URBAN TRIBU RASTAFARIES ("RASTAS")
Rastafari movement is a spiritual movement that believes that Haile Selassie I is the third incarnation of Jah, short for Yahweh, after Melchizedek and Jesus.
It emerged in the early 1930s in the slums of Kingston, Ate, Jamaica and adjacent rural areas, with the social and cultural vision of L. Benavides Marcus Garvey inspired the Rastafarians, who even consider a reincarnation of San Juan Bautista, and attributed a messianic character Selassie. Notable is the great desire of his descendants of black slaves back to Africa, social and cultural aspirations of the black community and the teachings of the organizing Jamaican-born Marcus Garvey who cried "Africa for the Africans". The end of a Rastafarian is going for a straight and true path, always with kindness, brotherhood, truth. They are popularly known for their dreadlocks (characteristic hair) and its sacramental use of ganja.
Today the movement has spread throughout much of the world and has followers from different cultures, languages and nations.
Ganja
Haile Selassie 1 ("King" of Rastafarians)
Doctrines
The followers of the Rastafari, known as Rastas believe that Haile Selassie I free people of African descent in the world leading them to a promised land of emancipation and divine justice, called "Mount Zion" (Zion).
Rastafarians believe that they, and other people of black ethnicity, are descendants of the ancient Israelites. Theirs is a strongly syncretic Abrahamic religion. As the Book Kebra Nagast, in the tenth century BC, Ethiopia was founded by Menelik I, son of Solomon and Sheba, Makeda, who had visited Solomon in Israel. In 1 Kings 10:13 claims "And king Solomon gave him the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, beside what gave her of his royal treasure. And so she returned home, she and her servants. "Rastas interpret this as she gave birth to a son. That black Jews have lived in Ethiopia for centuries, disconnected from the rest of Judaism by Muslim control of the Middle East and North Africa, is incontrovertible; are called Beta Israel or Falasha. The existence of Falashas gave some credence and impetus to early Rastafarians, since it seemed to validate the belief that Ethiopia was Zion. Some Rastafarians decided to classify their religion as Ethiopian Coptic Christianity, Protestant Christianity or Judaism. Of these, the ties to the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church are the most widespread, though discussed controversially in the clergy. It can be considered that the Rastafarian be a split of the Coptic Church. Some Rastafarians believe that standard translations of the Bible present structure created by the racist white Eurocentric changes of power, then revere the Ethiopian national epic, the Kebra Nagast, a book that tells the glory of the kings of the Solomonic dynasty in Ethiopia, as the writing that tells in detail the encounter between Solomon and Makeda (Sheba). However, the Bible does not cease to be one of the texts read by Rastafarians; because they believe that Haile Selassie as I said, the Bible transcends without losing its essence.
One of the types of spiritual assembly (groundation) of Rastafari Movement resembles in many respects Jewish religious services, and may have derived from African American slaves who converted to Judaism True number of Jews in the southern states of the US owned slaves and fled to Jamaica. Some characteristics of the initial Rastafarian were related closely with the native religions of the Caribbean and Africa, but were largely purged by nyabinghi warriors, characterized by their dreadlocks and fought against 'corrupt' power of some leaders who added these syncretic elements to the Rastafarian doctrines. But considering that identify with dreadlocks, now not all leads dreadlocks rasta '.
Many Rastas believe that Jah, the short name of the Lord God in the Hebrew scriptures, had three incarnations: Melchizedek, Jesus Christ, and finally Haile Selassie, the ultimate expression of Jah, each of them a "Savior."
Conceptions
Rastafarians are monotheistic, believing in a singular God who called Jah. Jah Rastafari see as the essence in the form of the Holy Trinity, which is Father, Son and the Holy of creation. Rastafarians say Jah, in the form of the Blessed creation (incarnate), lives within the human, and therefore is often referred to as "I & I" (I and I) actually means that the rasta has Jah Ras Tafari in the heart, he lives within each of us.
Clothing
The Rastas called passionate defense of their identity and beliefs, make use of the aesthetics of your faith wearing scalps with Dreadlocks (yarn hair), tams (knitted hats), comfortable clothes made from plant fibers, the lonely with colors mother Earth is on the left side for women and the right of men, baggy pants and loose shirts. All their clothing shows the colors of Mother Earth in Ethiopia, which constitute a great symbolic value. These colors are green, yellow and red. Green is the color of nature that is maintained and respected by the Rasta. The yellow represents the wealth of their land. The red color also represents the blood shed by black martyrs who fought for the Rastafari ideology. The black, while not part of the Ethiopian flag, is used to represent the color of the African people.
