Implications of Being a Member of the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica

Caribbean History
School Based Assessment
Presented To
Manning’s School
In
Partial Fulfilment In
Caribbean Examination Council
Question: Theme 9 – Caribbean Society 1900-1985
What were the implications of being a member of the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica during the 1960s and 1070s?
Submitted by: Jade Eunis
Centre Number: 100068
School: Manning’s School
Territory: Jamaica, West Indies
Teacher: Ms. Frith
Year: 2014
Table of Contents
Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………..3
Ration………………………………………………………………………………..4
Essay…………………………………………………………………………………5
Appendix……………………………………………………………………………..12
Bibliography…………………………………………………….……………………13
Acknowledgement
The successful completion of this project wouldn’t not have been made possible without the gift of life and the aid of a number of people. The researcher would firstly like to thank the Almighty God who has given me life, strength and wisdom to comprehend the task at hand. The researcher would also like to thank Mutabaruka for taking the time out to inform me on the necessary information need to complete this essay, also, Rozanne Clarke, my friend who guided me upon completion. Finally, thanks to my teacher Ms. Frith, who has also guided and directed me throughout this project. God’s richest blessings to you all.

Ration This question was chosen by the researcher to get a field or basic knowledge of the entire Rastafarian movement in the 1960s and 1970s. It was also chosen to broaden the researcher’s horizon and expand mental space. Furthermore, it is a very interesting and diversified topic that should be investigated.

“Being a Rasta, gives me a certain confidence in self, makes me be aware that there is something that is lost” –Mutabaruka.

