Rastafari ― (Ras Tafari, Rastas, Rastafarianism) A MetaPhysical Orientation as to Tradition, Culture or Preferred Flavour, is primarily defined, usually selfdefined by it's members and/or adherents as such, and holding the belief that the late king of Ethiopia, Haile Selassie, is God, and the teachings of Marcus Garvey as primary or critical parameters of their Spiritual Paradigm. [Editor's note: the below information was assimilated from a wide variety of sources some noted in parenthesis, and was not verified by Garden of Life, if it appears inaccurate please notify us and we will address the issues.] Rastafarianism was founded by a group of individuals who were inspired by Marcus Garvey's teachings in 1930, and were Garveyites although not members of his Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). Marcus Garvey's teachings laid the foundation for what was to become Rastafari even though his original aims were more of a secular political nature. Rastafari is a religion with roots in Africa and Jamaica, it has no church buildings, official leaders, official publications or organizational structure, each individual adherent and/or group is autonomous. Currently, the Rastafarian movement has official branches in at least England, Canada, the Caribbean islands and America in addition to individuals and small groups of adherents in most of the world's countries. The Rastafarian religion is much more than simply a religion of Jamaica. With its beginnings among the poor in Jamaica, Rastafarianism has spread throughout the world and currently has a membership of probably over 1,000,000. As with many other religious groups, the history of this one also begins before the group itself began officially. The original belief system of Rastafari was not clearly defined, even at its inception, that what was to be acceptable doctrine was largely a matter of individual interpretation. Marcus Garvey was born in 1887 and developed the philosophical ideologies that would eventually grow into the Rastafarian movement. By the 1920s Marcus Garvey was an influential black leader and the founder of the "back-to-Africa" movement. He often spoke of the redemption of his people as coming from a future black African king (Magical Blend, June/July 1994, p. 76). On one occasion, Garvey proclaimed, "Look to Africa for the crowning of a Black King, he shall be the Redeemer" (The Rastafarians). Only a few years later that prediction would be fulfilled in the person of Ethiopia's king, Haile Selassie. On November 2, 1930, Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned king of Ethiopia. Upon his coronation, he claimed for himself the titles of "Emperor Haile Selassie (Power of the Trinity) I, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah, Elect of God and King of the Kings of Ethiopia" (Ethiopia and Haile Selassie, Peter Schwab, editor). Emperor Haile Selassie was reported as being the 225th restorer of the Solomonic Dynasty. It was also reported that the coronation of Haile Selassie I was attended by many nations, including the Duke of Gloucester, the representative of the British Crown who returned the Emperor the sacred scepter stolen from Ethiopia many years before. After the crowning of Selassie and the apparent fulfillment of the millennial expectations of Marcus Garvey, the Rastafarian movement gained a following and officially began in 1930 (The Rastafarians). One of the key doctrines of Rastafarishad been their expectation that they would one day return to Africa, "the Zion which would be restored to them after centuries in the Diaspora" (Rastaman: The Rastafarian Movement in England, Ernest Cashmore). Garvey, with his "back-to-Africa" ideology had inspired much of this hope. In 1960 this anticipated move seemed potentially possible. With the help of the Jamaican government, a delegation of Rastafarisset out on a mission to Africa. "Though no large-scale immigration to Africa by Jamaicans was achieved, the sending of some Rastafarian leaders to Africa resulted in the movement's enhanced knowledge of African realities, and probably diffused the movement's enthusiasm for immediate repatriation" (The Rastafarians). In addition to the worship of Haile Selassie as God, there are two other core concepts that are key to the Rastafari system. First is the teaching which uses the name Babylon to refer to the Jamaican government, the establishment and/or white oppressors in general. The second concept is the benefit of using 'I and I' instead a simple I as the self-referential pronoun in conversation, to affirm the spiritual equality of all persons. 'I and I' is an expression to totalize the concept of oneness, the use of the pronoun 'I' many times replaces 'me', or 'you' or even radicals in their language use, so for example they may say 'I and I' meaning 'we'. This reminds them of the awareness of oneself, of the awareness of being God. 'I and I' symbolizes the oneness of two persons emphasizing that God is within all of us and we are truly one people Rastafaris live a peaceful life, place little emphasis on material possessions and devote much time to contemplation. The Rastafaris draw some their beliefs from the bible which they believe to have been incorrectly translated from the Aramaic in it's mainstream versions and thus contains some mistakes. They believe that through experience and intuition they can interpret it correctly and discern its truth. Central to their belief is the doctrine that black people are descendants of the early Israelites, in some cases tracing their spiritual and physical roots back to a union between King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. Many also believe that they were exiled, and subjected to other tribulations including slavery because of their transgressions. Their salvation will come, however, through Haile Selassie I., who, they believe, is God and their saviour, the incarnation of Jah or Jahovah, the reincarnation of Christ, the one who will bring them to the Land of Freedom, to Africa or, more precisely Ethiopia, which is the home of Black people, the place where they can be saved. Salvation comes through repatriation. The meaning applied to repatriation varies among the believers. For some it means a physical return to Africa; others, however, think that the return to Africa does not need to be a physical return; most important is to become aware of their African identity, to re-establish their identity undermined by the different kinds of power, and to immediately start changing their reality right where they are. Although they believe in reincarnation they are not concerned with the after life, as salvation happens here in their search for their home, in the search for Africa which is for them associated with heaven, while Babylon (that is the place of the white man, the white society) is associated with hell. To be a Rasta is to live in accordance with the laws of nature, in other words is to live in an African way. Rastas reject the white man's world, as the new age Babylon of greed and dishonesty. Even though they value