To identify three practices of the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica.

To outline the purpose of three practices in the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica.

To analyse the development of three Rastafarian practices in Jamaica.

 To Identity three (3) practices in the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica.

According to the text Report on Rastafari in Kingston, Jamaica in 1960 the most obvious source of division and dispute among Brethren was the treatment on their hair. The Brethren falls into three categories: The Locks men, whose hair is matted and plated and is never cut, neither their beards; The Breads men, who wear their beard and their hair but trim it occasionally and do not plate the hair but keep it clean. Both these groups wear moustaches. Thirdly, there is the Bald head or clean faced man who is not obviously disguisable. In Jamaica the long hair or locks of the Lock men or Dreadlocks is not acceptable in many places of employment.

According to Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah writer of Rastafari the New Creation the Rastafarian music is perhaps the clearest evidence that the despite 300 years of slavery, neo-colonism, imperialism, the chains that bind the Black Jamaican with African are not broken. It began Nyabinghi encampments, where the heart beat drum rhythms accompanied by all night signing of hymns and chanting in praise of God, was best expounded by Count Ossie and the Mystic Revelation of Rastafari, who first brought the music to the wide population.

According to Barbara Makeda Blake Hannah writer of Rastafari the New Creation one of the practices of Rastafarians that has produced constant conflict with the law has been the use of Marijuana (Cannabis Sativa), most commonly known in Jamaica as Ganja. The actual use of the herb by Brethrens varies; some dont use it at all while others use its curative qualities. Rastafarians are leaders on the spiritual plane of consciousness, who care more for spiritual wellbeing than material. Rastafari would prefer to know that he has lived one day well, perfectly and in Godly way, than that there is a television set to go home to. Today, socially there is a wide acceptance of Rastafarian practices but they are still considers outsiders because of smoking the holy herb.

 To Outline the purpose of three (3) practices in the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica.

Locks men point with pride to the photographs of East African tribesmen whose Coiffeur is almost identical with their own. They regard themselves elect and purest adherence to the doctrine, the persons who have suffered the most for their religion and race, and vanguard, the Ethiopian warriors. Many Beards men take a sharply that these Locks men have discredited the Rastafarian movement. However, the Locks men do have their own standards and these are as genuine as any other. To them racial pride and religious observance together require a physical appearance almost identical with those of some East African tribes. Rastafarians believe that the locks symbolize the hair of The Lion of Judah which is its strength and is the fullest expression of nature.

Rastafari is influential in all facets of Jamaican cultural expression today. In music, apart from Reggae, Rastafari influences are demonstrated in the expressions of al music being created in Jamaica today. Not all Reggae songs have been uplifting, but the spread of the Rastafari religion worldwide has been a great as the spread of musics popularity, even during the time when the music ceased to be used solely for spiritual and racial upliftment. Many say that the influences which direct

international projection of Reggae music have been more concerned with profits than to convert the cause of black liberation. The influences of Bob Marleyls music and his charismatic projection of Rastafri to the world, still continues long after the sound of his voice is all that remains with us in this life, for he has left us the song of praise, of anger, of victory and of hope.

The music grew and developed through the marriage of big brand brass and wood wind instruments with drumbeat rhythm, which married Lyr to create Ska, whose best exponents were the genius Don Drummond and the skilful Tommy McCook. The Ska developed into Rock Steady out of which Reggae grew. But these musical forms were the efforts of Jamaican Musiciansto translate the rhythms and harmonies of the Rastafarian Nyabinghi hymns into the popular idiom, by blending them with contemporary U.S. rock and blues song thus, as the music grew, it reflected the widespread Jamaican pre-occupation with things American, with lyrics of such frivolities as love and lost and found.

