Rastafarians

The Rastafarian movement largely emanates from the influence of the Jamaican Marcus Mosiah Garvey (1887–1940), founder of the African Orthodox Church and the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) in the 1920s. Garvey believed in the unification of black people(s) in the Americas toward a physical return to the African continent for economic, political, and social reasons. With the crowning of Ras ("Prince" or "Lord") Tafari Makonnen as Emperor Haile Selassie I (his baptismal name, meaning "Power of the Holy Trinity") of Ethiopia on November 2, 1930, the socioreligious movement of the Rastafarians was born. Basing their beliefs on Garvey's premise that an African king would signal redemption for black people, followers of this philosophy began to regard Haile Selassie I as the Black Messiah, the leader of black people worldwide in their quest for freedom and respectability. Although Garvey did not embrace this belief in Haile Selassie I as the leader of black people, his basic comments on the origins of a leader for black people were catalytic and fueled interest, support, and involvement for both his enterprise—the UNIA—and the rise of Rastafarianism. The Jamaican Leonard P. Howell purportedly was the first to declare Garvey a prophet and Ras Tafari as the incarnation of the Second Coming. Haile Selassie I was not instrumental in organizing or promoting the Rastafarian movement. In fact, he was a devout member of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, which was a prerequisite in his political position in Ethiopia. During his 1966 visit to Jamaica told the Rastafarian community that they should refrain from immigrating to Ethiopia until they had liberated the people of Jamaica.

The Rastafarian faith system is an evolutionary one, which adds to its mystique and mythology with seven "original" and basic tenets of the faith: (1) Black people were exiled to the West Indies because of their moral transgressions; (2) the wicked white man is inferior to black people; 3) the Caribbean situation is hopeless; (4) Ethiopia is heaven; (5) Haile Selassie is the Living God; (6) the emperor of Ethiopia will arrange for all expatriated persons of African descent to return to their true homeland; and (7) Black people will get revenge by compelling white people to serve them. Contemporary Rastas worldwide focus on various but not all elements of the basic tenets in their faith systems. Rastafarians often cite the Holy Piby, written in 1913 and consisting of portions of the Hebrew and Christian Bibles, as the Rastafarian scriptural text. Strong adherents of the faith believe in a life of simplicity with an avoidance of excessive materialism and the embrace of a diet of "I-tal" foods, those that are pure and free of chemical additives. One who is "dread" is considered Jah (God)-fearing. The famous dreadlocks that identify many proponents of the faith system stem from the Rastafarian prohibition against cutting or using chemical products on the hair. Ganja (marijuana) is used by adherents of the faith as a sacrament that accelerates the awakening of the "I in I," the true will and form of Jah. The impact of the Rastafarian faith system is felt throughout the world and with an emphasis throughout the Caribbean and countries in both North and South America.

See alsoAfrican-Latin American Religions: Overview; Garvey, Marcus.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Campbell, Horace. Rasta and Resistance: From Marcus Garvey to Walter Rodney. Trenton, NJ: Africa World Press, 1987.

Lee, Hélène. The First Rasta—Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism. Translated by Lily Davis and edited by Stephen Davis. Chicago: Lawrence Hill Books, 2003.

Murrell, Nathaniel Samuel, et al., eds. Chanting Down Babylon: The Rastafari Reader. Philadelphia: Temple University Press, 1998.

Pollard, Velma. Dread Talk: The Language of Rastafari. 2nd ed. Montreal and Kingston, ON: McGill-Queens University Press, 2000.

Rogers, Shepherd Robert Athlyi. The Holy Piby. Research Associates School Times Publication, 2000.

                                  Emily Allen Williams