humility, proud and confident Rastas will stand up for their rights. Rastas let their hair grow naturally into dreadlocks, in the image of the lion of Judah. Some sources estimate that six out of ten Jamaicans are Rastafaris or Rastafarian sympathizers. The period starting in 1975 through the present has been the period of the phenomenal growth for the Rastafarian Movement. This growth is largely attributed to Bob Marley, reggae artist, and the worldwide acceptance of reggae as an avenue of Rastafarian self-expression. Marley became a prophet of Rastafarianism in 1975. The movement spread quickly in the Caribbean and was hugely attractive to the local black youths, many of whom saw it as an extension of their adolescent rebellion from school and parental authority. With it came some undesirable elements, but all true Rastas signify peace and pride and righteousness. In their diet they avoid meat, and above all, pork, alcohol, and food of unknown sources. There is no obligation to attend rituals. They have, however collective reasoning sessions called nyahbinghi which include drumming. In these sessions they reflect on the bible and on their history, as well as on the nature of God, destiny, and among other things the meaning of life. In order to achieve discernment in these sessions, some of them make use of the ganja (marijuana). There are no strict rules concerning the use of ganja. However, according Rastafarians, the overuse of it might turn into an end in itself, which would be contrary to the aim of the group. So it should be used only in certain occasions. Family life is very important and though marriage may not be formalized in the western Christian way, it is taken very seriously. Women, however, seem to have a lesser role in the movement as a whole. The family structure is a patriarchal one and therefore woman is subordinated to man, though she might, often, be the earner of the house. Abortion and contraception are forbidden. For them it is important not just to believe in God, but to know God. To be a Rasta is to live a process from believing to knowing, from knowing to experiencing. The importance of experience can be clearly perceived in their language, used as a tool of individual and group identity and awareness. Possibly the most important historical event in the Rastafarian movement occurred when Haile Selassie visited Jamaica on April 21, 1966. This event resulted in two profound developments within the movement. First, Selassie convinced the Rastafarian brothers that they "should not seek to immigrate to Ethiopia until they had liberated the people of Jamaica." Second, from that time forth, April 21 has been celebrated as a "special holy day" among Rastafaris (The Rastafarians). There are also many oral traditions of other secret transmissions from Haile Selassie to the leaders of Rastafari. On August 27, 1975, Haile Selassie died. With his death came various forms of rationalization from many Rastafarians. The responses concerning Selassie's death ranged from "his death was a fabrication" to "his death was inconsequential because Haile Selassie was merely a 'personification' of God" (Rastaman). As the Magical Blend states, "When Selassie died in 1975, his divinity did not die with him. According to current belief, the Ras Tafari lives on through individual Rastafarians" (June/July 1994). It has also experienced some fragmentation since the death of Selassie. One of the prominent splinter-groups, known as the Twelve Tribes of Israel, founded by Vernon Carrington has its headquarters in New York . Other groups which "claim allegiance to Ras Tafari" are the Ethiopian Zion Coptic Church and the Ethiopian World Federation (The Rastafarians). Today one of the most controversial early Rastafarian leaders is Leonard Howell, although many modern Rastas are probably not familiar with his more militant teachings. In many places he is given credit as the first Rastafarian preacher in Jamaica, other sources report at least three other Rastafarian groups in existence during the 1930s under different leaders and teachings. While each group exemplified a different style of worship and emphasized distinctive aspects of the Rasta "doctrine," there were several common themes uniting these factions. First, all four groups condemned Jamaica's colonial society. Second, all believed repatriation to Africa was the key to overcoming oppression. Next, all of these groups advocated non-violence. Finally, all four groups asserted the divinity of Haile. The son of a Baptist minister, Leonard Howell was born in Crawle River, Clarendon in June, 1898. Wanderlust struck him in his teens and led him to the United States where he was influenced by the growing Pan African movement. He reportedly served in the US army, traveled throughout Europe where he was exposed to Socialism, and befriended George Padmore, the Trinidadian many consider the founder of Pan Africanism. Howell was deported to Jamaica for grand larceny in 1932. He first came to prominence here when he formed the Ethiopian Salvation Society began making public pronouncements that Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie was God and denounced the British monarchy. He was given a two-year sentence for sedition and in 1939 was sent to the Bellevue Asylum. On his release from Bellevue, Howell's message spread and he founded his first commune in Seaforth, St Thomas. From there, he took part in the Serge Island labour riots of the 1930s. In 1940, Howell moved his followers to Pinnacle, a 500-acre commune in the hills of Sligoville where self-sufficiency was encouraged and Rastafaris thrived by farming and making craft items. That all came to an end in 1954 when police raided Pinnacle and arrested many of its residents, claiming its craft manufacturing was a front for a lucrative ganja trade. For all his groundbreaking achievements, however, Howell had drifted into obscurity by the time Selassie visited Jamaica in 1966. When he died, Howell was all but forgotten by the movement he helped start. Early in the history of the movement, he gave the Rastafaris six principles, which are the cause of much of the controversy surrounding his teachings. The six principals are: "(1) hatred for the White race; (2) the complete superiority of the Black race; (3) revenge on Whites for their wickedness; (4) the negation, persecution, and humiliation of the government and legal bodies of Jamaica; (5) preparation to go back to Africa; and (6) acknowledging Emperor Haile Selassie as the Supreme Being and only ruler of Black people" (The Rastafarians). In 1933 Leonard Howell was "arrested by the Jamaican government for preaching a revolutionary doctrine" (The Perennial Dictionary of World Religions, Keith Crim, editor). While Howell's doctrines helped shape the theology of the movement, his arrest helped shape the movement's organizational structure. As Barrett explained in The Rastafarians, "The harassment of Howell by the police might have been the reason why Rastafaris have decided to remain leaderless, a decision which has strengthened the movement".

