Peter Thompson
Religion 195
Professor Lubin
Rastafari
Keywords: Rasta,
Rastafari,
I. Abstract
The Rastafari believe that God is Black, that Emperor Haile
Selassie is the Messiah, and that Salvation will occur in the form of a flight
from
II. Scope and Purpose
The word “Rastafarian” usually conjures up images of colorful characters with long dreadlocks, perhaps smoking marijuana and listening to reggae music. As the movement has grown and changed, to be a Rasta has often become more a question of style and musical preference. In its origins, however, the Rasta movement was a social, cultural, and religious revolution and the response of the Jamaican people to centuries of oppression.
Rastafari, or Rasta for short, is a set
of beliefs, a way of life, and a worldview which defies categorization; it is
both a religious and a social movement. Descriptions
of Rasta as strictly “escaptist,” “nativist,” or “millenarian” are inaccurate, though the
movement retains elements of each of these ideas: Rastafarians do seek to
escape the fetters of social oppression; by preserving their native Jamaican
culture, Rastas achieve greater unity, which helps further the goal of social
improvement; Rastas also believe that the “millennium event” will take the form
of a mass exodus to Africa. Rastafari
began in
There are three
major tenets of Rastafari. First and
most important, the Rastafarians believe that Haile Selassie, the former
Emperor of Ethiopia, is the Messiah. The name “Rastafari” comes from “Ras,” which means prince, and “Tafari,”
the emperor’s pre-coronation name.
The crowning of the Ethiopian Emperor on
The purpose
of the Rasta movement is, at its most essential level, an attempt to improve
the plight of black people in
II. Authority
Structure
A. Sources and
Criteria of Valid Knowledge
One unique feature of Rasta is the relative paucity of
authoritative, confirmable sources of knowledge. The tenets and beliefs of the Rastafari are
verified in large part by loose biblical connections, inferences, and
coincidences. This is certainly true for
the foundation of the religion, the belief that Emperor Haile Selassie of
Direct
inspiration by the almighty is a second major source of knowledge in the
Rastafari tradition. Episodes of “divine
inspiration” were relatively common in the early years of the movement. In each of these events, leaders and founders
of the early Rasta churches claimed that they had knowledge of the exact date
that a mass “Repatriation” event would occur, which was directly imparted by
the Lord. In 1934, Leonard Howell
claimed that repatriation would occur on August 1, a prophecy which
failed. In 1958, the young leader Prince
Emmanuel Edwards organized a Rasta convention, at the end of which Rastafari
from all over
Although
not technically classifiable as the “Sacred Texts” of Rasta, the ideology and “Ethiopianism” of the Rastafari seems to be based mainly on
two books: The Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy and The Holy
Piby, or Black Man’s Bible. The ideas contained in these books were
adopted and preached by Leonard Howell, who became a central figure in the
development of the Rastafari movement.
B. Methods of Inquiry
The Rastafari perception and acceptance of their religion is
based to a large extent on textual interpretation. Greater understanding, therefore, is gained
through studying the biblical and other sources of proof for the tenets of
Rasta, and making logical inferences based on those studies. For example, the teachings of Marcus Garvey
centered on making God suitable for the black race. By Rastafari reasoning, two things follow
from the assumption that God is black. First, by asserting that black people share an attribute with God, Rastas
are elevated in status, and can therefore reject the traditional system of
white superiority. Second,
alienation between Man and God need not exist, because the Black Man is also
divine (1, 28). Another example of this
style of reasoning is that because Haile Selassie is God, and God is therefore
residing on Earth, Rastas do not speak of ascending to Heaven but of journeying
to
The second method by which inquiry and acquisition of knowledge occurs is the ritual of “yard reasoning.” The reasoning is “an informal gathering at which a small group of brethren share in the smoking of the holy weed, ganja, and in a lofty discussion” (1, 17). A prayer is offered before the reasoning begins. This tradition is compared by Rastas to the Christian sacrament of communion. For example, the ganja is cut and prepared, then blessed, in the same ritualistic manner in which communal bread is broken. The pipe in which the ganja is smoked is referred to as the “cup,” or “chalice.” Participants are encouraged to “sup” by partaking of the ganja. Through the discussion, affirmation and communication with God that occurs during the reasoning, further interpretation of Rasta beliefs can occur.
Proof of validity of knowledge in the Rasta tradition is difficult to find. As there is a lack of organized, religiously ordained leadership in Rastafari, consulting a knowledgeable authority about questions or doubts is not a viable option. The Bible provides a source of proof that is authoritative in its divine origin, but only certain parts and verses pertain directly to the beliefs of the Rasta. Perhaps the most important source of substantiation for the Rastafari is the improvement of social circumstances for black people the world over. Since one of the movement’s aims is escape from oppression and discrimination, the social advancements that blacks have made might somehow provide a source of pride, and confirmation that the rebellious tendencies of their movement have somehow been worthwhile.
