wrapped
turbans around their dreads. They adhere closely to the Jewish Law,
including the observance of
seventh-day Sabbath
from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday and hygiene laws for
menstruating women. They live separately from Jamaican society and other
Rastafarians, growing their own produce and selling straw hats and
brooms. They often carry brooms with them to symbolize their
cleanliness.
[citation needed]
Twelve Tribes of Israel
Twelve Tribes of Israel headquarters in
Shashamane, Ethiopia
The Twelve Tribes of Israel sect was founded in 1968 by
Dr. Vernon "Prophet Gad" Carrington.
[29]
It is the most liberal of the Rastafarian orders and members are free
to worship in a church of their choosing. Each member of this sect
belongs to one of the 12 Tribes (or Houses), which is determined by
Gregorian birth month and is represented by a colour, a part of the body
and a character trait often called a faculty. The Standard Israelite
calendar begins in April. The 12 tribes being Reuben, Simeon, Levi,
Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and
Benjamin. Although the 12 representations apply to male and female
alike, Dinah, although not considered a tribe, is representative of the
feminine. Bob Marley was from the tribe of Joseph, and Haile Selassie
from the tribe of Judah. These Rastafarians consider themselves more of
an
ethnicity rather than religion. They don't have to be dreadlocked or turbaned. They can be bald or short-haired like that of
Bantus, or they can wear
afros like that of
African-Americans,
a style that originated in the 1970s. There are many 12 tribe branches
all around the world. The 12 tribes accept all different races: black,
white, asian, etc.
The
flag of Ethiopia
as was used during Selassie's reign. It combines the conquering lion of
Judah, symbol of the Ethiopian monarchy, with green, yellow, and red,
which would later be adopted by many African nations, becoming
pan-African colors.
The Howellites and The Ethiopian Salvation Society
The Howellites were the Iciency of The Rastafari Movement/Ethiopian Salvation Society that was established by
Leonard Percival Howell
(the Founding Father of the Rastafari Movement) in 1932. Many
Howellites travelled with their parents from the settlement of Trinity
Ville in St. Thomas, Jamaica to Pinnacle, or they were born in Pinnacle;
Pinnacle was the "First Industrial Mission" and was the most thriving
society in the Caribbean at the time. The Howellites had been forsaken
by society, and were ill with
yaws and cholera due to the conditions under colonial rule.
[citation needed]
Although the residents of the Pinnacle Settlement continued to
develop a decent way of life, they were constantly harassed, abused,
imprisoned, beaten, and had their property stolen by the colonial and
post-independence governments of Jamaica. Percival Howell was also a
recipient of this treatment, and was imprisoned and sent to Bellvue
Mental Hospital on over 50 occasions. Such conditions were central to
the strategy of the colonial government, as it sought to destroy the
Rastafari Movement.
[citation needed]
Together with his wife Teneth Bent Howell, Percival Howell later
purchased the Pinnacle settlement with the savings from his bakery
businesses. The colonial forces continued to raid Pinnacle and the
settlement was eventually destroyed by fire in 1956. In the period
following the 1956 fire, Percival Howell continued to live in Pinnacle
under the surveillance of the government.
[citation needed]
Lion
Main article:
Lion of Judah
The Lion of Judah is an important symbol to Rastas, for several
reasons. The lion appears on the Imperial Ethiopian flag, used in Haile
Selassie I's Ethiopia. In addition, the
Ge'ez title
Mo`a Anbesa Ze'imnegede Yihuda ("Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah") has been applied to Ethiopian Emperors, in their tradition beginning with
Menelik I, said to be the son of king Solomon (c. 980 BC). It is unknown whether
John of Patmos was aware of this ancient Ethiopian title when he penned it into the
Book of Revelation 5:5, in reference to the returned Messiah.
[citation needed]
Rastafari and other Abrahamic faiths
Some Rastafari choose to classify their movement as
Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity,
Protestant Christianity, or
Judaism.
Rastafari typically hold that standard translations of the Bible
incorporate changes, or were edited for the benefit of the power
structure, and one common idea is that half the Bible story has never
been told.
[30] Rastas see the lost half of the Bible, and the whole of their lost
culture, represented in the
Ark of the Covenant, a repository of African wisdom they say is located in Ethiopia.
Spiritual use of cannabis
For Rastas, smoking
cannabis, commonly referred to as herb, weed, kaya, sinsemilla (Spanish for 'without seeds'), or ganja (from the
Sanskrit word
ganjika, used in ancient Nepal and India), is a spiritual act, often accompanied by Bible study; they consider it a
sacrament
that cleans the body and mind, heals the soul, exalts the
consciousness, facilitates peacefulness, brings pleasure, and brings
them closer to Jah. They often burn the herb when in need of insight
from Jah. Cannabis remains illegal in Jamaica and most of the world and
this has caused friction between Rastas and modern societies.
[31] By the 8th century, cannabis had been introduced by Arab traders to Central and Southern Africa, where it is known as "
dagga"
[32] and many Rastas say it is a part of their African culture that they are reclaiming.
[33] It is sometimes also referred to as "the healing of the nation", a phrase adapted from Revelation 22:2.
[34]
Alternatively, the
migration of many thousands of
Hindus and
Muslims from
British India
to the Caribbean in the 20th century may have brought this culture to
Jamaica. Many academics point to Indo-Caribbean origins for the ganja
sacrament resulting from the importation of Indian migrant workers in a
post-abolition Jamaican landscape. "Large scale use of ganja in
Jamaica... dated from the importation of indentured Indians..."(Campbell
110). Dreadlocked mystics
Jata, often
ascetic known as
sadhus or Sufi
Qalandars and
Derwishes, have smoked cannabis from both
chillums and coconut shell
hookahs in
South Asia since the ancient times. Also, the reference of "chalice" may be a transliteration of "jam-e-qalandar" (a term used by
Sufi ascetics meaning 'bowl or cup of
qalandar') . In South Asia, in addition to smoking, cannabis is often consumed as a drink known as
bhang and most qalandars carry a large wooden pestle for that reason.
[35]
According to many Rastas, the
illegality of cannabis in many nations is evidence that
persecution of Rastafari
is a reality. They are not surprised that it is illegal, seeing it as a
powerful substance that opens people's minds to the truth — something
the Babylon system, they reason, clearly does not want.
[36] They contrast it to alcohol and other drugs, which they feel destroy the mind.