Not often a relatively small cultural phenomenon as the Rastafarians influence or played a major role in the lives of youths, the media, politics and sociology. Their signatory looks, mark if the natty dreads are worn on their heads without any fear opposed to Babylon. Due to the fact that reggae music is known to Rastas and is influential in the lives, they use this as a power cell or a voice to boost their movement and play an influential role in the lives of youths and other people both in Jamaica and worldwide.
The culture of Rastafari is a growing cultural phenomenon which has garnered the attention of the younger generation, cultural anthropologists, sociologists, media and politics. The sporting of a dreadlocked hairstyle is symbolic to the Rastafari religion as it represents the individual’s journey of their mind, soul and spirituality. In the years following the birth of the Rastafarian Movement, Rastas were chastised and viewed as outcasts by dominant forces in society as they failed to adhere to social norms. However, it was with the help of Reggae music pushed by Jamaica’s legendary icons Robert ‘Bob’ Nesta Marley and Peter Tosh, who placed the Rastafari Movement on the world map. This exposure made the movement one of the most powerful cultural forces among youths in Jamaica and countries around the world.
The Rasta theology developed from the ideas of Marcus Garvey, a political activist who wanted to improve the status of blacks. The Rastafarian movement began in Jamaica in 1930 following a prophecy made by Garvey. This movement gave credence to Christian thinking and Christian belief from a Black perspective. They called it “a religious cult”; “apocalyptic movement”; Garvey preached “Look to Africa where a black king shall be crowned, he shall be your redeemer”. This statement became the foundation of the Rastafari movement. The prophecy was rapidly followed by the crowning of Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia which Rastafarians saw as the fulfillment of Garvey’s prophecy. Haile Selassie is therefore regarded by Rastafarians as the Black Messiah, Jah Rastafari. His name means Power of Holy Trinity and it is believed he will redeem blacks from white suppressors, repatriating them to their homeland Africa.
The first branch of Rastafari was established in 1935 in Jamaica by Leonard P. Howell. Howell noted that
“with the crowning of Haile Selassie, we did not need to recognize the King of England anymore, we did not need to recognize Britain anymore because the 1930 coronation was the beginning of the redemption of black people through this man name Haile Selassie.”
Howell declared Haile Selassie as the “blackman redeemer”, as he is going to redeem Rastafarians from colonization and white supremacy. Out of this, Howell asserted that Haile Selassie was a divine personage or the reincarnated Christ.
Throughout the 1960s, Rastafarians demonstrated against social inequality and black poverty. These demonstrations were violently put down by the Jamaican police and military. During this time conflict was what characterized the relationship between Rastafari and Jamaica civil authorities. Leonard Howell and the Howellities – his followers – preached consistently and because he inveighed against the British colonial government, he was repeatedly arrested and imprisoned. The commune Howell started in Pinnacle, gave the Rastas an opportunity to live how they pleased. They grew their own food, sewed their own clothes and practiced the basics to living. Consequently, due to his actions, the prime minister during that period instructed that the commune should be demolished. This led to a dispersion of Rastas being scattered all over the country and Howell being sent to a mental institution because authorities agreed that he was “demented”.
A Rastafarian leader, Claudius Henry, along with some American Black Power activists, set up a camp in the hills of St. Andrew in 1959. In 1960 the camp was raided by the security forces. When the police raided Claudius Henry 's, they allegedly found firearms and the newly made grave of an executed member of the camp. This resulted in Rastafarians being condemned nationally in the Jamaican media. After Henry was convicted of treason and given a six-year prison sentence, his son, Ronald, collaborated with some hard-core Rastas who had military training and mounted an attack against the government of Premier Norman Manley. The rebellion had to be repelled by more than one thousand men, including soldiers from the British regiment stationed in the region and Jamaican police, aircraft, and mortar and rocket crews.
Rastas use Babylon as a metaphor for oppression as it relates to the Old Testament, as according to the Bible, it was the Babylon Empire that prosecuted the Israelites. So Rastas believed that the State was doing the same thing Babylon and because their belief system, they were ostracized, marginalized out of society and they were unable to acquire a job, they were scorned, called derogatory names and at times referred to as “di dutty Rasta dem”.
Rastas were easily identified by their locks which caused them to be mocked and jeered. The belief held by majority of the Jamaican society at the time was that Rastas used use “cow dung” in their hair to get it coiled and lumped together. Rastas were often asked “why the locks?” Their response is usually done with the quoting of Numbers 6 from the Bible which states; “When a man takes a vow of the Nazarene to separate himself, no razor shall come upon his head, nor he shall drink no liquor or strong drink from wine or product of wine”. They use this in reference to the story of Samson. The bible described Samson as a strong man who had locks on his head and but his wife Delialah tricked him and cut his hair which caused him to lose all his powers. Rastas believe they are Nazarenes as it is said that Nazarenes did not comb their hair. During the emergence of the movement, Rastas were always at risk of being beaten and their locks cut by angry mobs and police. To avoid this, they resorted to taking back roads, gullies and were forced to live in obscure places.
