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INTRODUCTION

The birth of the movement of Rastafarians can beofficially fixed in Ethiopia during the coronation of the

prince Ras Tafari Makonna (Haile Selassie) on November

2, 1930. This was no ordinary event in Jamaica because a

year earlier Marcus Mosiah Garvey had a prophetic vision,

seeing a king being crowned in Africa. After the

coronation of his Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie, several

individuals searched the Bible for confirmation and found

it in Psalms A prince shall come out of Egypt, and

Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto Jah. It

seems the prophecy was fulfilled and these were the first

Rastafarians. My intention is to study in depth, the history

of the Rastafarian Movement and its beliefs. Then based

on my findings, do an indepth analysis in order to achieve

my aims.

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Acknowledgment

The researcher wishes to acknowledge the following

persons without whom this SBA would not be possible.

First I acknowledge God who gave me the strength to

carry it out. I also want to acknowledge my mother who

edited for me and my teacher who gave me invaluable

information and assistance. To the Rastafarians who

answered my questions untiringly, thank you. To my

friends who encouraged me and my brothers who

accommodated me, I say a very big thank you to one and

all.

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AIMS

The aims of the research are:

1. To identify Rastafarian origin

2. To identify the basic beliefs of the Rastafarianmovement.

3. To evaluate the impact of the Rastafarians basicbeliefs on the

Jamaican society.

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INFORMATION COLLECTION

In order to gather information to complete the SBA, field

trips were taken and informal interviews were carried out

with Rastafarians. Other information was gathered from

text books, the internet and other written text. The

materials were numerous and so a summary of the

information gathered was done. It is my hope that not too

much was left out and not too little was given.

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THE BASIC BELIEF SYSTEM OF

RASTAFARIANS

The belief system of Rastafarians consists of six basic

beliefs which are as follow:

1. Haile Selassie is the living God: All true Rastafarians

believe that Haile Selassie, Emperor of Ethiopia is the

true and living god, at least of the black race. A

member of the Rastafarians Repatriation Association

explained it in this way. We know before that when

a king should be crowned in the land of Davids

throne, that individual would be Shiloh, the anointed

one, the messiah, the Christ returned in thepersonification of Rastafari (on his vesture and on his

thigh is a name written, King of Kings and Lord of

Lords). He (Ras Tafari) is the ancient of days (the

Bearded God). The scripture declares that the hair

of whose head was like wool (matted hair), whose

feet were like unto burning brasses therefore black

skin. The scripture declares that god hangs inmotionless space surrounded with think darkness,

hence (black man).

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2. The black person is the reincarnation of ancient

Israel: Deeply influenced by the Jews and Christian

religion as well as the use of the bible, they believed

that they are the true Israelites, who have beenpunished for their sins by God their father through

slavery under the white men. This sin led to their

exile in Jamaica. They have long since been

pardoned and should have returned to

Ethiopia long ago, but they have been unable to

return. As true

Israelites though, they observe strict and hygienic

laws based on the Old Testament.

3. The white person is inferior to the black person: The

idea of black supremacy comes largely as an echofrom the days of Marcus Garvey and remains a

strong point both for the black Muslim of the (US )

and the Jamaican Rastafarians movements.

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4. The Jamaican situation is a hopeless hell and Ethiopia

is heaven

5. The invincible emperor of Ethiopia is now arranging

for the expatriated person of African origin to return

to Ethiopia.

6. In the near future blacks shall rule the world: The

Rastafarians believe, based on their interpretation of

the prophecy of Daniel 2:31-42, that blacks are

destined to be the ultimate rulers of the world. In this

prophecy, the black person is the the stone hewed

out of the mountain without hands. This stone is the

rising African nation which has already smitten the

great image, interpreted as European nations that

once colonized the African continent.

ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION OF INFORMATION

COLLECTED

Rastafarians believe that God revealed himself many

ages ago in various forms. God first revealed himself in

the form of Moses and later as Elijah who did not die. The

third person he revealed himself as was Jesus who

although was crucified, resurrected. Haile Selassie is said

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to be the second coming of Jesus and inevitable

attributed the title of God. However, not all Rastafarians

see Haile Selassie as God because some see him as a

mere prophet. As was shown earlier one of their basicbelief is that Jamaica is regarded as hell. Jamaica is the

western world and is Babylon, Africa is the only home.

The police on numerous occasions have harassed the

Rastafarians for reasons such as smoking the marijuana

and many Rastas identify this as an unjustified act

because the herb is use for meditation purposes. In the

1930s when the Rastafarians movement sprang forth in

Jamaica, violence was used as a method by the

government to try and destroy the movement. Rastas

were often prosecuted and victimized because of their

ideology, however, in todays society they are seen as

equals.