[37]
They hold that the smoking of cannabis enjoys Biblical sanction, and
is an aid to meditation and religious observance. Among Biblical verses,
[38] Rastas quote the following as justifying the use of cannabis:
- Genesis
1:11 "And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding
seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in
itself, upon the earth: and it was so."
- Genesis 1:29 "And God said, Behold, I have given you every
herb-bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every
tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall
be for meat."
- Genesis 3:18 "... thou shalt eat the herb of the field."
- Psalms 104:14 "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man."
- Proverbs 15:17 "Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith."[39]
- Revelation 22:2 " the river of life proceeded to flow from the
throne of God, and on either side of the bank there was the tree of
life, and the leaf from that tree is for the healing of the nations."
According to some Rastafari,
[40] the
etymology of the word "cannabis"
and similar terms in all the languages of the Near East may be traced
to the Hebrew "qaneh bosm" קנה-בשם as one of the herbs that God
commanded Moses to include in his preparation of
sacred anointing perfume in Exodus 30:23; the Hebrew term also appears in
Isaiah 43:24;
Jeremiah 6:20;
Ezekiel 27:19; and
Song of Songs 4:14. Deutero-canonical and canonical references to the patriarchs
Adam,
Noah,
Abraham, and
Moses
"burning incense before the Lord" are also applied, and many Rastas
today refer to cannabis by the term "ishence" — a slightly changed form
of the English word incense. Some Rastas claim that cannabis was the
first plant to grow on
King Solomon's grave.
[41][42]
In 1998,
Attorney General of the United States Janet Reno gave a legal opinion
[citation needed] that Rastafari do not have the religious right to smoke marijuana in violation of the United States'
drug laws.
The position is the same in the United Kingdom, where, in the Court of
Appeal case of R. v. Taylor [2002] 1 Cr. App. R. 37, it was held that
the UK's prohibition on cannabis use did not contravene the right to
freedom of religion conferred under the
Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms.
On January 2, 1991, at an international airport in his homeland of
Guam,
Ras Iyah Ben Makahna (Benny Guerrero) was arrested for possession and
importation of marijuana and seeds. He was charged with importation of a
controlled substance. The case was heard by the US 9th Circuit Court
November 2001, and in May 2002 the court had decided that the practice
of Rastafari sanctions the smoking of marijuana, but nowhere does the
religion sanction the importation of marijuana. Guerrero's lawyer Graham
Boyd pointed out that the court's ruling was "equivalent to saying wine
is a necessary sacrament for some Christians but you have to grow your
own grapes."
[43]
In July 2008, however, the
Italian Supreme Court ruled that Rastafari may be allowed to possess greater amounts of cannabis legally, owing to its use by them as a sacrament.
[44][45]
In 2009, Rasta Doug Darrell was arrested after a National Guard helicopter flying over his
New Hampshire
home found he was growing 15 marijuana plants in his backyard. In a
subsequent trial in September 2012, Darrell was found "not guilty" by
twelve jurors exercising the right of
jury nullification.
[46]
Politics
Rastafari culture does not encourage mainstream political
involvement. In fact, in the early stages of the movement most Rastas
did not
vote, out of principle. Ras
Sam Brown
formed the Suffering People's Party for the Jamaican elections of 1962
and received fewer than 100 votes. In the election campaign of 1972,
People's National Party leader
Michael Manley
used a prop, a walking stick given to him by Haile Selassie, which was
called the "Rod of Correction", in a direct appeal to Rastafari values.
In the famous free
One Love Peace Concert on April 22, 1978,
Peter Tosh lambasted the audience, including attending dignitaries, with political demands that included
decriminalising cannabis. He did this while smoking a
spliff, a criminal act in Jamaica. At this same concert,
Bob Marley led both then-Prime Minister
Michael Manley and opposition leader
Edward Seaga
onto the stage; and a famous picture was taken with all three of them
holding their hands together above their heads in a symbolic gesture of
peace during what had been a very violent election campaign.
In 1996, the International Rastafari Development Society was given
consultative status by the
United Nations.
[47]
Equality
- "He [the Almighty] taught us that all human beings are equal
regardless of sex, national origin and tribe. And He also taught us all
who seek Him shall find Him." — Haile Selassie I, Dec. 1968 interview with Dr. Oswald Hoffman on 'The Lutheran Hour'.
Per Haile Selassie's consistent lifelong message, Rastas tend to be
firm adherents to the proposition that in the eyes of Jah, all men and
women deserve equal and just rights, treatment and respect.
[48] With both King Alpha and his Queen Omega as examples, Rasta
bredren and
sistren (collectively
idren)
seek to emulate kings and queens according mutual respect and dignity.
They claim that it is this belief in equality among Rastas that allows
race to be overlooked; simply because one is white does not mean one can
not be a Rasta. According to them, all people are equal, regardless of
race, because all people are children of Jah.
However, in terms of sexual orientation, there are many in the
Rastafari movement (like most other biblical religions) who consider
homosexual behaviour to be a Babylon-promoted
sin against the Creator (see
LGBT rights in Jamaica),
and therefore question organized homosexual activists' demands for
their lifestyle to enjoy equality with more traditional, reproductive
lifestyles. The Bobo Ashanti mansion has been noted for this; with other
mansions it tends to vary.
Culture
Language
Rastas assert that their original
African languages were stolen from them when they were taken into captivity as part of the slave trade, and that English is an imposed
colonial language. Their remedy has been the creation of a modified vocabulary and
dialect known as "Iyaric", reflecting their desire to take language forward and to confront the society they call Babylon.
Some examples are:
- "I-tal", derived from the word vital and used to describe the diet of the movement which is taken mainly from Hebrew dietary laws.
- "Overstanding", which replaces "understanding" to denote an enlightenment which places one in a better position.
- "Irie" (pronounced "eye-ree"), a term used to denote acceptance, positive feelings, or to describe something that is good.
- "Upfulness", a positive term for being helpful
- "Livication", substituted for the word "dedication" because Rastas associate dedication with death.
- "Downpression", used in place of "oppression", the logic being that
the pressure is being applied from a position of power to put down the
victim.
One of the most distinctive modifications in Iyaric is the
substitution of the pronoun "I and I" for other pronouns, usually the
first person. "I", as used in the examples above, refers to Jah;
therefore, "I and I" in the first person includes the presence of the
divine within the individual. As "I and I" can also refer to us, them,
or even you, it is used as a practical linguistic rejection of the
separation of the individual from the larger Rastafari community, and
Jah himself.
