Jamaica’s Rastafarian movement can be traced back to the 1930s to when Ras Tafari Makonnen was crowned as Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, and assumed the titles, “King of Kings, Lord of Lords, and conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” It was proclaimed by some that Haile Selassie I was the retuned Messiah. Adherents to this philosophy were called Rastafarians and their beliefs were further strengthened by biblical predictions that Princes would come out of Ethiopia and by Marcus Garvey’s statement in the Blackman of November 8, 1930 that “We have no doubt that the time has now come.”

In Jamaica, a leading Rastafarian cleric named Leonard P. Howell along with 1500 Rastafarians acquired land in 1940 to establish a headquarters for the movement. This property was called Pinnacle and is located in the parish of Clarendon; Haile Selassie I had also donated 500 hundred acres in Ethiopia for Jamaicans who wished to return to Africa.

Rastafarians engage in chanting and drumming to pay homage to Haile Selassie I, speak of their tribulations and their belief in overcoming these. Special events called “Binghis”or Groundations are staged where such drumming and chanting are practiced. The Rastafarian philosophy is said to have inspired, and continues to inspire, early Reggae music.

There are three types of drums that are used by Rastafarians they are the: - Bass, Fundeh and Repeater.

The Bass Drum is similar to the military band bass drum, with the notable exception that the head protrudes slightly over the rims. The heads are made from ram goat skin, because the ram goat is less vociferous than ewe by nature, hence its bleat is of a lower tone which is desirable. The body of the bass drum is made from barrel staves held together by metal bands and pegs. The diameter of the drum may vary. For instance the ‘Royal Drums’ at the Prince Emmanuel’s Rasta commune overlooking Bull Bay, in the parish of St. Andrew varies from 22 inches to 3 feet.

The Fundeh Drum is narrow with the head made from ram goat skin and is about 9” in diameter; the body is also made from barrel staves or of other wood and sometimes of hollowed tree trunk.

The Repeater Drum has the same structure as the Fundeh, except that the female goat skin is used to make the head because the ewe bleats more strident tones than the ram; hence it is ideal for soprano pitch.

The drums are tuned by means of tension in the metal race at the head of the drums. The drums are usually painted in the colours of the Ethiopian flag: red, green and yellow. It is not uncommon to see Rastafarian bands with different instruments such as horns, guitars, graters and other percussions.

Symbols Associated with Rastafarianism

• The Rastas wear their hair and beard long in conformity to the Old Testament admonitions that no razor shall touch the head of the devoted. The dreading or locking of the hair was adopted after the Masai and Somali warriors from east Africa.
• Ganja or marijuana is used for religious, meditative and sacramental purposes.
• The colours that are usually used by the Rastafarians are red, green and yellow, adopted from the Ethiopian flag.

The Denominations of Rastafarian faith:

Rastafari as a religion has divided into various denominations with the basic belief in the divinity of Haile Selassie I and the redemption for the black race through repatriation to Africa.

The Nyabinghi movement

This is the most prominent group in Jamaica. Their worship is based on African customs and traditions with the ultimate goal of Rastafarians' repatriation to Africa. They have adopted the Ethiopian tradition of a 13-month year. Their celebrations mark the most dates that are held as important to the group: For example, November 2nd is the marked as the anniversary of the coronation of Haile Selassie I, and each celebration normally lasts for two weeks.

Some Important Days the Nyabinghi Recognize
Important Dates	Types of Celebration	Denominations celebrating
January 7	Ethiopian Orthodox Christmas	Nyabinghi
February 7	Bob Marley Birthday	Nyabinghi
July 23	Haile Selassie I birthday	Nyabinghi
August 17	Hon. Marcus Garvey birthday	Nyabinghi
September 9	Ethiopian New Year	Nyabinghi
November 2	His Imperial Majesty's Coronation Day	Nyabinghi

The Bobo Shanti Movement

Bobo Shanti means Black and Ashanti, which is the fierce African tribe from Kumasi, Ghana. This movement has the same belief as the Nyabinghi except that men and women do not worship together. The women are separated and their heads are wrapped.

The Twelve Tribes

The twelve tribes has the same basic beliefs as the Nyabinghi and the Bobo Shanti. They believe in a 12-month year and they have a significant name and colour for each month of the year as listed below.

Month	Colour	Jacob's Twelve Sons
January	green	Naphtali
February	White	Joseph
March	Black	Benjamin
April	Silver	Reuben
May	Gold	Simeon
June	Purple	Levi
July	Brown	Judah
August	Yellow	Issachar
September	Pink	Zebulun
October	Blue	Dan
November	Red	Gad
December	Grey	Asher

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References

• Chevannes, Barry. Rastafari: Roots an Ideology. Kingston, Jamaica: The Press University of the West Indies, 1995.
• Afari, Yasus. Overstanding Rastafari: “Jamaica’s gift to the World” Jamaica: Senya-cum 2007.
• Cashmore, Ernest. Rastaman: The Rastafarian Movement in England. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd., 1979.
• Jamaica Journal Vol. 11, No. 1 & 2, pp. 3-13