The Twelve Tribes Of Israel

John (Yochanan) 14:2

² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I got to prepare a place for you.

Dr . Vernon Carrington 'The Prophet Gad'

  The Order of the Twelve Tribes of Israel was founded in 1968 in Jamaica by Dr. Vernon Carrington. Its founder is known as 'The Prophet Gad' or 'Gadman', for he was the reincarnation of Gad, one of the original sons of Israel. He felt his role was to reunite the Ten Lost Tribes.
  The Twelve Tribes of Israel are based on the twelve astrological zodiacal signs.

Zodiac Symbol and Latin Name	English Translation	The Corresponding Tribe
♈ Aries	The Ram	Reuben
♉ Taurus	The Bull	Simeon
♊ Gemini	The Twins	Levi
♋ Cancer	The Crab	Judah
♌ Leo	The Lion	Dan
♍ Virgo	The Maiden	Naphtali
♎ Libra	The Scales	Gad
♏ Scorpio	The Scorpion	Asher
♐ Sagittarius	The (Centaur) Archer	Issachar
♑ Capricorn	The Goat-Horned	Zebulun
♒ Aquarius	The Water-Bearer	Joseph
♓ Pisces	The Fishes	Benjamin

  Carrington is central to the movement, although he has a number of 'shepherds' to work beneath him, enabling the development and understanding of the group. The Twelve Tribes of Israel is considered the most liberal of the present orders in the Ras Tafari Movement. The members of the Twelve Tribes can practice their religion in the church or from their homes. We believe ourselves to be descendants of the Twelve Sons of Israel.

  The group's headquarters are on Hope Road in Kingston. But the order also exists outside Jamaica in places such as the United States of America, New Zealand, Europe and Africa.

Bobo Ashanti

John (Yochanan) 14:2

² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I got to prepare a place for you.

Prince Emmanuel Charles Edwards 'Dada'

  The Bobo Ashanti Order, also called the Ethiopian International Congress, was founded in 1958 in Jamaica, by Prince Emmanuel Charles Edwards, considered by many to be the reincarnation of Yahushua. Prince Emmanuel, Marcus Garvey and Haile Selassie are regarded as part of the Holy Trinity. Selassie is regarded as King and God, Garvey is perceived to be a Prophet and Emmanuel a High Priest. Additionally, some Bobos see Idi Amin, the former ruler of Uganda during the 1970s, as a second coming of Garvey.  Bobo Ashanti members live apart from society, their base is in Bull Bay, Jamaica. But nowadays the group can also be found in the Bahamas, Virgin Islands, Ghana, Nigeria, Ethiopia and Trinidad.

  Bobo Ashanti are one of the stricted Mansions of Rastafari, they wear brightly coloured turbans to cover their dreadlocks, and long flowing robes to dress themselves. The members of the Ashanti order are all strict vegan and stick to the biblical restrictions regarding their vow. Returning to their diet, the Bobo Ashanti fast twice a week and on the first day of every month. They also adhere to a strict communal life, apart of society as I mentioned earlier, where women are separated from men. The Bobos have built a strong relationship with the local community outside of Bobo Hill and they often invite people to their services. Women and children are considered subordinate to men; a women may serve food to a guest, but never to a Bobo male; apart from that, the women' garments must cover their arms and legs. All children attend a basic school called Jerusalem School Room, and only after that, they can go to Kingston to school, but fortunately that is seldom. Almost all men within the community is seen as prophets or priests. The function of a prophet is to reason, and of a priest is to conduct the services.
  The Bobo Ashanti do not accept the laws and principles of Jamaican society, which means that they do not accept the principles and laws of many other countries.
  The Bobo Ashanti do smoke ganja, but not in public, because it is a spiritual rite only to be carried out during periods of worship. The Ashanti movement is concerned with fulfilling the campaign 'Back to Africa' created by Marcus Garvey, reuniting Africans with their homeland and abandoning contact with Western Society. Some members of this group feel black people should be given monetary rewards for the slavery they have endured.