Rastafari say that they reject -isms. They see a wide range of -isms
and schisms in modern society, for example communism and capitalism, and
want no part in them. For example,
Haile Selassie himself was an
anti-communist during the
cold war, and was deposed by a
Marxist coup. Rastafarians would reject
Marxism as part of the Babylonian system or, at the very least, just another version of western
Humanism.
They especially reject the word "Rastafarianism", because they see
themselves as "having transcended -isms and schisms". This has created
conflict between some Rastas and some members of the academic community
studying Rastafari, who insist on calling this faith "Rastafarianism" in
spite of the disapproval this generates within the Rastafari movement.
Nevertheless, the practice continues among scholars, though there are
also instances of the study of Rastafari using its own terms.
[49]
Diet
Many Rastas eat limited types of meat in accordance with the dietary Laws of the
Old Testament; they do not eat
shellfish
or pork. Others abstain from all meat and flesh whatsoever, asserting
that to touch meat is to touch death, and is therefore a violation of
the
Nazirite
law. (A few make a special exception allowing fish, while abstaining
from all other forms of flesh.) However, the prohibition against meat
only applies to those who are currently fulfilling a
Nazirite vow ("Dreadlocks Priesthood"), for the duration of the vow. Many Rastafari maintain a
vegan or
vegetarian diet all of the time. Food approved for Rastafari is called
ital.
The purpose of fasting (abstaining from meat and dairy) is to cleanse
the body in accordance to serving in the presence of the "Ark of the
Covenant".
Usage of
alcohol
is also generally deemed unhealthy to the Rastafari way of life, partly
because it is seen as a tool of Babylon to confuse people, and partly
because placing something that is pickled and fermented within oneself
is felt to be much like turning the body (the Temple) into a "cemetery".
[citation needed]
In consequence, a rich alternative cuisine has developed in
association with Rastafari tenets, eschewing most synthetic additives,
and preferring more natural vegetables and fruits such as coconut and
mango. This cuisine can be found throughout the Caribbean and in some
restaurants throughout the western world.
Some of the Houses (or "Mansions" as they have come to be known) of
the Rastafari culture, such as the Twelve Tribes of Israel, do not
specify diet beyond that which, to quote Christ in the New Testament,
"Is not what goes into a man's mouth that defile him, but what come out
of it". Wine is seen as a "mocker" and strong drink is "raging";
however, simple consumption of beer or the very common
roots wine
are not systematically a part of Rastafari culture this way or that.
Separating from Jamaican culture, different interpretations on the role
of food and drink within the religion remains up for debate. At official
state banquets Haile Selassie would encourage guests to "eat and drink
in your own way".
Dreadlocks
Buju Banton performing at New York's Apollo theater during the 26th International Reggae & World Music Awards (IRAWMA).
The wearing of dreadlocks is very closely associated with the
movement, though not universal among, nor exclusive to, its adherents.
Rastas maintain that locks are supported by
Leviticus 21:5 ("They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their
beard, nor make any cuttings in the flesh.") and the
Nazirite law in
Numbers
6:5 ("All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor
come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he
separateth himself unto the Lord, he shall be holy, and shall let the
locks of the hair of his head grow.").
It has been suggested (e.g., Campbell 1985) that the first Rasta
locks were copied from Kenya in 1953, when images of the independence
struggle of the feared
Mau Mau insurgents,
who grew their "dreaded locks" while hiding in the mountains, appeared
in newsreels and other publications that reached Jamaica. However, a
more recent study by Barry Chevannes
[50] has traced the first hairlocked Rastas to a subgroup first appearing in 1949, known as Youth Black Faith.
There have been ascetic groups within a variety of world faiths that
have at times worn similarly matted hair. In addition to the
Nazirites of Judaism and the
sadhus of Hinduism, it is worn among some sects of
Sufi Islam, notably the Baye Fall sect of
Mourides,
[51] and by some
Ethiopian Orthodox monks in Christianity,
[52]
among others. Some of the very earliest Christians may also have worn
this hairstyle; particularly noteworthy are descriptions of
James the Just, "brother of Jesus" and first Bishop of Jerusalem, whom
Hegesippus (according to Eusebius
[53]
and Jerome) described as a Nazirite who never once cut his hair. The
length of a Rasta's locks is a measure of wisdom, maturity, and
knowledge in that it can indicate not only the Rasta's age, but also
his/her time as a Rasta.
Also, according to the Bible,
Samson was a Nazirite who had "seven locks". Rastas argue that these "seven locks" could only have been dreadlocks,
[54] as it is unlikely to refer to seven strands of hair.
Locks have also come to symbolize the
Lion of Judah (its mane) and rebellion against Babylon. In the
United States, several public schools and workplaces have lost lawsuits as the result of banning locks.
Safeway is an early example, and the victory of eight children in a suit against their
Lafayette, Louisiana
school was a landmark decision in favor of Rastafari rights. More
recently, in 2009, a group of Rastas settled a federal lawsuit with the
Grand Central Partnership in New York City, allowing them to wear their
locks in neat ponytails, rather than be forced to "painfully tuck in
their long hair" in their uniform caps.
[55]
Rastafari associate dreadlocks with a spiritual journey that one
takes in the process of locking their hair (growing hairlocks). It is
taught that patience is the key to growing locks, a journey of the mind,
soul and spirituality. Its spiritual pattern is aligned with the
Rastafari movement. The way to form natural dreadlocks is to allow hair
to grow in its natural pattern, without cutting, combing or brushing,
but simply to wash it with pure water.
For the Rastas the
razor, the
scissors and the
comb are the three Babylonian or Roman inventions.
[56]
So close is the association between dreadlocks and Rastafari, that the
two are sometimes used synonymously. In reggae music, a follower of
Rastafari may be referred to simply as a "dreadlocks" or "natty
(natural) dread".
As important and connected with the movement as the wearing of locks
is, though, it is not deemed necessary for, or equivalent to, true
faith. Popular slogans, often incorporated within reggae lyrics,
include: "Not every dread is a Rasta and not every Rasta is a dread...";
"It's not the dread upon your head, but the love inna your heart, that
mek ya Rastaman" (Sugar Minott); and as
Morgan Heritage
sings: "You don't haffi dread to be Rasta...", and "Children of
Selassie I, don't lose your faith; whether you do or don't have your
locks 'pon your head..." Some Rastafarians may eschew dreadlocks,
[57]
either as a means of avoiding persecution or for practical reasons,
especially in as they may be a liability in many industrial jobs as it
may get trapped in machinery. Many non-Rastafari of African descent wear
locks as an expression of pride in their ethnic identity, or simply as a
hairstyle, and take a less purist approach to developing and grooming
them. The wearing of dreads also has spread among people of other
ethnicities. Locks worn for stylish reasons are sometimes referred to as
"bathroom locks", to distinguish them from the kind that are purely
natural. Rasta purists also sometimes refer to such dreadlocked
individuals as "wolves", as in "a wolf in sheep's clothing", especially
when they are seen as trouble-makers who might potentially discredit or
infiltrate Rastafari.
