One of the first early groups to hold a similar view to modern Rasta beliefs was the Youth Black Faith. They are also credited with the creation of the “dread” hairstyle, which has since become a staple of the Rasta culture, symbolizing their non-participation in the Babylon system and their choice to become social outcasts.
Several of the leaders of the crowd from the earlier movements had begun to preach on their own and decided to pool their resources and form a collective group in Trenchtown. They developed a set of rules for the reasoning sessions, mostly concerned with the smoking of ganja, which was then, and had been popular for several decades prior. Despite the meanings that our society places on marijuana smoking, the founders of the Youth Black Faith were extremely devout to their new doctrine and were constantly preaching the doctrine, seeking converts wherever they traveled. They were also very concerned with the extinction of the earlier, more mystical belief structures and actively worked to eliminate them wherever they manifest in Rasta.
The “dread” look was a slow evolution, first starting with the express desirability of adherents wearing beards and then moving toward a very new and shocking style of hair in which it was allowed to grow and was grouped into unnatural strands, or dreads. This was supposed to give them a “dreadsome” appearance and make public their ideals and faith, especially toward those participants in their perceived Babylon system.
As more and more people became members, a sort of initial structure began to take form. There was no longer the unoriginal, and Babylon inspired, titles of president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer; rather, there came into place only a chairman and a tableman, the former being responsible as the head speaker and assignor of the floor, the latter being the person in charge of the books and propaganda, and their dissemination. They even discontinued keeping member lists, because they felt that the religion should be free to be expressed by any or none, because it is foolish to impose upon their personal degrees of faith.
These new developments, the codification of ganja smoking/reasoning sessions, the reorganization of their administrative structure, and the advent of the dreadlocks and their associated outcast status and defiant statement toward Babylon all were key elements in the next phases of development.
Other movements and systems of Rasta that developed early on were the Pinnacle commune and the Bull Bay commune. These were purely Rasta communes that advanced the religion in their welcoming of any Rasta into it, their self sufficiency, and their ascetic tenants. Pinnacle was brief (1940-1954), however, it was founded by one of the first preachers of true Rasta doctrine, Leonard Howell. It was also know for its ganja growing operation, for which it was eventually hounded out of existence by the Jamaican police.
The Bull Bay commune came out of a more ideologically stable but politically charged era of the 1960’s, but it survives even today. It was, until only recently, run by its founder Prince Edward Emmanuel. Its residents are of an offshoot Rasta sect called “Bobo.” They are reputed to be less confrontational than traditional Rastas, and they can be distinguished by their white turbans that shield their dreads from non-believers.
The Bobo are only one house of Rasta, of which there are several. The Bobo may be one of the earliest offshoots, but others, such as the Coptic, Judah-Coptic (of Miami), and the 12 Tribes of Israel, have all separated, although they vary in almost purely political and material differences.
In a brief summary of events after the founding and modern development of the religion, it became a more standard and accepted practice and it gained in adherents in Jamaica. In the mid to late 1970’s, in the midst of a severe economic downturn, many Jamaicans emigrated to the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States. While many of these Jamaicans had adopted some of the symbology of the Rastas, including the easily discernable dreadlocks and the red, gold, and green attire, they did not adopt the religion. Upon immigration, many of them turned to organized crime and gangs. This gave the real Rastas a bad name and they were extremely negatively characterized in the United States and other first world nations’ media. Only in the early 80’s, with the rise of Bob Marley and the increased popularization of Reggae music did perceptions of Rastafari change for the better.
The belief structure which the Rastafari profess is one of outward biblical influence, but its internal structure is assuredly African in derivation. They believe that the Christians have mistakenly mistranslated the bible from its original form and that through their intuition and extensive knowledge of it, they can find the true meanings. This leads them to the conclusion that since the bible was mistranslated that this is how the white men have created so much misery not only for their specific aims as wronged and enslaved black men from African, but they view the general wanton destruction of the earth by the white men as a result of the blatantly incorrect, and potentially purposeful misreading of God’s teachings.
One of the most interesting aspects of their beliefs is that black people are the true descendents of the early Israelites, and not the commonly perceived ethnic group of Jews. They view their capture and captivity in the modern world as “captivity in Babylon” and as a punishment for their ancient transgressions against that angry fire-and-brimstone Old Testament God. To the Rastas their salvation can only be achieved through “repatriation” of their homeland.
This homeland is commonly identified as Ethiopia. Perhaps the central person in their beliefs is Haile Selassie I, former emperor of Ethiopia. He ascended the throne in 1930 and fought against Babylon, in the form of fascist Italy and their invasion from what today is Somalia. Selassie I, prior to being crowned emperor was know as Ras Tafari. Ras is the Ethiopian equivalent of “Duke,” and was crowned Halie Selassie I, which translates into “holy Trinity.” He had also inherited the names King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah. Needless to say these are all very biblical and holy names assigned to the man they believe to be the return of God on earth. Rastas believe he is Christ reincarnated and have treated him variously as a warrior hero for standing up against Mussolini in war, a martyr for living as they do while exiled in England post defeat, and then as the savior for reclaiming the throne. He made his first visit to Jamaica in August of 1966 and was greeted by thousands who thought he was going to instantly make their lives better. To this day, along with his birthday, one of the most important days in the Rasta liturgical calendar is the anniversary of his visit.
