Rastafari is a young, Africa-centred religion which developed in Jamaica in the 1930s. The term Rastafari comes from Ras, the title of Haile Selassie I and his first name Tafari. He was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974. He is also considered to be Christ. They all believe that he will carry them into Rastafarian paradise called Zion.
Beliefs
diminished and is no longer central to Rastafarian belief systems. Although it was once a part of the religion or way of life. |
Slang
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Dreadlocks are important to the Rastafari on a few different levels. The dreadlocks are a way of honoring H.I.M or Jah. They are also a way of being a natural being as they do not require harmful chemicals or dyes which would defile the body they were given by Jah. Dreads take a step away from modern vanity and over grooming and take a more natural route. Also, they are a way of appreciating the way black hair is naturally without heat or weaves or any heat modification. White rastas with dreads are often seen to be appropriating culture.
H.I.M/Jah/God/Emperor Haile Salessie
Emperor Haile Salessie I was the emperor of Ethiopia from 1930-1974. He died 1975 at age 83. Selassie is known as Christ in the Rastafarian movement. He is known as Jah to Rastafari followers and is regarded as a deity. It is believed that he will return and lead all who are righteous to the holy land of Zion, which is the Rasta paradise. Despite the fact that not all Rastas believe this to be a religion, many believe Selassie to be a deity. The problem with this is that Selassie himself has denied his divinity. When told that there are thousands of people around the world who regard him as the reincarnation of Christ he replied "I have heard of that idea. I also met certain Rastafarians. I told them clearly that I am a man, that I am mortal, and that I will be replaced by the oncoming generation, and that they should never make a mistake in assuming or pretending that a human being is emanated from a deity.” Rastafarians have chosen to ignore this statement.
Ganja/Holy Herb/Wisdom Weed
Marijuana is used as a spiritual tool in Rastafarianism. Rastas believe that smoking it will bring them closer to Jah and give them a special connection to him. They like to get together and have a communal smoke from a large pipe and talk and share ideas much like Native Americans would with tobacco. According to Rastas, marijuana smoking is not about getting high, although getting high is definitely a part of it. It is mostly about self actualisation and spiritual occurrences.
Sexism in Rastafari
Since Rastafari beliefs have changed with time, a lot of practicies and thought patterns have been left behind. But what about the sexism? Women were once known as Queens in the religion, but at the same time were thought of as child bearers and were subservient to men. They could not be called Rastafari except through their husband and could never be the head of the family. Although these are no longer rules they must live by, the Rastafari subculture is still very sexist and many women feel less unity within the movement than men do. They are often excluded from communal smoking and are often labeled as 'posers'. As if they are somehow less Rasta than men are. As one Rasta woman claimed on her blog: "I am not suggesting that all Jamaican RastafarI men are this way. However, one can not ignore the fact that the majority of Jamaican RastafarI men are sexist misogynists."
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