[58]
Symbols
Rastaman in
Barbados, wearing the Rastafarian colors of green, gold, red and black on a
rastacap.
Red, Gold and Green
Rastafarian Man In Rasta Cap
The Rastafarian colors of green, gold and red (sometimes also including black) are very commonly sported on Rastafarian flag,
icons, badges, posters etc. The green, gold and red are the colors of the
Ethiopian flag
and show the loyalty Rastafari feel towards the Ethiopian state in the
reign of Haile Selassie. The red, black and green were the colors used
to represent Africa by the
Marcus Garvey movement.
The Ethiopian Flag has a different meaning for different members of
Rastafari, although the proper orientation of the flag goes bottom to
top as red, gold and green although many members of the movement use it
in different or sometimes opposite orientation, the red gold and green
are associated with the first three
chakras of the body which is usually referenced as "Seals" Referring to the
Seven seals Within man and womb-man, this is also in contrast with the
New Haile Selassie I Bible (1962) and also the 7 different types of
Biblical literature. This
Ethiopian Christian and Rastafari Holy book is also known as to some as the book of the
Seven seals fulfilling Revelations 5:5.
Rastafarian man carrying a basket
Red is said to signify the blood of martyrs, green the vegetation and beauty of Ethiopia, and gold the wealth of Africa.
[59][60]
Music
Music
has long played an integral role in Rastafari, and the connection
between the movement and various kinds of music has become well known,
due to the international fame of
reggae musicians such as
Bob Marley and
Peter Tosh.
Niyabinghi chants are played at worship ceremonies called
grounations,
[26] that include drumming, chanting and dancing, along with
prayer and ritual
smoking of
cannabis. The name
Nyabinghi comes from an
East African movement from the 1850s to the 1950s that was led by people who militarily opposed European
imperialism. This form of nyabinghi was centered around
Muhumusa, a healing woman from
Uganda who organized resistance against
German
colonialists. In Jamaica, the concepts of Nyabinghi were appropriated
for similar anti-colonial efforts, and it is often danced to invoke the
power of
Jah against an oppressor.
African music survived
slavery because many slaveowners encouraged it as a method of keeping morale high.
[citation needed]
Afro-Caribbean music arose with the influx of influences from the
native peoples of Jamaica, as well as the European slaveowners.
Another style of Rastafari music is called
burru drumming, first played in the Parish of
Clarendon, Jamaica, and then in
West Kingston. Burru was later introduced to the burgeoning Rasta community in Kingston by a Jamaican musician named
Count Ossie.
He mentored many influential Jamaican ska, rock steady, and reggae
musicians. Through his tutelage, they began combining New Orleans
R&B, folk
mento,
jonkanoo,
kumina, and revival zion into a unique sound. The burru style, which centers on three drums — the bass, the alto
fundeh, and the repeater — would later be copied by hip hop DJs.
[61]
Reggae
Reggae musician
Bob Marley did much to raise international awareness of the Rastafari movement
Reggae was born amidst poor blacks in
Trenchtown, the main ghetto of
Kingston, Jamaica, who listened to radio stations from the
United States.
Jamaican musicians, many of them Rastas, soon blended traditional
Jamaican folk music and drumming with American R&B, and jazz into
ska, that later developed into reggae under the influence of soul.
Reggae began to enter international consciousness in the early 1970s,
and Rastafari mushroomed in popularity internationally, largely due to
the fame of
Bob Marley, who actively and devoutly preached Rastafari, incorporating
Nyabinghi
and Rastafarian chanting into his music, lyrics and album covers. Songs
like "Rastaman Chant" led to the movement and reggae music being seen
as closely intertwined in the consciousness of audiences across the
world. Other famous reggae musicians with strong Rastafarian elements in
their music include
Peter Tosh,
Freddie McGregor,
Toots & the Maytals,
Burning Spear,
Black Uhuru,
Prince Lincoln Thompson,
Bunny Wailer,
Prince Far I,
Israel Vibration,
The Congos,
Adrian Nones,
Cornell Campbell,
Dennis Brown,
Inner Visions and hundreds more.
- Reggae music expressing Rasta doctrine
The first reggae single that sang about Rastafari and reached Number 1 in the Jamaican charts was
Bongo Man by
Little Roy in 1969.
[62] Early Rasta
reggae musicians (besides
Marley) whose music expresses Rastafari doctrine well are
Peter Tosh,
Bunny Wailer (in
Blackheart Man),
Prince Far I,
Linval Thompson,
Ijahman Levi (especially the first 4 albums),
Misty-in-Roots (
Live),
The Congos (
Heart of the Congos),
The Rastafarians,
The Abyssinians,
Culture,
Big Youth, and
Ras Michael And The Sons Of Negus. The Jamaican
jazz percussionist Count Ossie,
who had played on a number of ska and reggae recordings, recorded
albums with themes relating to Rasta history, doctrine, and culture.
Rastafari doctrine as developed in the 1980s was further expressed musically by a number of other prominent artists, such as
Burning Spear,
Steel Pulse,
Third World,
The Gladiators,
Sister Carol,
Black Uhuru,
Aswad, and
Israel Vibration. Rastafari ideas have spread beyond the Jamaican community to other countries including Russia, where artists such as
Jah Division write songs about Jah, and South Africa where
Lucky Dube first learned reggae music from
Peter Tosh recordings. Afro-American
punk band
Bad Brains are notable followers of the Rastafari movement and have written songs ("I Against I", etc.) that promote the doctrine.
In the 21st century, Rastafari sentiments are spread through
roots reggae
and dancehall, subgroups of reggae music, with many of their most
important proponents promoting the Rastafari religion, such as
Capleton,
Sizzla,
Anthony B,
Barrington Levy,
Jah Mason,
Pressure,
Midnite,
Natural Black,
Luciano,
Cocoa Tea,
Jah Cure and
Richie Spice.