Some of the sects view this repatriation as literal, while others view it as merely figurative. They feel that Africa is their true homeland, just as Israel is to the Jews, and they identify most closely with Ethiopia. In the literal sense the Rastas believe that returning to their homeland will bring them salvation. They can view Ethiopia as a literal heaven and their current incarceration outside of Africa as hell. By returning to where they were originally from they will be returning to the place where their forefathers lived in what they view to be paradise. In the most figurative sense it can be seen as only attempting to be mindful of their African roots.
These roots and the value placed on them by the Rastas focus mainly on the old way of live. They strive to be sociocentric; this, in turn, it the reason for the popularity of their communal style of living. But they also strive to live in communion with nature, something they see that their ancestors did, something entirely in line with a sociocentric living style, and in complete contrast to the methods the white man has used to dominate the earth and its peoples. This sense of mindfulness also serves as a catalyst for immediate political action while in Babylon, for, although it is not their true home, they feel that they have a responsibility to make it better for those they leave behind.
Rastafari has a sense of reincarnation of it, but for most it is a moot point. They believe that a Rasta will not die if s/he is true to the prescribed doctrines. When people die, as they inevitably do, it is regarded as their fault for not strictly adhering to the practices and beliefs. In the event of death, they will eventually return, but will remain in captivity. So, they can only truly find peace through the progress of the search for their homeland.
Their diet is restricted in accordance with their attempts to live sustainably through nature. They abstain from meat, especially pork products, as well as processed and preserved foods, alcohol, and anything not made by nature alone (i.e. Genetically modified foods, or those produced with the assistance of herbicides or pesticides).
Their ritual regiment is based on a service they call a “duty.” It usually requires a full day of fasting prior to the ceremony. Fasting for a Rasta is different from other types in that nothing passes the lips, not even water. After which they break their fast with a ceremonial piece of bread and some water in the spoken (and initial) part of the duty. This includes some reading and interpreting of the bible, and discussions of interpersonal, financial, and future planning matters. After which they go out into their yard and dance. Early on there was only drumming, but with the advent of ska, rocksteady, and finally, reggae music, there are often other instruments to supplement their rituals. This celebration often continues until dawn, however, many people drift off to join the many reasoning sessions that are taking place on the outskirts of the yard.
These reasoning sessions, termed Nyahbinghi, are often a couple hours long and frequently involve the use of ganja, their typical term for the cannabis plant, or marijuana. It is prepared in a spliff, which is a large piece of paper, usually brown paper bag, with a large amount of ganja rolled up inside it and is then inhaled. They also use a certain type of pipe they call a chalice. This is a more formal method of smoking. After they have finished they merely sit and discuss whatever comes to mind. Usual topics of discussion are bible interpretations, the downfalls and current trends in Babylon, interpersonal discussions, or general good natured discussion.
In one of my sources the author attends a large reasoning session and he states that the Rastas assume a persona more congruent with traditional beliefs. They become hostile toward the “baldhead” (i.e. non-Rasta) present and aggressively question him/her about the perceived failures of their system. Violence is very rarely an outcome and they return to being very personable and agreeable after this ritual discussion (Chevannes, 208-219).
As in many of the hybridized religions before Rasta, and taken from the emphasis placed on personal contact from Myal, they stress the importance of not merely believing in Jah, but actually knowing Him. They view life as a process of transition from belief to knowledge, and then from knowledge to direct experience.
One of the most important cultural aspects of Rastafari is their nationally inherited emphasis on language. If you have ever heard a Jamaican speak you will realize that their dialect is very heavily influenced by its contact with African languages. This is also used to express the emphasis they place on the experience of God and as a unifier. Most notably their use of the term I an I in place of the word we. I is also used in place of many prefixes in words. Idrin stands for brethren; they also modify words to better fit their meaning. Oppression become downpression or overpression. They will also play words on people’s names. Michael Manley, former Prime Minister, is known Manlay, or Manlai, a derogative term based on colloquial insults.
The role of women in Rastafari is a tenuous one. It was a predominantly patriarchal society, with women rarely taking an active role in duties. They cooked food and looked after the children. Notably, there is also a large emphasis placed on menstruation, whereby a women cannot prepare food for a men nor come in close contact with them because it is thought that the men will absorb “bad vibes” from them and their efforts. This applies to all boys over the age of seven. During this period of uncleanliness they are relegated to the menstrual huts on communes, or separate bedrooms or a friend’s house while in urban or suburban settings.
In recent developments, however, women have been taking a much more active role in the religion. They’re increasing their participatory roles in the religion, taking on more responsibilities, are participating in reasoning sessions, and are generally becoming more involved in Rasta communal life. This is primarily attributed to the growing internationalization and the reach of the women’s rights movements from the United States and Canada.
I, personally, found the books I reviewed to very well informed and definitely satisfying my curiosity. I have been interested in Jamaica, African diaspora, Rasta philosophy and practices, and reggae/ska/rocksteady music for quite some time and I relish the opportunity to take a truly academic look at it.
This truly traditional and national religion of Rastafarianism is one of the most fascinating and pervasive of the African diaspora stories to come out of the Caribbean. Their combination of rural sentiment, urban problem solving, individual and group perceptions, lovely, flowing language, revolutionary world view, and damn catchy music make for one of the most vibrant and culturally interesting creole religions. They are a noble people and thanks to their increasing internationalization will hopefully influence our cultures for decades to come.
Bibliography:
Barrett, Leonard. The Rastafarians. Boston: Beacon Press, 1977.
Chevannes, Barry. Rastafari: Roots and Ideology. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 1994.
Lewis, William F.. Soul Rebels: The Rastafari. Prospect Heights: Waveland Press, Inc., 1993.
