The Ethos of Rastafari

Abstract

The continued existence of social movements usually depends on the development of hierarchical institutional structures. Rastafari, however, is characterized by an ethos rather than institutional structures. This ethos is characterized by three essential elements: (1) a reticulated social structure or web‐like network of individuals, “houses,” and “mansions” (various groupings of Rastas); (2) a worldview encoded in symbols and symbolic references such as dreadlocks, Ethiopian colors, and Babylon; and (3) ritual activities – primarily ganja (marijuana) smoking and “reasoning” – collectively known as “grounding.”

“Babylon Makes the Rules”: Compliance, Fear, and Self‐Discipline in the Quest for Official NGO Status

“…15 15 Reasoning is an open‐ended dialogical discourse between two or more bredren that, assisted by the inspiration of ganja, stimulates the intersubjective exploration of truth (Yawney 1978:216). Reasoning sessions induct new initiates into the movement and confirm old adherents in the principles and precepts of Rastafari (Edmonds 1998:356). It is the process by which Rastas become steeped in the principles of “Rastology” (Nagashima 1984:116). …”

“…In retrospect, this should not have been a surprise as he, the most established Rastafari bredren in the room, was engaged in a practice–official state registration–that was decidedly “un‐Rasta.” Nonetheless, this may have been the first time any of us had seen Ras Indra in a situation where he did not have all the answers. He had cemented his status as a Rastafari elder not only by virtue of his uncompromising commitment to the principles of Rastafari, but also through authoritative demonstrations of his ability to “speechify” on virtually any subject of significance to the Rastafari nation (Chevannes 1994:227; Edmonds 1998:350). Both our positions as novices and Indra's position as an elder were predicated on his superior capacity for reasoning 15 .…”

Consciousness Development in Rastafari: A Perspective from the Psychology of Religion

“…“I and I” replaces “I” as singular pronoun, referring to a unity of the speaker’s ego and spiritual self, manifesting the “the first‐person reality of conscious Self” (Forsythe 1999, 94), a spiritual orientation similar to Hinduism where it is expressed in the greeting namaste: “the God within me greets the God within you.” “I and I” reflects a fundamental philosophical concept of the movement: recognizing the divine spirit within themselves, some Rastas express a typical postmodern claim that they have no need for teachers or priests to tell them what is right. Rasta epistemology holds that self‐knowledge is the basis of all knowledge and truth is equally accessible to all, as they derive knowledge of truth and moral guidance from the God within (Edmonds 1998b).…”

Haile Selassie and the Gospel of Development: Hegemony and Faith‐Based Development in Trinidad and Tobago, West Indies

“…Among the most influential was the Ras Tafari Brethren Organization (RTBO), led by Muntu Lalibala, which gained prominence for co‐organizing the Third International Rastafarian Assembly in 1984, and publishing the global Rastafari movement's only pan‐Caribbean magazine, Rastafari Speaks (Van Dijk :191). Statical organizations in Trinidad and Tobago, like the RTBO, with their overtly political missions and practices, contrasted sharply with the traditional Rastafari churchical (spiritual/mystical) organizations of Jamaica, such as Prince Edward's Ethiopian National Congress, Claudius Henry's Peacemaker's Association, or the Sons of Negus, which primarily focused on repatriation to Ethiopia, the development of Rastafari religious culture and behavior, and the cultivation of African cultural consciousness and lifestyles (Edmonds :351).…”