The dreadlocks style is close to the figure of the Lion of Judah which is part of the Ethiopian flag. The hair symbolizes the Rasta Lion's mane or the Nazarite vow.
The Rastafarian movement in Latin American countries today partly followed culture and on the other hand has been outraged to become a fashion in which the dreadlocks are maintained, the colors in clothing, adding stamped with the Lion of Judah, Marijuana leaf, the face of Haile Selassie, Marcus Garvey and Bob Marley, Jamaican figure that many mistakenly believe Rastafari face because he used the Psalms of the Bible with its popular reggae music.
Language
The languages spoken in Jamaica are English and Jamaican patois (PEC). There are several words or phrases characteristics of Rastafari as:
• Babylon (Babylon) is a concept critical to a system of thought Jah away.
• Rastafari (master: capitalism and communism and ways of alienating life in modernity, born from an interpretation of traditional biblical readings, is opposed to the concept of Zion, hence refers to everything bad from the point of vital and spiritually.
• Zion (Zion) refers both to Ethiopia and the African continent over the Arabian peninsula. It also sometimes has the opposite meaning of Babylon, ie Zion is the Rastafarian utopia. Zion is also called the Sacred Valley of rest where they leave the Rastafarians when they die, a resemblance to the traditional concept of paradise.
• I & I ("I and I") is a complex term, referring to the unity of Jah (God) with each of humans but also emphasizing the central importance of human being in the order of things. The Rastafarian scholar EE Cashmore says, "" I and I "is an expression for synthesizing the concept of unity, the unity of two people. So God is within all of us, and we are actually one person. "I and I" means that God is in all men. The link Ras Tafari is the bond of God, man. But man itself needs a head and the head of man is His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia. "The term is often used instead of "you and I" or "we" among Rastafarians, implying that both persons are united under the love of Jah.
As a consequence the word "I" is added or mixed with many other words. For example the food i-tal (i-tal food) has not had contact with modern chemicals and is served without preservatives, condiments or salts. Alcohol, coffee, milk, soft drinks and spirits are generally viewed as i-tal. Most Rastas follow the prescriptions i-tal, and some are vegetarians. Even dreadlocks who eat meat are prohibited from eating pork because pigs are scavengers of the dead, like crabs, lobsters and shrimps, although other types of seafood are staples in the Rastafarian diet. Moreover Rastas do not eat meat of any kind of animal that has eyes have that belief by a painting in which a fish looking at Solomon appears.
• downpression replaces opression (oppression) and oppression holds the crouching man (down, which means "down" in English) rather than lift.
• Irie refers to positive emotions or feelings, or anything that is good. Is to achieve a state of connection between I & I through itation (Itazión: meditation). It is also used as a warm greeting between Rastas brothers.
• Livication replaces dedication (devotion), to get rid of the connotation of death (since dead, pronounced as ded, means "dead" in English, whereas live means "alive").
• Overstanding replaces understanding (comprehension), referring to the lighting that elevates one's consciousness (as under means "below" in English, and over means "above").
• Karamawi is the highest praise to God that refers to a rasta. This word is used to praise Jah from deep within his being, usually in the meditations and festivities in which marijuana is used to "raise" over the level of meditation.
• Alpha and Omega, they refer, respectively, to the Emperor Haile Selassie and Empress Menen, as the perfect union between man and woman, beginning and end.
• InI regards bearing the rasta peace with nature and living beings, for God (Jah) has created all and no one should abuse others, so the Rastafarian respects and loves nature Jah created .
• Adonai refers to Jah Rastafari, Father of Creation, Haile Selassie I.
• Binghiman is the name given to the brothers who practice and singing praises to Jah, with Nyabinghi drums and rhythms.
• Nyabinghi is the foundation of Rastafari lifestyle. Spiritual and musical palace. The popular interpretation of Nyabinghi is "death to black and white oppressors".
Nyabinghi spiritual congregation gathered on special days to celebrate the events of history Rastafari and sometimes in the congregation decides to meet.
• Jah love refers to Jah has great love for their children.
• Bless means blessing and is used as a farewell among Rastafarians.