Several of these acts have gained mainstream success and frequently
appear on the popular music charts. Most recently artists such as
Damian Marley (son of Bob Marley),
Alborosie and
Million Stylez
have blended hip-hop with reggae to re-energize classic Rastafari
issues such as social injustice, revolution and the honour and
responsibility of parenthood using contemporary musical style.
Berlin-based dub techno label "
Basic Channel" has subsidiary labels called "
Rhythm & Sound"
and "Burial Mix" whose lyrics strongly focus on many aspects of
Rastafari culture and ideology, including the acceptance of Haile
Selassie I. Notable tracks include "Jah Rule", "Mash Down Babylon", "We
Be Troddin'", and "See Mi Yah". Irish singer-songwriter
Sinéad O'Connor released two rastafari/roots reggae CDs – "
Throw Down Your Arms" and "
Theology".
Film
|
This section requires expansion. (March 2010) |
There are several Jamaican films important to the history of Rastafari, such as
Rockers,
The Harder They Come,
Land of Look Behind,
Countryman, "
Bob Marley" and
Babylon.
History
Ethiopian world view
Before Garvey, there had been two major circumstances that proved
conducive to the conditions that established a fertile ground for the
incubation of Rastafari in Jamaica: the history of resistance,
exemplified by the
Maroons, and the forming of an Afrocentric, Ethiopian
world view with the spread of such religious movements as
Bedwardism, which flourished from the 1890s to the 1920s. These groups had long carried a tradition of what musician
Bob Marley referred to as "resisting against the system".
Marcus Garvey
Main article:
Marcus Garvey
Rastas see Marcus Mosiah Garvey as a prophet, with his philosophy
fundamentally shaping the movement, and with many of the early Rastas
having started out as
Garveyites. He is often seen as a second
John the Baptist.
One of the most famous prophecies attributed to him involving the
coronation of Haile Selassie I was the 1927 pronouncement "Look to
Africa, for there a black king shall be crowned," although an associate
of Garvey's,
James Morris Webb, had made very similar public statements as early as 1921.
[63][64] Marcus Garvey promoted
Black Nationalism,
black separatism, and
Pan-Africanism:
the belief that all black people of the world should join in
brotherhood and work to decolonise the continent of Africa — then still
controlled by the white colonialist powers.
He promoted his cause of black pride throughout the 1920s and 1930s,
and was particularly successful and influential among lower-class blacks
in Jamaica and in rural communities. Although his ideas have been
hugely influential in the development of Rastafari culture, Garvey never
identified himself with the movement. Garvey was even critical of Haile
Selassie for leaving Ethiopia at the time of the Italian Fascist
occupation, "
Hailie Selassie
is the ruler of a country where black men are chained and flogged...He
will go down in history as a great coward who ran away from his
country."
[65] In addition, his Universal Negro Improvement Association disagreed with
Leonard Howell
over Howell's teaching that Haile Selassie was the Messiah. Rastafari
nonetheless may be seen as an extension of Garveyism. In early Rasta
folklore, it is the
Black Star Line (actually a shipping company bought by Garvey to encourage repatriation to
Liberia) that takes them home to Africa.
Other early written foundations
Although not strictly speaking a "Rastafari" document, the
Holy Piby, written by
Robert Athlyi Rogers from
Anguilla
in the 1920s, is acclaimed by many Rastafarians as a formative and
primary source. Robert Athlyi Rogers founded an Afrocentric religion
known as "Athlicanism" in the US and West Indies in the 1920s. Rogers'
religious movement, the Afro-Athlican Constructive Church, saw
Ethiopians (in the Biblical sense of all Black Africans) as the chosen
people of God, and proclaimed Marcus Garvey, the prominent Black
Nationalist, an apostle. The church preached self-reliance and
self-determination for Africans.
The
Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy, written during the 1920s by a preacher called
Fitz Balintine Pettersburg,
is a surrealistic stream-of-consciousness polemic against the white
colonial power structure that is also considered formative, a
palimpsest of Afrocentric thought.
The first document to appear that can be labelled as truly Rastafari was
Leonard P. Howell's
The Promise Key, written using the pen name G.G. [for
Gangun-Guru]
Maragh, in the early 1930s. In it, he claims to have witnessed the
Coronation of the Emperor and Empress on 2 November 1930 in
Addis Ababa,
and proclaims the doctrine that Ras Tafari is the true Head of Creation
and that the King of England is an impostor. This tract was written
while Howell was in jail on charges of sedition.
Emergence
Emperor
Haile Selassie I was crowned "King of Kings, Elect of God, and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah" in
Addis Ababa
on November 2, 1930. The event created great publicity throughout the
world, including in Jamaica, and particularly through two consecutive
Time magazine articles about the coronation (he was later named
Time's
Person of the Year for 1935, the first Black person to appear on the cover), as well as two consecutive
National Geographic issues around the same time. Haile Selassie almost immediately gained a following as both God and
King
amongst poor Jamaicans, who came to be known as Rastafarians, and who
looked to their Bibles, and saw what they believed to be the fulfilling
of many prophecies from the book of
Revelation.
As Ethiopia was the only African country to be free from colonialism,
and Haile Selassie was the only black leader accepted among the kings
and queens of Europe, the early Rastas viewed him with great reverence.
Over the next two years, three Jamaicans who all happened to be
overseas at the time of the coronation, each returned home and
independently began, as street preachers, to proclaim the divinity of
the newly crowned Emperor as the returned Christ,
[66]
arising from their interpretations of Biblical prophecy and based
partly on Haile Selassie's status as the only African monarch of a fully
independent state, with the titles
King of Kings and
Conquering Lion of Judah (
Revelation 5:5).
First, on 8 December 1930,
Archibald Dunkley, formerly a seaman, landed at
Port Antonio and soon began his ministry; in 1933, he relocated to Kingston where the
King of Kings Ethiopian Mission was founded.
Joseph Hibbert returned from
Costa Rica in 1931 and started spreading his own conviction of the Emperor's divinity in Benoah district,
Saint Andrew Parish, through his own ministry, called
Ethiopian Coptic Faith; he too moved to Kingston the next year, to find
Leonard Howell already teaching many of these same doctrines, having returned to Jamaica around the same time. With the addition of
Robert Hinds,
himself a Garveyite and former Bedwardite, these four preachers soon
began to attract a following among Jamaica's poorer classes, who were
already beginning to look to Ethiopia for moral support.
