Who is Rasta? Just what is Rasta? Rasta and Rastaman, synonymous words from the Jamaican vocabulary for the term referring to the man [Rasta man] and the movement [Rasta]. the man and movement first began in the mid 1950's by a man called Howell, as he was the first to wear the 'dreadlocks style in public for which he was severely beaten, he and the next man to also wear that hairstyle in public.
For the average man in the street news of the beat downs and seemingly unjust oppression of whoever wore dreads, made it become a symbol of standing up against injustice and oppression. Unknown to many that style of hair wear was done in the African nation of Kenya by the Mau Mau freedom fighters. It was also worn by secluded Coptic priests of Ethiopia.
Marcus Mosiah Garvey, he who started the Black Starliner movement to remove all African-Americans from the shores of the U.S.A. to the shores of Liberia, Africa, while in his native land of Jamaica, Prophesied of a black king being crowned in the east. As the news filtered in via National Geographic and other news sources of an Emperor being crowned king in the only christian nation of Africa amidst a sea of Muslim countries, Garvey's prophetic words took new meaning.
The coronation of Lij Tafari to the rulership of Ethiopia, Gave birth to Rasta. Lij Tafari was a prince before being made Emperor, and the amharic word for prince was/is Ras. And so Ras[Prince]-Tafari{Ras-Tafari}upon being crowned/made Emperor, was given the name Haile Selassie, the first. At his coronation he was dubbed as the king of kings and lord of lords and his name changed from Lij Tafari to Haile Selassie, which meant the power of the trinity.
Soon, more and more individuals began to wear the dread-lock hairstyle in public, and those who did so when seeing each other in public shouted out to one another Ras-Tafari and the rest of the public shortened it to the term Rasta and the Rasta man. The outward wearing of dreadlocks also was given new status, as the justification for it was now being taken from the book of Numbers chapter 6, concerning taking the vow of a nazarite. Now every day someone new was being added to the ranks of those who believed, and rejected the mores of the prevailing society.
Cannabis, also referred to as Ganja or Hemp, was first introduced by East Indians who were brought to the Island as paid serfs, and considered themselves of higher social standing above the descendant of slaves amongst whom they were living. The smoking of Ganja [weed], was incorporated into some form of ceremonial gathering by the passing of a homemade pipe {called a chalice} made from a cows horn, in a circle of the few who were gathered together.
The Police, who took resentment at seeing dreadlocks, and considered it an affront to the society they knew, persecuted anyone who wore dreads, as Ganja was already against the law, anyone professing to be Rasta was considered an automatic criminal. In less than five years all of the ghettos in the capital saw a rise in the number of those who were now professing and embracing this new style religious trend.
Marcus Garvey in his teachings, had said that it was time for the black man to see God through black eyes. Given the fact that Garvey himself was prosecuted for uplifting his race and trying to remove blacks from the shores of north America, it was easy to see why the downtrodden and hard pressed took to this new way of thinking in religion as a fact by rejecting white Jesus and white Christianity as a whole.
The Ras-tafarians had now come up with the new use of the word 'consciousness'. To be conscious, then, meant to be aware of the current struggles universally of the black man everywhere, especially as Ethiopia had recently emerged victorious in their battle with the Italian dictator Mussolini. Rastafarians and like minded sympathizers, were now branching out in the field of knowledge to promote this new found black consciousness, both by media music and art, Rasta was now here to stay. Everything that could be used to validate Haile Selassie was used to vindicate 'dread-locks'.
This new consciousness opened the minds of students and the average lay person who read the bible, and black men now began feel empowered with realizing their place in history and to know that they also had an important role to play in the future. Of course being a 'dread' also had it's problems.
The criminal minded element from the ghetto who had larceny and murder in their hearts were also attracted to this philosophy and lifestyle, most already having lived in the ghetto from birth and needed nothing to become a member unlike the christian denominational churches in existence at the time. Because of criminal activity even the most pious dread locks individual was suspect wherever he went, and indeed many suffered brutal beatings at the hands of the police, who though they had stopped the beatings on sight, did so occasionally from frustration of not knowing who was who, and took it out on whoever was available when their frustration became unbearable. To the pious Rastafarian who got stomped by the cops however, they took it as a sign of being punished for his belief in Christ, and his faith was strengthened by these events against himself.
Quotes from the book of Revelation, from various sections, were used to justify the hardcore believers faith. Calling him the lion of Judah, they pointed out the fact that his birth date was under the astrological sign of Leo, and that the flag of Ethiopia also carried a Lion in it's insignia.Taking it another step further they also used the scripture in Psalms that said Ethiopia would stretch forth her hands unto God, and ripping off the 68th Psalm they took the name Jah and added it to Ras[Prince]-Tafari, and now the name of their god was Jah Ras-Tafari.
As more and more of the have nots, ghetto and slum dwellers, embraced the people who practiced the philosophy of Rastafarianism, with many converting to the belief, those who had, and considered themselves above the poor rejected the ideology, and looked with disdain upon anyone who dared to walk in public as a Rastafarian. The colors of the Ethiopian flag became more popular than the Jamaican colors and was seen everywhere in in the ghetto and soon nationwide.