The Name 'Bobo Ashanti', the Flag and the Hymns

  In relation to the name of their order, the word Bobo means black and Ashanti was the name of an African tribe from Kumasi in Ghana. Their also fly their flag in a different way to other Ras Tafari groups, they fly the Red, Gold and Green flag with Red at the top, while other groups fly it the other way up. Almost all songs and tributes within the community end with the phrase "Holy Emmanuel I Selassie I Yah Rastafar-I"

Elements of their daily life reflect the Jewish Mosaic Law

  The Bobo Ashanti honour the Sabbath, from sundown on Friday. And during the Sabbath the use of salt and oil is avoided and no work can be carried out. They have special rules for menstruating women. And also special group greetings.

Nyahbinghi Order

John (Yochanan) 14:2

² In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I got to prepare a place for you.

Bongo Watu

  Nyahbinghi is the oldest of all the Ras Tafari Orders. We attempts to keep the link between our faith and African heritage close. We pledge love to all humankind, however we not know violence, only Yah has the right to destroy. We make this pledge because of the power of Word, believing that only when we all, Yah' children, make the pledge together the downpressors will be downstroid.
  The focus of this group is on the veneration of Haile Selassie, who is regarded by us as the embodiment of Yah. Ethiopia is very important to us, which emphasises the repatriation to Africa. We also regard water, air and fire as representations of the elements of life. Fire is believed to represent the wrath of Yah pouring down on Babylon.
  Nyahbinghi eat organic produce only, such as vegetables, fruits, herbs and barks, and avoid the consumption of salt. The group take part in regular Groundations, often called Nyahbinghi Groundations. The word 'groundation' means affirmation of life through earth.

The Name 'Nyabinghi'

  Nyabinghi was a legendary Ugandan/Rwandan tribe queen in 19^th Century which inspired a movement, rebelling against African colonial authorities. The name Nyahbinghi is believed to mean 'Death to all Oppressors'.

The importance of Ethiopia to Nyahbinghi

  The flag tends to have the colour green first. The Nyahbinghi flag also features a lion in the centre, reflecting the Lion of Judah - Haile Selassie I. The order observe the Ethiopian Sabbath, which is Tuesday. The group try to use the Ethiopian language, Amharic.

Rastafari History

1930s

HIM Haile Selassie I



Marcus Garvey

  The Ras Tafari began in Jamaica during the 1930s following a prophecy by Marcus Garvey, a political leader. Garvey preached "Look to Africa where a king shall be crowned, he shall be the Redeemer." This statement became the foundation of our Movement. The prophecy was rapidly followed by the crowning of Emperor Haile Selassie I in Ethiopia. We see this as the fulfilment of Garvey's prophecy. The religion takes its name from the original name of the emperor, Ras (Head, Chief) Tafari Makonnen. Haile Selassie I is therefore regarded as Yah. He is our figure of salvation and we believe He will redeem the downpressed from the downpressor, reuniting them with Afrika "The Cradle of Humanity".

1930s - 1950s

Leonard P. Howell

  The first branch of Rastafari is believed to have been established in Jamaica in 1935 by Leonard P. Howell. He preached the divinity of Haile Selassie. Howell's action encouraged others to help develop and spread the message of Rasta theology, and as E.E. Cashmore explains: "All, in their own ways, added pieces to the jigsaw, and the whole picture came together in the mid 1950s when a series of congregations of rastas appeared at various departure points on Jamaica's shores, awaiting ships bound for Africa". This marked the first uniting of Ras Tafari and it paved the way for the future of our movement, bringing hope of repatriation with Afrika and freedom. 

1960s - 1970s

Bob Marley and Peter Tosh

  In 1966 Haile Selassie I visited Jamaica, where He was greeted with vast enthusiasm. The development of Reggae music during this period made Ras Tafari audible and visible to an international audience. The work of Bob Marley or Peter Tosh (two of the most important figures between our Movement) was starting to be popular with a much wider group than the working class Jamaican culture from which it sprang. In 1974 Haile Selassie I was deposed by a Marxist revolution. He died mysteriously the next year. The removal of a divine figure by an atheist secular political group was initially discouraging to us.

They're saying lies. Yah live, Selassie I will live forever!