C. Institutions and
Professional Structure
As a result of its general anti-establishment outlook and aversion to outward conformity, Rastafari has no centralized organization. It is an “acephalous” movement, in which the highest levels of organization are groups and quasi-groups, and leaders are all but absent. All Rastafari, therefore, are bound by the sharing of common core beliefs, but remain separate and independent (1, 31). The refusal to surrender any individual freedom or autonomy reflects the ethical conviction that one should be free from the force of unnatural outward rules and the need to conform, and is summarized in the Rasta expression “wa jain kyan brok!” (What is joined together can be broken). Because of the emphasis on the individual instead of the organization, the fate of Rasta has never been tied to any specific leader or group, and therefore has had an easier time “surviving the ups and downs of its relations with society over the years, but also (influencing) it” (1, 31-32).
There are
two main organized groups within the Rasta tradition. The first group is the Bobos,
originally led by Prince Emmanuel Edwards.
The Bobo today live a communal life on the
outskirts of
The freedom from outward conformity and restrictive organization best finds expression in the quasi-organization known as the “House.” The House is led by a group of Elders of which (theoretically) there are seventy-two, who gain their position through charisma and initiative. Elders plan liturgical events and celebrations (such as the Anniversary of Haile Selassie’s coronation), settles disputes, and oversees the affairs of the House. One becomes a member of the House simply by being a Rastafari, and all members are free to participate or not participate as they wish. This arrangement allows a great deal of democracy, in which all members have an equal say (1, 32).
IV. History
Rastafari is the religious embodiment of attitudes resulting from growing social discontent, and the synthesis of various religious influences.
The rise of
Rastafari can be interpreted as a response to the centuries of social,
cultural, and economic oppression that make up the history of
Rastafari
borrowed ideologies and traditions from three main religious traditions: Myal, Revivalism, and Christianity. Myal is a
Pan-African religion whose central features are a belief in the spiritual
causes of disease and social disorder, and the multiple nature of the
soul. In Myal,
the spirit, soul, and inner-self are different entities with different
capabilities. One important aspect of Myal is a “great capacity to absorb alien influences” (1,
6-7), which made it easily adaptable when Christian missionaries came. Baptist missionaries found that Africans in
Alexander Bedward’s anti-establishment Reviavalist
message found continuation in the teachings of Marcus Garvey, who preached
Black racial unity and the idealization of Africa as the “moral and righteous
home of all Negroes” (2, 41-42).
Garvey’s teachings came at an opportune time given the events that were
to follow, and mark a turning point in the Black view of
Barry Chevannes,
one of the leading producers of literature on the Rastafari, describes the
growth of the Rasta movement in three main phases. The first phase, which lasted from Rasta’s
inception through the 1940s, had as its main focus the propagation of the idea
of a Black God and the divinity of the Black race. This message found a receptive audience in
the most destitute stratum of the peasantry, which began to migrate to
The second phase of growth, which lasted from the late 1940s to the 1980s, was marked by the further development of the Rasta “image,” as dreadlocks, ganja, and Rasta-talk became increasingly popular. Opposition to the oppressive and discriminatory activities of the Jamaican social establishment intensified, and the frequency of millenarian activities increased as Prince Emmanuel and Claudius Henry staged their predicted repatriation activities. The later pseudo-military actions of Henry drew great public attention to Rasta activity, and aroused a desire by the majority of Rastas to inform the public of their “essentially peaceful intentions” (1, 13). This development marked a transition to a state of forced mutual accommodation between Rastafarians and broader Jamaican society. Also during the second period, urban youth became the new target audience of the Rasta message. The newly absorbed youth brought with them their musical tastes, and the musical style Reggae began to be associated with Rasta. Reggae artists like Bob Marley began to use music as a mouthpiece to express Rasta ideas (1, 14).
The third phase of Rastafari development began in the 1980s and is still going on today. This stage of growth is characterized by a decrease in the pervasiveness of Rasta ideology among youth, increasing outspokenness among women, and a secularization process by which many of the important symbols of Rasta (dreadlocks, the red, gold and green tricolor), having become elements of pop culture an adopted by the non-Rasta population, have lost a great deal of their religious and ethical significance (1, 15).
V. Representative
Examples of Argumentation
Two of the most important sources of Rasta ideology are the
teachings and writings of Marcus Garvey and Leonard Howell. The ideas of these two leaders found a large
and receptive audience among the black peasants of
Marcus Garvey’s teachings focused on changing black people’s perception and understanding of God. The “Universal Negro Catechism” was one of the tools Garvey used to further the idea that God is black (2,94).
Q: What is the color of God?
A:A Spirit has neither color, nor other natural parts, nor qualities.
Q: If then, you had to think or speak of the
color of God, how would you
describe it?
A: As black; since we are created in His image and likeness.
Q: On what would you base your assumption that God is black?
A: On the same basis as that taken by white people when they assume that God is
of their color.