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Capital A with ring aboveÅ   Capital A with macronĀ   Capital A with breveĂ   Capital A with diaeresisÄ   Capital A with circumflex   Capital A with dot aboveȦ   Capital A with inverted breveȂ   Capital A with tildeà   Capital A with ogonekĄ   Capital AE ligatureÆ   Capital AE ligature with tildeÆ̃   Capital Glottal Stop⦾   Capital Palatoalveolar Click⊛   Regular English AA   Script Capital Lℒ   Capital L with macron aboveL̅   Capital L with dot belowḶ   Capital L with stroke, Dark L Ł   Regular English LL   Capital WHω   Capital W with macron aboveW̅   Capital W with dot belowẈ   Regular English WW   Capital Slide H with reverse solidusℋ⃥   Capital H with macron aboveH̅   Capital H with dot belowḤ   Aspirate^○   Slight Pause⚫   Very Slight Pause⚬   Regular English HH   Capital S with macron aboveS̅   Capital S with dot aboveṠ   Capital SH sign∫   Capital SKΣ   Regular English SS   Hard and Deep Capital DД   High and Light Capital D∇   Regular English DD   Capital O with ring aboveO̊   Capital O with macronŌ   Capital O with breveŎ   Capital O with diaeresisÖ   Capital O with solidusØ   Capital OE ligatureŒ   Capital O with Cyrillic Round OmegaѺ   Capital OIꙔ   Capital O with ogonekǪ   Capital O with double oo topტ   Regular English OO   Capital EZJHʑ   Capital Z with macron belowẔ   Capital Z with dot aboveŻ   Regular English ZZ   Capital K with macron aboveК̅   Capital K with dot below К̣   Capital Hard KHχ   Capital KHƙ   Regular English KK   Capital V with macron aboveV̅   Capital V with dot belowṾ   Regular English VV   Capital G with macronḠ   Capital G with dot aboveĠ   Capital GNΓ   Capital GRЖ   Capital GW   Capital Uvular Voiced ImplosiveϘ   Regular English GG   Capital rolled R with macronЯ̅   Capital rolled R with dot aboveЯ̇   Capital R with macron aboveR̅   Capital R with dot above Ṙ   Capital R with ogonek R̨   Regular English RR   Capital C with cedillaÇ   Capital CHЧ   Regular English CC   Capital N with macron aboveN̅   Capital N with dot belowṆ   Capital N with tildeÑ   Capital NGŋ   Capital NG with macron aboveŋ̅   Regular English NN   Capital Y with macron above Ȳ   Capital Y with dot aboveẎ   Capital Y with yaw aboveЎ   Regular English YY   Capital J with macron aboveЈ̅   Capital J with dot belowЈ̣   Regular English JJ   Capital U with a ring aboveŮ   Capital U with macronŪ   Capital U with breveŬ   Capital U with circumflex aboveÛ   Capital U with diaeresisÜ   Regular English UU   Capital F with macron aboveF̅   Capital F with dot aboveḞ   Regular English FF   Capital Q with macron aboveQ̅   Capital Q with dot aboveQ̇   Regular English QQ   Capital B with macronB̅   Capital B with dot belowḄ   Trilled B   Regular English BB   Capital M with macronM̅   Capital M with dot belowṂ   Capital M with tilde M̃   Capital MB   Capital MGⱮ   Regular English MM   Capital X with macron aboveX̅   Capital X with dot aboveẊ   Regular English XX   Capital I with macronĪ   Capital I with breveĬ   Regular English II   Capital T with macron aboveT̅   Capital T with dot belowṬ   Capital TH voicedΘ   Capital TH voicelessÞ   Capital TSЦ   Capital TSCHЩ   Regular English TT   Capital E with macronĒ   Capital E with breveĔ   Capital E with circumflexÊ   Capital schwa Ə   Regular English EE   Capital P with macron aboveP̅   Capital P with dot aboveṖ   Capital pT   Regular English PP

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