Rastafari Music

Nyahbinghi

  Nyahbinghi music is used during reasoning sessions and consists of chanting and drumming to reach states of heightened spirituality. The Nyahbinghi resistance inspired a number of Rastafarians who incorporate what are known as Binghi into our celebrations (Grounnations). Three kinds of drums are used in Nyabinghi music: bass, funde and keteh. The keteh plays an improvised syncopation, the funde plays a regular one-two beat and the bass drum strikes loudly on the first beat, and softly on the third (of four) beat. The chants contain ideas of redemption and repatriation. They help people to participate and feel included in the Rasta community.

Reggae

  In the last thirty years Rastafari has become commonly associated with Reggae music, especially following the worldwide success of the group of the Wailers, that included Bob Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.

The Wailers (Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer)

Worship and Customs

Worship

  There is no specific religious building in Rastafari that is set aside for worship. Usually meet weekly. The meetings are referred to as Reasoning sessions. They provide a time for chants and prayers, and for communal issues to be discussed. Ganja may be smoked to produce heightened spiritual states. The music used at these meetings is known as Nyahbinghi, and so when meetings are mostly musical they are often referred to as Nyahbingi meetings. Meetings may also include large feasts.

Ganja

  
Ganja is regarded as a herb of religious significance. It is used in Rastafari reasoning sessions, which are communal meetings involving meditation. Ganja is used to heighten feelings of community. Ganja is the key of the fire for the return of the original conscience of each other, with Yah and the Universe. Is the vehicle for the conscience, introducing other levels of reality, developing the sense of unity with all life. Ganja is usually described as the Herb of Wisdom or the Holy Herb. The latter name is used because the use of Ganja is sacred, following biblical texts justifying its use:

Psalm (Tehillim) 104:14

¹⁴ He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth;

Dreadlocks

The wearing of hair in dreadlocks by Rastas is spiritual; this is justified in the Bible:

Leviticus (Vayikra) 21:5

⁵ They shall not make baldness upon their head, neither shall they shave off the corner of their beard, nor make any cuttings in their flesh.

Numbers (Bamidbar) 6:5

⁵ All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no razor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto Yah, he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.

Food Laws

  This Laws may change between the Mansions (or Orders) of Ras Tafari.

• Eat strictly I'tal which means natural and clean
• Don't eat meat, scavengers or shellfish
• Eat copious amounts of vegetables, as they are of the earth, and therefore good
• Food is prepared without salt, and coconut oil is the most likely form of oil to be utilised
• Don't drink alcohol
• Drink anything herbal, grown from natural roots
• Consume plentiful amounts of fruit and fruit juice

Proverbs (Mishle) 15:17

¹⁷ Better is a dinner of herbs where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith.

Yah Is My Health

  We don't allows the use of any unnatural medicine. Only Yah can heal the sick, and no other being have this capacity.

Women in Rastafari

The role of women in Rastafari

The role of women may differ according to the orders set in the Movement. This being the most stereotypical.

• Women are known as Queens;
• The main role of women is to look after her King;
• Women are regarded as subordinate to men;
• Women are regarded as housekeepers and child bearers;
• Women must not commit infidelity;
• Women are not called to Rastafari except through their husbands;
• Women cannot be leaders;
• Men are the spiritual head of the family;
• Women must not cook for their husbands when menstruating;
• Women must not wear makeup, nor dress in promiscuous clothing, or use chemicals in their hair;
• Women must not use birth control, as it is regarded as a European tactic to suppress the development of the population. This builds on the Old Testament prophecy that says "The seeds of Israel shall be numberless" (Isaiah 48:19);
• Women must also abstain from abortion which is regarded as murder;
• Women must cover their hair to pray, in keeping with the Biblical teaching in 1Corinthians 11:3-5.

Isaiah (Yeshayah) 48:19
¹⁹ Thy seed also had been as the sand, and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before Me.

1Corinthians (Kehillah in Corinth I) 11:3-5

³ But I would have you know, that Rebbe, the Messiah is the head of every man; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of the Messiah is God. ⁴ Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. ⁵ But every woman that prayeth or prophesieth with her head uncovered dishonoureth her head: for that is even all one as if she were shaven.

Rastafari Beliefs: The Key Ideas in Rastafari

The Key Ideas in Rastafari

• The humanity of God and the divinity of Man
• God is found within every Man
• God in History
• Salvation on Earth
• The supremacy of life
• Respect for nature
• The power of the Word
• Evil is corporate
• Judgement is near
• The priesthood of Rastafari