Leonard Percival Howell
Main article:
Leonard Howell
Leonard Percival Howell, who has been described as the "First Rasta",
[67] became the first to be
persecuted, charged with
sedition for refusing loyalty to the
King of
Great Britain and Ireland,
George V. The
British government would not tolerate Jamaicans loyal to Haile Selassie in what was then a British colony. When he was released, he formed a
settlement called Pinnacle, at St. Catherine in
Jamaica in 1939 on 500 acres (2.0 km
2) of land which attracted as many as 4,000 people.
[68][69]
Reports surfaced that the Rastas were urging the communities around
them not to pay taxes to the government. In 1941, the police raided the
community and Howell and his followers were sent to prison. After their
release, several members attempted to resurrect Pinnacle, but law
enforcement continued raiding the community. The raids by colonial and
post colonial forces destroyed the Pinnacle, and dispersed the
dispossessed Rastafari into the slums of Jamaica.
[70]
The Promised Key
The Rastafari Movement was founded by Leonard Percival "Gong" Howell
in 1932. Leonard P. Howell was a Mystic Jamaican born in the hills of
Clarendon, Jamaica in 1898. Howell left Jamaica as a youth traveling the
world over returning to Jamaica from the United States of America on
November 17, 1932. He had taken voluntary deportation after his
application for citizenship was denied. On his return to Jamaica, he was
appalled at the standard of living of the enslaved African people who
were now being released from plantation slavery. They were poor,
penniless and desolate after hundreds of years of British and Spanish
slavery, hungry, suffering yaws, cholera and yellow fever. The governing
British were unwilling to help the former slaves and doctors' fees were
far more than the majority could afford. Despite being officially freed
of slavery, many black Jamaicans were left with no option but to work
in the jobs they had previously carried out as slaves, at very low
wages. Colonialism left the people with a very low self-image in 1932
Colonial Jamaica. Their knowledge of their ancestral roots in Africa and
African royalty had been lost to them through hundreds of years of
slavery. Leonard P. Howell saw it as his task to rebuild the broken men
and women, his people. He wrote "The Promised Key" the doctrine of
Rastafari in Accra, Ghana and many other works which were burnt by the
colonial government References :-Daily Gleaner Jamaica, The First Rasta
by Helen Lee
He had attended the Coronation of Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress
Menen in Ethiopian on November 2, 1930 and knew what the crowning of the
Emperor and Empress signified to all African People. Leonard P. Howell
had audiences with the Emperor Haile Selassie when he was Supreme Regent
of Ethiopia.
Rasta began with Leonard P. Howell and his street preaching to lift
the spirits of the enslaved black men and women from Kingston to St
Thomas. He was very popular, had a bakery along with his skills as a
Naturopathic Doctor which he sustained himself his people and his
children. He was tried for sedition in St Thomas, Jamaica, in the case
cause celebre of the assizes. He spoke out against the wrongs of the
crown and colonial Jamaica against the men women and children of Africa
stolen, sold and enslaved in Jamaica for hundreds of years. He called
for International Salvation for all peoples globally while on trial for
his life. Howell was found guilty and sentenced to two years
imprisonment. On his return, the Rastafari Movement faced a Moraunt Bay
rebellion of their own as they were attacked, beaten and robbed for days
by the police, Christian populace spurred on by the colonial planters
and their acolytes. Days later buses were sent into this tense criminal
situation and the Rastafari people and Leonard P. Howell returned to
Kingston where he purchased the old abandoned colonial estate at
Pinnacle. At Pinnacle, The Rastafari Movement grew and was
self-sufficient and self-reliant. However, the settlement was
continually raided, robbed, burnt with many incarcerations by the
colonial police with their ultimate aim being the fragmentation and
destruction of the Rastafari Movement. The Colonial Records, Spanish
Town archives
The
Kebra Nagast, the national epic of
Ethiopia, is also taken as important amongst many Rastas. The
Kebra Nagast is an Ethiopic text depicting the relationship between
King Solomon and
Queen of Sheba.
Visit of Selassie I to Jamaica
Haile Selassie I had already met with several Rasta elders in
Addis Ababa in 1961, giving them gold medals, and had allowed West Indians of African descent to settle on his personal land in
Shashamane in the 1950s. The first actual Rastafarian settler, Papa
Noel Dyer, arrived in September 1965, having hitch-hiked all the way from England.
Haile Selassie visited
Jamaica on April 21, 1966. Approximately one hundred thousand Rastafari from all over Jamaica descended on
Kingston airport, it having been announced that Selassie was coming to visit them.
[71]
They waited at the airport smoking a great amount of cannabis and
playing drums. When Haile Selassie arrived at the airport he delayed
disembarking from the aeroplane for an hour until
Mortimer Planno, a well-known Rasta, personally welcomed him. From then on, the visit was a success.
Rita Marley, Bob Marley's wife, converted to the Rastafari faith after seeing Haile Selassie; she has stated that she saw
stigmata appear on his person, and was instantly convinced of his divinity.
[72]
The great significance of this event in the development of the
Rastafari movement should not be underestimated. Having been outcasts in
society, they gained a temporary respectability for the first time. By
making Rasta more acceptable, it opened the way for the
commercialisation of reggae, leading in turn to the further global
spread of Rastafari.
Because of Haile Selassie's visit, April 21 is celebrated as
Grounation Day.
It was during this visit that Selassie I famously told the Rastafari
community leaders that they should not immigrate to Ethiopia until they
had first liberated the people of Jamaica. This dictum came to be known
as "
liberation before
repatriation".
Walter Rodney
In 1968,
Walter Rodney, a Guyanese national, author, and professor at the University of the West Indies, published a pamphlet titled
The Groundings with My Brothers
which among other matters, including a summary of African history,
discussed his experiences with the Rastafari. It became a benchmark in
the Caribbean
Black Power movement. Combined with Rastafarian teachings, both philosophies spread rapidly to various Caribbean nations, including
Guyana,
Trinidad and Tobago,
Dominica, and
Grenada.
Rodney influenced his followers, according to Tafari: “In his
powerful ‘Black Power’ synthesis, Rodney brought together the
Rastafarian and Marxist theses in a new ideological trinity of race,
class and culture; i.e., a rejection of white imperialism (race); the
assumption of power by the black masses (class); and the redefinition of
the society in the image of the blacks (culture)
Rastafari around the world
There are Rasta communities all around the world.
Botswana
In Botswana, a prevalent Rastafarian community exists and was profiled in the documentary
Runaway Slave.