One of the most significant events in Rastafari history is the Coral Gardens rebellion on April 11, 1963, which raised the discussion of the linkage among Rasta, ganja and violence. The horrific incident on that fateful Easter Weekend was triggered by a land dispute, which quickly devolved into a police action that led to fatalities—in addition to the arrest, jailing, and torture of more than 150 members of Jamaica’s Rastafarian community.
Source (http://www.twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1306)
The incident marked the first time such a mass arrest of Black people since the Sam Sharpe rebellion. With so Rastas people being arrested, prisons were faced with overcrowding issues which caused prisoners to suffer great discomfort caused from the heat of the sun and poor ventilation. To alleviate the problem, the police turned water hoses to cool them down. Numerous media houses reported that the cause of such a large arrest of Rastafarians was due to the fact that the defendants were under the influence of ganja. (Source: Rasta and Resistance pg. 107) The incident resulted in an even greater resentment towards Rastas in 1963. The authority that was responsible for the demolition of the Pinnacle went to Montego Bay and issued rewards “1 pound or 1 shilling” for the capture of Rastas. The law, clearly drafted from the ferocious slave laws of an earlier coercion, gave the police the power to arrest any person who resembled a Rastafarian and a Rasta who could be sentenced to eighteen months in jail merely for wearing locks. (Source: Rasta and Resistance pg. 159) This led to many Rastas being severely beaten, killed, the women raped or out of fear for their lives relocate to other areas. Society perceived Rastas and Dreads as repulsive and subversive and responded by arresting the brethren and violently attempting to shave their locks. Many had to leave their families behind as well. The wave of violence then spread to Westmoreland and many Rastas had to hide because if they were seen, they would die.
In 1966 when Haile Selassie visited Jamaica, it was a great moment for most Rastafarians, but a disturbing one for some when Selassie was seen to have fine features, long hair and light brown skin. Even worse, he disclaimed leadership of the movement, as well as his status as Messiah. The philosophy began to shift slightly, and gradually the "Back-to-Africa" belief was replaced by a view that despite oppression, Jamaica was blessed – “JahMekYa (God made here).
As for the Rasta women, they were not as visible as the men. People would see them and be amazed that a woman is a Rastafarian. Some of the negative ideas of the Rastafari philosophy are most clearly expressed in their treatment of women. Although some Rasta men view the equality of women as important, many continue to treat their women with some of the shabby practices generated by the frustration and anxiety of exploitation. Inevitably, the biblical justification is used as in the case of the separation of women from men during menstruation. Rasta women have had to cope with some of the frustrations and desolation caused not only by chauvinist men, but by the State’s incarceration of an inordinate number of young Rasta men. While struggling to maintain a sense of dignity and decorum, Rasta women have had to grapple with mistreatment at the same time ensuring that there was no deepening rift between Rasta men and women.
Prior to the 1970s, images of the unsanitary-looking, marijuana smoking “Natty Dread” with unkempt locks, often controlling crime infested streets of Kingston, could never get a job. Their children were not able to attend school and if they did go to school, their locks had to be cut because they were afraid of it. Rastas could not travel on public transportation without being scorned, “Dem seh wi stink and wi locks a touch dem it nasty and I memba when I first tek bus, inna di back mi haffi go because this woman start mek whole heap of noise cause mi locks touch her” – Mutabaruka.
In the 1970s, the way Rastafarians were viewed by society began to change. The 1970s marked an era when they came to be viewed as more of a positive cultural force, contributing to art and music (in particular reggae) in Jamaica. In the late 1970s, the reggae musician Bob Marley came to symbolize Rastafarian values and beliefs. He played an important role in promoting the Rastafarian movement worldwide. His popularity ensured a diverse audience for the messages and concepts behind the religion. Marley’s music captured the essence of the ideologies at the heart of Rastafarianism
The symbols of the Rastafarian movement are evident all over Jamaica. The vivid red (ites), green and gold and the image of the Lion of Judah can be found in every corner of our country. Dreadlocks, which once carried a negative stigma, have become an accepted and trendy hairstyle outside the Rasta community. Rastafari has influenced Jamaican language, and has had a profound impact on reggae music.
Towards the end of the 1960 's and into the 1970 's, Rastafarianism began to attract intellectuals and people from the middle class. Many of these felt pulled by the Rastas ' simple, easy going, natural lifestyle. A lot of the things that they were being mocked for is now coming to the fore. Presently, the legalization of marijuana is now before the House of Parliament, vegetables are eaten more and a natural, healthy life style inspired by Rastafarians is now being practiced.

Appendix

Dreadlocks Coral Gardens Incident

Bibliography

Campbell, Horace. Rasta and Resistance: From Marcus Garvey to Walter Rodney. Africa World Press, 1987.
Mutabaruka: Personal Interview 21st Oct. 2013 http://www.twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1306)

Bibliography: Campbell, Horace. Rasta and Resistance: From Marcus Garvey to Walter Rodney. Africa World Press, 1987. Mutabaruka: Personal Interview 21st Oct. 2013 http://www.twn.org/catalog/pages/cpage.aspx?rec=1306)