1. Rastafari came about through the teachings and prophecy of
Marcus Garvey, who basically said to look to the east for the crowning
of a black king. On Nov. 2, 1930, Haile Selassie was crowned king of
Ethiopia. Marcus Garvey was a Pan-Africanist living in Harlem.
He’s a Jamaican. He was excommunicated to London at the end of
his life. It comes from writings of Marcus Garvey and Leonard Howell,
another early Pan-Africanist. So Selassie is a king. Rastafari is an
appellation. Ras originally meant “duke.” Tafari Makonnen
is the birth name of King Haile Selassie I.
2. Rastafari is seen as the fulfillment of a prophecy in
Revelation from the Bible in regards to the return of Christ. Many
Rastas see Selassie I as Christ in His kingly character, as Christ
returned to Earth. So many Rasta also proclaim Jah as in Jahweh or
Yahweh the biblical appellation for God—Jah Rastafari, or the
Lord King Ras Tafari. So Haile Selassie is the crowned name of his
imperial majesty, H.I.M., as he’s called. Ras Tafari, the given
name, is the name that the children of Rastafari proclaim. Many might
call us Rastafarians. We Rasta try to get away from the isms and
schisms. Rastafarianism is carrying us away from the root of title of
his majesty, which is Ras Tafari. So Rastafari keeps the essence of the
king in its lingual form, closest to its truest root. Another kind of
biblical tie-in is the element of word, sound and power—again
creation. The creation story in the Bible deals so strongly with the
Creator calling all of creation into being with His Word. So the use of
language in Rasta culture is a very prevalent part of the culture.
3. There is a huge amount of variation in the culture, but a
main tenet—at face value and on the surface—is the dreading
of our hair. Some practices universally can be seen as outside
Rastafari. For example, a strong propensity to go out and buy hookers
and drink a lot can be seen as outside the realm of Rastafari. Taking
advantage of your brotherman or sisterwoman is outside the realm of
Rastafari. The main tenet of Rastafari is to walk in righteousness.
Hands down. Period. The walk of Rastafari is a trot of righteousness;
it’s the trot of the righteous man and woman. At face value, the
biggest thing is our covenant with Jah or Jehovah or whatever you call
the Great Creator. Again, it comes from the Bible that part of the
Nazarene vows is that we don’t let scissors and comb touch the
corners of the beard and the ends of the hair. So Rastafari is still an
extension of Abrahamic religions. We all believe in one God, whatever
you call him.
4. Marijuana is the Rastafari communion. The marijuana was
found on the grave of King Solomon. It has been called the wisdom weed
for ages, for millennia literally. We Rasta take herb as our sacrament.
We give thanks and praises for life and creation with the smoke of our
herbs. Rasta will burn the herb in a chalice, sometimes known as a
triune, very similar to a water pipe or bong, and it’s a
combination of the elements. It’s earth in our herb, of smoke and
fire, and of water when the herb passes through this. And with our own
inhalation and exhalation, we bring in the air. So the four elements
are found when we pass the herb through the triune or chalice. So
it’s a sacred meditation, a hola, a holy meditation.
5. Rastas believe Jah or God as a belief in a living God. Our
notion of Christ is Christ in His kingly character. The Christly
character espoused in the New Testament can be lived in every man and
every woman.