Music now began to become an influence as more and more people with sympathy for the 'suffering man' also called 'sufferer', had singers and musicians alike singing of the daily problems facing the common man with the interjection of scriptures and the philosophy of right over wrong, the recipe for the growth and popularity of this new culture began to get more exotic.
One great fallacy in the culture of weed smoking, was the tall tale that Cannabis [weed], was found growing on the grave of ancient king Solomon and so it was called wisdom weed. Psalm 18 was also included as the scripture of smoke coming from his nostrils,and Ganja[herb] smoking was now justified as a religious item, the utensil used to smoke it with was given the biblical term of chalice.
By the close of the Italian conflict, the Ethiopian World Federation,upon discovering that some Jamaicans considered their Emperor a deity and wishing to build up their coffers got in touch with the Jamaican Gov't and went about subtly hinting to the people on the street that he was indeed a deity. So many Jamaicans donated to the World Federation of Ethiopia, That the Emperor himself came visiting sometime between 1958 and 1959 or thereabouts. The Island itself did not know that there were so many Dread locks individuals on it till the day the plane from Ethiopia landed. Literally thousands of dreads, sympathizers, like minded and the curious showed up to greet the Ethiopian monarch, and Rastafarians hit nirvana as their god came to visit.
After denying his status as an alleged deity in a speech on the Island, after his departure,it was as if rastafarians never heard it. Tall incredible tales now abounded of him falling out of helicopters and landing on his feet and telling those in proximity of his voice that 'I am he',that with the aftermath of his visit , the incredibly large numbers of dreadlocked individuals,the Jamaican society had no choice but to acknowledge that there was, like it or not, a religious subculture called Ras Tafarianism.
Enter Bob Marley and the Wailers. Bunny Livingston, also called Bunny Wailer, the founding father of the group,Peter Tosh and Bob Marley were a trio that started singing in the very early sixties. These three young men came from the heart of one of the most dangerous ghetto areas called Trench Town, and the songs they sang told the tale of every person living in the ghetto that was struggling to get out and make a better life for himself or herself. There were certainly other individuals and groups that made songs and a name for themselves within the culture.
Change for the group came when they embraced the philosophy, and began to grow dreads to show their identification with Ras Tafari. Their new Album to show this change,was named "Catch A Fire" even though this change was gradual, it seemed to take the Jamaican industry by surprise. By then the group had also expanded to include more members, including the I Three's.
Shortly after the assassination of J.F.K. Politics in the Island took a turn for the worse as Boston born and bred opposition leader of the Jamaican Labor Party [JLP] {Edward Seaga} and the leader of the ruling party the Peoples national Party [PNP] {Michael Manley} both introduced guns to their followers to scare up votes for and to scare away votes from each other which led to gun violence escalating on a scale unknown-st to the Island in it's history, apart from the Paul Bogle and Maroon revolts.
The infusions of guns led to numerous killings, the institution of a gun court, and the realization that not all Rastafarians were practising the basic tenet that first attracted it's followers, that of peace and love, and one heart.One now had to be careful where ever one went as Rastafarians were now not only known for trading in cannabis but also were [some of them], gunslingers.
In the ghetto wording and semantics also played a part in either promoting good conversation or total ignorance. If a male person called another male a 'guy' it was cause for a fight as a guy was considered a person who worked on a ship and was also 'batty-boy' the term for gays[homosexual]. Buju Banton later recanted his stance to appease the same batty guys to salvage his career.
In the beginning the wearing of dreadlocks was done to symbolize that the wearer stood for something positive in the growth and awareness of black folks. today it has become a meaningless hairstyle, worn by the very people that were prayed for the falling of fire and brimstone upon their heads -- homosexuals. When Bob Marley and the Wailers burst on the scene to promote Rastafarianism, the religion was about to reach it's zenith before it's gradual decline.
The ghettos of New York and other major cities of the U.S. saw an influx of Jamaican immigrants who with Rastafarian ties began to dominate the reefer selling market. they then then got the attention of the police with them killing each other for the possession of weed or to take over one another's business, which also led to stigma being put upon the honest hardworking people from Jamaica and the other Islands as they were all lumped together as Jamaicans. So just who is Rasta? He could now be anyone who believes that Haile Selassie is god incarnate, without the wearing of dreadlocks. What is Rasta? Modelled by the hairstyle of the Mau Mau freedom fighters, one of the credos of the radical rasta's is 'death to all oppressors both black and white.
Rastafarianism was supposed to be for the uplifting of humanity, now it's a dying form of culture that is dying with those that formerly practiced it as the younger generation has discarded the wearing of dreads and any type of philosophical discussion of the bible, and black history similar to the month of February, is just a blip in the memory. If you need more info leave a comment and if not.. then until the next time, live well, be happy, make love, we bid you Peace.
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