The Rastafarians have closely linked their existence with

that of the Israelites of past time through biblical terms.In the eye of the Rastafarians black people are the

chosen people. They claimed that the Israelites were of

dark complexion and so being the black people of today,

they are also the chosen people of God.(Biblical proof

assures their argument such as lamentation 4:8, 5:10;

Joel 2:8 Habakkuk 2:10; Job 30:30; Psalms 119:83;

Jerimiah14:2; and Revelation 1:14). The factof the blacks being taken from their homeland to be

enslaved is linked

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to the enslavement, the exile, and the dispersement of

the ancient Jews. This is also seen as another proof to the

Rastafarians (in relation to who they are.)

Whites are the oppressors in the eyes of theRastafarians because they have taken Gods people from

their homeland to enslave them in Babylon (western

world). The Rastafarians identify the act of the white man

trying to attribute himself as the true Israelites as very

wrong because the Bible proves the point that the whites

are the Gentiles. The white mans system has no hope for

the Rastas because it leads to the oppression of Godschosen people. What must be understood, though, is the

fact that God assured his chosen people rulership over

the earth, and as Rastafarians attribute this to black

people, eventually blacks will rule the world.

However, with all this said, Rastafarians of todays

society are accepting the whites as fellow brothers and

sisters because they have come to the realization that

Babylon is not made up of only white but black also. In

this time we see even white Rastafarians and this

expresses a non-racial approach of the movement. The

Rastafarians firmly believe that Haile Selassie will one

day repatriate them to Ethiopia; he has gone to prepare a

place for them to live. Heaven is Ethiopia and it is where

the Rastafarians want to be with their father HaileSelassie.

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As time passes the Rastafarians have become more

accepted among the people of Jamaica. They are now

getting jobs that at one time would be impossible forthem to get. Rastafarians have made major contribution

to the Jamaican music industry, especially where reggae

music is concern as this was birth out of the movement.

They have also impacted the art industry with their

carvings and canvases. These days even their hair styles

have become fashionable, as there are many society

Rastas and fashionable ladies sporting sister locks. Thecolours they have adopted for their emblem; red, green

and gold are also very popular. Though Rastafarians have

impacted the Jamaican society both negatively and

positively to a great extent, the impacts of their beliefs

remain more with their believers than the Jamaican

society as a whole.

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SUMMARIES OF FINDINGS

The researcher finds that Rastafarianism is largely of

Jamaican origin; born out of Garveyism, energised and

sustained by the crowning of Haile Selassie and his arrival

in Jamaica. The movement was born during the early 20th

century, a little over fifty years after the Morant Bay

Rebellion, at a time when poor Negroes had neither land

nor jobs. It was at a time when a group of marginalized

Negroes living in a slum area of Kingston needed hope

and something to believe in. Garveys message of black

consciousness and Africa as the homeland fill this need

thus the birth of Rastafarianism.

At first the Rastas as they were called were held incontempt and look down on by the rest of society.

Because of the area where they lived and the dread

locks they wore society sideline them, making it

impossible for them to get any jobs. They therefore turn

to self-employment in the form of farming, broom

making, fishing and carving among other things. The

years passed and their numbers grew then fame and

fortune smiled on one of its members; Bob Marley. Bob

Marley introduced reggae music to the Jamaican and then

the international stage and so bring a semblance of

acceptance for Rastafarianism not just to Jamaica but to

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the world. The rest is history, Rastafarianism is now

accepted as a minority religion.

CONCLUSION

The Rastafarians beliefs are important aspects in their

everyday life, since they guide and teach them what to

do, and how to act in certain circumstances. It is also

important to them because it shows them where they are

coming from, the struggles they had to go through to

reach where they are today and the parallel to that of the

ancient Jews. The Rastafarians origin is also a veryimportant aspect in their everyday life, as this teaches

them about their history and provides a link between King

David and their one and only god Haile Selassie. It also

teaches them about some of the leaders of the black race

such as Marcus Mosiah Garvey. I have found out and

learned many things about Rastafarianism that I did not

know. What I already knew was reinforced by the

information gathered.

It is safe to say that my aims were achieved.

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BIBLIOGRAPHY

Watson, A.G. (2002) Dread J D Publishing.

Internet Sites

www.wekipedia.com

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Appendix

Fig. 1 Headmen of the Rastafarian

Council

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Fig. 2 Rastafarian Star of

David

Fig. 3 Empire Hail Selassie

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Fig. 4 Lion is use to

represent their strength

Fig. 5 The beginning of Marcus Gravyteaching in the Rastafarian

movement

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Fig. 6 The Flag that representthere group

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