This argument is interesting because it would seem to assert that God could be white too, by the same reasoning that men are created in his image. The Song of Solomon from the King James version of the Bible is used to clarify this discrepancy (Song of Solomon 1 : 5-6).
I am Black, but comely, O ye daughters of Jersalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of Solomon. / Look not upon me, because I am Black, because the sun hath looked upon me.
Because Emperor Haile Selassie was said to be directly
descended from King Solomon, and Solomon and Christ were both descendants of
David, Christ is Black, and “redemption of the African race was therefore at
hand” (1, 11).
In 1935, Leonard Howell published a pamphlet with the title The Promised Key. This writing employed ideology taken from earlier works such as The Holy Piby and The Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy. The Promised Key became “a basic Rastafari text” (4, 362). In it, Howell describes the coronation ceremony of Ras Tafari, asserts Selassie’s divinity, and even sets forth some rules for having a “holy lifestyle,” including guidelines for fasting and a list of forbidden activities. What follows is an excerpt from this pamphlet.
The glory that was
Solomon greater still reigns in
We can see all the
Kings of earth surrendering their crowns to His Majesty Ras Tafari the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords Earth’s Rightful Ruler to reign for ever and ever.
His Majesty Ras Tafari
is the head over all man for he is the Supreme God. His body is the fullness of him that filleth all in all.
Now my dear people let this be our goal, forward to the King of Kings
must be the cry of our social hope. Forward to the King of Kings to purify our social standards and our
way of living, and rebuild and inspire our character.
One of the interesting qualities of this text is its similarity in form to a biblical psalm. It has a rhythm and pattern that gives The Promised Key the feel of a song. The biblical flavor of Howell’s writing might give insight into why the work had such a large effect on Rastafarians. People who read Howell’s writings might feel like his work was more legitimate or even divinely inspired if it sounded like it was taken from the bible.
Rasta most
significantly differs from Christianity in its view of the nature of God. While to Christians, God and Heaven are
distant and completely separate from all things on Earth, for Rastafarians salvation
is available in the mortal world. Haile
Selassie is God, and
Comparative Scales
1(Traditional
Authority)-------10 (Testimony of Experience) – 8
Rasta is a movement with little
if no traditional source of proof or verification, except for the loose biblical
connections and inferences made by individuals and accepted by the group as a
whole. Knowledge is more imparted by the
personal discovery and inference of each individual that God is Black, that
Haile Selassie is Black, and that
1(Centralization of
Authority)-------10(Decentralization) – 9
There is an extreme lack of centralized authority in the Rasta tradition. The highest levels of organization are the groups and quasi-groups, which lack leadership to different degrees. This gives Rasta a very democratic nature, and the fluid quality that allows it to adapt to the changing demands of society.
1(Emphasis on spiritual
realities)-------10(Material or Earthly Realities) – 8
One of the main tenets of
Rastafari is that Salvation is available in the here and now in the person of
God (Haile Selassie), and in
1(Spiritual or Moral
Aims)-------10(Pragmatic Aims) – 5
The main spiritual aim of the
Rasta is to achieve salvation by leaving
1(Most power reserved
for Divine)-------10(Power realizable in Individuals)
– 3
God is the supreme being, and reserves the power of giving or withholding salvation. Also, while the goal of social improvement for negroes resides in the hands of individuals, it is also influenced by the power of the divine.
Bibliography
Primary Sources
Howell, Leonard. The Promised Key.
The publisher information of this document
is unknown, as it is extremely
rare. The version I used was reprinted as an
Appendix in one of my secondary sources, Chanting Down
Babylon.
It provides an interesting glimpse
of the source of Rasta ideology.
Bible Gateway. http://bible.gospelcom.net/
This was a convenient online bible search
engine that allows you to search several different versions using
keyword searches or verse searches. I used it to find the Song of Solomon and
verify various other verses.
Secondary Sources
University Press,
I used this text mostly as a basic summary
of the belief system of Rasta, and of Rastafari rituals. Only the first few chapters are written by Chevannes; the rest have other authors. Each chapter covers a different specific
aspect of Rastafari.
This text was very helpful for information
on the origins of Rasta thought, the social goals of Rasta, and a great deal
about the different Rasta Organizations.
PA. 1998.
This book has a very good short summary of
what Rasta is in the back, and also some very interesting information about
Reggae and different Reggae artists.
University Press,
This was an interesting and detailed text
that had some interesting things to say about the popularization of Rasta. It also contained a transcript of The
Promised Key in the back that I quoted in
Section V.
5.
Campbell, Horace. Rasta and Resistance.
This text gave a very good account of the
history of Rasta, and had some
some very interesting examples of reasoning in the Rasta tradition.
6.
Waters, Anita M. Race, Class,
and Political Symbols: Rastafari and Reggae in
Jamaican Politics.
Transaction Books,
As the title suggests, this book deals
mostly with the political impact and social goals of the Rasta movement.