With Jamaican Independence in 1962 and the stirring of new feelings of Nationhood, the music makers began to express political pressure that was bursting in the ghettos in their songs. The Ghetto, Suffering, Brutality, Babylon, Police, Poverty, Hunger and Downpression were the themes of the new songs and the only cry that was not of pain was the cry of Rastafari love

Nowadays not all Bearded and Locks men are rastas sometimes it is used as fashion and even some criminals adopt this hairstyle to identify groups in the slum and to facilitate access to ganja and information many who profess to the doctrinein any of its forms may do so for ulterior motives. The rastafari brethren are themselves aware of this. The dispute about beards and hair centres on the interpretation of the brethrens role in the contemporary Jamaica. Clean faced men argue that beards, in the view of current Jamaican attitudes which are hostile to the Rastafari, deprive people of employment.

Rastafari has arrived at the spiritual plane of consciousness by smoking the herb and by continuing to smoke it they can go back to that special place where they can find peace, spiritual silence and insight into their consciousness. At the best ganja is a form of intelligence gathering. At worst, arrests for herb smoking can be a demonstration of complete brutality, creating a situation which will not be resolved while both side of the society maintain that their position is right. Herb smoking enhances intellectual powers. It can speed up thinking on one particular subject, isolate those thoughts from everyday reality and place the user in a world of its own, rather than society in which they must function. This at the same time does not remove the user for reality, thus enabling them to function on three levels of existence at once, spiritual, physical and mental. Also, ganja is used for meditation, the herb is a very powerful relaxer, and where the surroundings does not encourage paranoia, can assist in the ease of tension. It is frequently used to bring about a feeling of spirituality and to enforce the altered the view of society which comes from a black non-material viewpoint of life.

In Jamaica today ganja usage is illegal. Hence, the rastas suffer both from the risk they take to acquire it as well as the harassment they get from police officers if they get caught. There seems no reason to assume that the herb will ever be made legal under the present class of political leaders, and influence of the established churches and middle class society which controls the country, though there is perennial optimism that an enlightened government will one day de-criminalize possessions of small amounts for personal use. While the herb remains illegal, it constitutes a large wedge between a majority of the population which uses it and the minority which controls it. The arguments against legalizing the use of the herb are based on the thesis that this will lead to more widespread use. That is possible and that people will smoke the herb rather than work. This argument is shattered when one realizes that most manual labour carried out in Jamaica is done by persons under the influenc of the herb; since no mental labour is required of the labourer, the herb becomes a necessary part of their ability to continue their hard work.

 To Analyse the development of three (3) practices in the Rastafari Movement in Jamaica.

Table of Contents
Statement of Aims................................................................................................ 1

Aim 1
The Music............................................................................................................. 2 The Hairstyle........................................................................................................ 3 Ganja Usage......................................................................................................... 4

Aim 2
The Music............................................................................................................ 5 The Hairstyle........................................................................................................ 6 Ganja Usage........................................................................................................ 7

Aim 3
The Music............................................................................................................ 8 The Hairstyle....................................................................................................... 9 Ganja Usage........................................................................................................ 10 Data Collection................................................................................................... 11-12

Data Analysis
Aim 1.................................................................................................................. 13 Aim 2.................................................................................................................. 14 Aim 3.................................................................................................................. 15 Conclusion.......................................................................................................... 16 Glossary............................................................................................................... 17

Name: Elacia Wallace Teacher: Mrs. Wheatle Grade: 11R1 Subject: Religious Education School: Bridgeport High School

The data displayed in this aim was to identify three practices of the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica. The first, their Hairstyles, Rastas signature hairstyle is the locks and bearded face, true rastas never trim or groom their hair. However, not all rastas believe in this particular hairstyle. In addition, the rastas music, it is said that their music has a deep cultural connection with forefathers from Africa. Then there is the ganaja usage, and the rastas conflict with the law, also the rastas belief of the ganja smoking as a spiritual upliftment while the police (Babylon) saw it as a direct breech of the law.

This aim is to highlight the purpose of three practices in the Rastafarian Movement in Jamaica and how the rastas benefit from these practices. The hairstyle, this is a symbolic representation of the Lion of Judah rastas dont groom their hair because they believe that the more frisky the hair the more it resembles the hair of the lion; their music, the rastas believe that the music liberates, uplift and free them from mental slavery and oppression from babylon; Ganja usage, this is known as the