Democratic Republic of Congo
There is a substantial number of Rastas, Federation des Rastas du Congo, or FERACO that make up Ndjili Kinshasa, DRC.
[73]
Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Ivory Coast residing
Alpha Blondy is one of the best known African Rasta musicians.
[74]
Japan
A small but devoted Rasta community developed in Japan in the late 1970s and early 1980s.
[75]
Rasta shops selling natural foods, reggae recordings, and other
Rasta-related items sprang up in Tokyo, Osaka, and other cities. For
several years, "Japan Splashes" or open-air reggae concerts were held in
various locations throughout Japan.
Malawi
There is a Rastafarian community in
Malawi
as well. They have had influences in the music industry in Malawi where
reggae remains a popular form of music. Malawian reggae band, The
Black Missionaries, continues to propagate the rastafarian culture and issues in Malawi. They have featured at the
Lake of Stars Music Festival,
an international music festival which features international artists
including many of Malawi's reggae artists. They have also brought
Malawia-style reggae to the international scene through their
performance abroad, including in the United States.
[citation needed] One of Malawi's most popular reggae singers used to be
Lucius Banda, who was especially outspoken against the autocratic state of
Kamuzu Banda. Later, he briefly became a member of Parliament in the now Democratic Malawi.
Another outspoken Malawian Reggae artist,
Evison Matafale known as 'The prophet' was imprisoned in Malawi and later died under police custody in 2001.
[76]
Rastafarians have also been involved in the political scene, particularly in their efforts to legalise Chamba in Malawi.
Malawi Gold
(Chamba), remains one of Africa's most potent cannabis leaves and has
gained notoriety internationally for its potency. The Rastafarians use
it for religious reasons. It remains currently illegal in Malawi.
South Africa
The House of Judah Community in Azania and other areas of South
Africa has some of the largest and most prominent Rastafarian
communities, and a Nyabinghi Groundation is regularly held.
[77]
United Kingdom
According to the
2001 United Kingdom Census there are many Rastafarian people living in
England and Wales Especially in London, Manchester, Birmingham and many other places,
[78] the majority of whom live in
London and are of
Jamaican origin.
Cannabis is a
Class B Drug in the United Kingdom and its use for religious reasons is also prohibited.
In
London,
St Agnes Place contained a Rastafari place of worship until its occupants were evicted in 2006.
[79]
Fairfield House, Bath
where His Imperial Majesty Emperor Haile Selassie I lived during his
five years in exile, has a community of Rastafari which regularly meets
to maintain the garden and hold events. The Facebook group "Rastafarians
and Friends of Fairfield House" keeps members up to date with goings on
there. While events attract Rastafarians from around the UK, much of
the core membership are drawn from areas of Bristol, where there is a
growing number of Rastafarians centered around the Jamaican community of
St Pauls
United States
Rastafarian people started arriving in the
United States in large numbers in the 1960s and '70s mostly from
Jamaica.
[citation needed]
See also
References
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- ^ Jump up to: a b Beyer, Catherine. "Rastafari". About.com. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Jump up ^ Encyclopedia of African and African-American Religions p. 263 by Stephen D. Glazier, 2001
- Jump up ^ "Rastafari, roots and Ideology". OneWorld Magazine. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ ""Dread Jesus": A New View of the Rastafari Movement". Cesnur.org. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- ^ Jump up to: a b c d Dread, The Rastafarians of Jamaica, by Joseph Owens ISBN 0-435-98650-3
- Jump up ^ The Ganja Complex: Rastafari and Marijuana by Ansley Hamid (2002)
- Jump up ^ "Babylon". Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Merriam-Webster. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Jump up ^ "Definition of Babylon (chiefly among Rastafarians)". Oxford Dictionaries. Oxford University Press. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Jump up ^ "What Do Rastafarians Believe". Jamaican Culture. Jamaicans.com. 2003-05-30. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- Jump up ^ Skowera, Jennifer. "A Study of Ethiopianism in Rastafarianism with a Focus on the Concept Of Ethiopia as Zion". The Dread Library. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Chanting Down Babylon pp. 342–43.
- Jump up ^ Barnett, Michael (June 2005). "The many faces of Rasta: Doctrinal Diversity within the Rastafari Movement". Caribbean Quarterly 51 (2): 67–78.
- Jump up ^ Chanting Down Babylon p. 1
- Jump up ^ "Jamaica". Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (US State Department). 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2010-10-20.
- Jump up ^ Reuters AlertNet (Reuters Foundation):Jamaica (citing "NI World Guide 2003/2004"); The world guide: a view from the south, New Internationalist Publications, 2005, p. 312 ("Rastafarians 5 per cent")
- Jump up ^ Michael Read: Jamaica. Lonely Planet, 2006 p. 38
- Jump up ^ (RASTAFARI- THE NEW CREATION' by Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah, p. 41)
- ^ Jump up to: a b The Rastafarians by Leonard E. Barrett, p. 252.
- Jump up ^ Various (1611). "7:4". The Bible (King James ed.). ISBN 0-665-89961-0.
- Jump up ^ Edmonds, p. 54
- Jump up ^ "Rastafarian music - Nyabingi". Bbc.co.uk. 2009-10-09. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ "Life as a Rasta woman". Bbc.co.uk. 1961-07-23. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ Marcus Garvey, 1921, Universal Negro Improvement Association Papers p. 603.
- Jump up ^ Haile Selassie address to the United Nations, Oct 6, 1963.
- ^ Jump up to: a b Bradley, John H. (June 2009). "House of Judah Nyabinghi Rastafarian Grounation in Khayalethu South Township, South Africa". Cape Town to Cairo Website. CapeTowntoCairo.com. Retrieved 2009-11-10.
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- Jump up ^ "Bobo Shanti (Bobo Shanti Congress or Ethiopia Black International Congress)". Bbc.co.uk. 2009-10-21. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ "Twelve Tribes of Israel". Bbc.co.uk. 2009-10-12. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ "PERFORMING LATCRIT: Half the Story Has Never Been Told: Popular Jamaican Music as Antisubordination Praxis". Litigation-essentials.lexisnexis.com. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ "Ganja: Its Move from Society to Religion in the 1960s". Abutler1.stu.cofc.edu. Retrieved 2012-02-27.[dead link]
- Jump up ^ Hamid, The Ganjah Complex: Rastafari and Marijuana, introduction, p. xxxii.
- Jump up ^ Chanting Down Babylon, p. 130 ff.
- Jump up ^ Rastafari and Other African-Caribbean Worldviews by Barry Chevannes, p. 35, 85; Edmonds, p. 52
- Jump up ^ Bhang is often produced in large vessels at dargah gatherings known as "shaam-e-qalandar". During these gatherings large kettle drums known as naggara are played or alternatively, the Dhol. It is known as Qalandri dhamaal. Both groups, the Qalandar's and Sadhu's were lumped together by the British as faqeers.
They are still frowned upon by the industrious population and are
considered "dreadfull". Yet they are considered holy men by many. Both
groups practice either some sort of chilla nashini or yoga in remote jungles, mountains or charnel grounds in which ganja aids to put a veil on the worldly & to transcend the various societal trends
and pressures. It is also used to induce a state of euphoria and trance
by some in conjunction with drumming, dance or whirling. Arrow of the Blue-Skinned God: Retracing the Ramayana Through India, Jonah Blank, p. 89.
- Jump up ^ Edmonds, p. 61
- Jump up ^ Chanting Down Babylon, p. 354.
- Jump up ^ These quotations are taken from the King James Version.
- Jump up ^ "Proverbs 15:17 Better a meal of vegetables where there is love than a fattened calf with hatred". Bible.cc. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ Marijuana and the Bible, published by the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church
- Jump up ^ "Rastafari: The Secret History of the Marijuana Religion". Cannabisculture.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- Jump up ^ "Frequently Asked Question". Gospelreggae.com. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- Jump up ^ See:
Case No. 00-71247 United States Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit
www.ca9.uscourts.gov/coa/newopinions.nsf/55215A562F6A670188256BC7005C6CC5/$file/0071247.pdf?openelement
- Jump up ^ Stewart, Phil (2008-07-10). "Rasta pot smokers win legal leeway in Italy". Reuters. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ AOL News – Rasta smoker wins appeal of marijuana conviction[dead link]
- Jump up ^ "Doug Darrell Acquitted Of Marijuana Charges Through Jury Nullification In New Hampshire". The Huffington Post. 2012-09-17.
- Jump up ^ "UN Report of the Committee on Non-Governmental Organizations". Un.org. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ "Rastafarianism". Bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ Professor
Rex Nettleford, Ceremonial Address on Behalf of University of West
Indies to "Marley's Music: Reggae, Rastafari, and Jamaican Culture"
conference, in Bob Marley: The Man and His Music (2003)
- Jump up ^ Barry Chevannes, 1998 Rastafari and Other African-Caribbean Worldviews, chapter 4
- Jump up ^ Islamic Society and State Power in Senegal, p. 167 by Leonardo Alfonso Villalón 1995
- Jump up ^ Neil J. Savinsky in Chanting Down Babylon pp. 133, 143 fn.#37; citing David Buxton, The Abyssinians, p. 78.
- Jump up ^ Eusebius of Caesarea, The Ecclesiastical History, book 2, chapter 23
- Jump up ^ The Kebra Negast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith, p. 49
- Jump up ^ The Associated Press (2009-08-08). "Rastafarians win suit allowing them to bare dreadlocks at work". New York: Nydailynews.com. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ cf. Chanting Down Babylon p. 32; The Kebra Nagast: The Lost Bible of Rastafarian Wisdom and Faith by Gerlad Hausman p. 48; Rastafarianismby Gerhardus Cornelis Oosthuizen p. 16; An Educator's Classroom Guide to America's Religious Beliefs and Practices p. 155.
- Jump up ^ "You don't have to grow your hair to be a Rasta. It's in your heart, not how you look,", Courtenay Griffiths quoted in the Jamaica-Gleaner
- Jump up ^ Chanting Down Babylon, p. 2
- Jump up ^ Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel; Spencer, William David; McFarlane, Adrian Anthony (1998). ''Chanting Down Babylon: the Rastafari reader'', p. 134. Books.google.co.uk. ISBN 978-1-56639-584-7. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ Hubbard, Benjamin Jerome; Hatfield, John T; Santucci, James A (April 2007). An educator's classroom guide to America's religious beliefs and practices, p. 156. Books.google.co.uk. ISBN 978-1-59158-409-4. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Jump up ^ Jeff Chang Can't Stop, Won't Stop. 2005: St. Martin's Press. pp. 24–25.
- Jump up ^ Mark Lamaar, Radio 2
- Jump up ^ [1][dead link]
- Jump up ^ IRIE Barbados Groundation Report[dead link]
- Jump up ^ E. David Cronon, Black Moses, University of Wisconsin Press, Madison, (1955) 1966, p.162
- Jump up ^ The Rastafarians by Leonard E. Barrett, pp. 81–82
- Jump up ^ The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism by Helene Lee, 1999
- Jump up ^ Rastafari: From Outcasts to Culture Bearers by Ennis Barrington Edmonds, p. 37.
- Jump up ^ "Sligoville heritage". Jamaica Gleaner. 2007-02-28. Retrieved 2010-05-02.
- Jump up ^ Rhythms
of Resistance: Histories of Musical Opposition and Affirmation from
Around the World, composed by David McMurray, edited by Tom Tucker ISBN 978-1-4266-3533-5 p. 46
- Jump up ^ "21 April – Today in History". New Europe Issue 882. 21 April 2010. Retrieved 2010-05-02.[dead link]
- Jump up ^ No Woman, No Cry, Rita Marley, p.43
- Jump up ^ "YouTube".
- Jump up ^ Bob Marley's Music is a big prayer, Classical Reggae Interviews, Alpha Blondy.
- Jump up ^ "Religions - Rastafari: Rastafarian history". BBC. Retrieved 2013-11-23.
- Jump up ^ "Malawian farewell to 'the prophet'". BBC News. 2001-11-29.
- Jump up ^ "House of Judah (Rastafarian Community)". Retrieved 10 July 2012.
- Jump up ^ "BBC Rastafari at a glance". Bbc.co.uk. 2009-10-02. Retrieved 2012-02-27.
- Jump up ^ "UK | Anger amid Rastafarian temple raid". BBC News. 2007-04-12. Retrieved 2010-02-01.
- Experience, by Lincoln Thompson
- Soul Rebels: The Rastafari, by William F Lewis
- Rastafari: A Way of Life, by Tracy Nicholas ISBN 0-948390-16-6
- Book of Memory: A Rastafari Testimony, composed by Prince Elijah Williams and edited by Michael Kuelker ISBN 0-9746021-0-8
- Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions, by Toropov, Brandon. ISBN 0786544805
External links