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Brief History of Rastafari

This is a brief history of the movement through its main events.
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1927 - 1935
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Marcus Garvey, founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association and deported from the United States, returned to his native Jamaica and continued
to work towards repatriation of Africans to Africa.
Garvey is said to have declared "Look to Africa, where a black King shall be crowned, for the day of deliverance is near". Whatever the authenticity
of the statement, Garvey's Back to Africa movement set the stage for the rise of Rastafarianism. In Jamaica also fluorished a strong Ethiopianist
movement, which identified New World blacks as Ethiopians, and Ethiopians as descendants of the Israelites.

Psalm 68:31

31 Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.
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1928
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On 22 September 1928 Tafari Makonnen is elevated to King and the coronation takes place on 6 October.
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1929
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On 2 April 1929 the crown council proclaims Tafari emperor.
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1930
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On 2 November 1930, Haile Selassie is crowned Emperor with the title "King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Conquering Lion of the Tribe of Judah", placing
himself in the legendary line of King Solomon.
The Daily Gleaner featured his coronation on the front page of its issue of November 11th.
Very soon thereafter several preachers in Jamaica, independently of one another, began to preach that the Emperor was the returned Messiah
and cited Revelation 5:2,5 and 19:19,20 as the basis for their preaching.

Revelation 5:2,5 is regarded as the confirmation of Garvey's prophecy:
1 And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals.
2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?
3 And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon.
4 And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.
5 And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book,
and to loose the seven seals thereof.

Revelation 19:19,20 regards the Italian invasion of Ethiopia:
19 And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
20 And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark
of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.

Psalm 68:4 is regarded as the basis for the use of the term Jah:

4 Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH, and rejoice before him.
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1934
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One of these preachers, Leonard P. Howell, regarded as being the first to preach the divinity of H.I.M., was found guilty of sedition for preaching his
doctrine regarding Selassie and for distributing pictures of H.I.M. which he claimed were passports back to Ethiopia.

Another preacher was Joseph Nathaniel Hibbert. In 1931 he returned to Jamaica and started to preach H.I.M. as the returned Messiah.

Another preacher was Robert Hinds, deputy of Hibbert.

Another preacher was H. Archibald Dunkley. He cited Ezekiel 30; 1 Timothy 6; Revelation 17 and 19; Isaiah 43.
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1935
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Italy began its brutal invasion of Ethiopia, despite Slassie's protests to the League of Nations.

On December 7th, the Jamaica Times published ann account of the so-called Niyabingi Order in Ethiopia and the Congo. According to the account, the Ethiopian
Emperor was head of the Niyabingi Order, the purpose of which was the overthrow of white domination by racial war. Some people that started to worship the
Emperor and were known as "Ras Tafaris" or "Rastamen" came to describe themselves as "Niyamen".
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1937 - 1938
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Under the patronage of Haile Selassie, the Ethiopian World Federation was founded in New York City to effect the unity and solidarity of black peoples
of the world and to defend the sovereignity of Ethiopia. In August 1938 the movement reached Jamaica and several locals were established.
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1940
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Leonard P. Howell purchased an old estate outside of Spanish Town, near Sligoville, and was joyned there by six hundreds of faithful Rastafarians. This initial
settlement of the estate, called Pinnacle, lasted little more than a year, for in July 1941 the police raided the place and arrested many, including Howell, who went
to prison for another two years. At Pinnacle some brethren started to wear beards an let their hair grow, because of Ezekiel 5. These brethren were called
"men of dreadlocks" or "locksmen".

Numbers 1:1,5

1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying,
2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD:
3 He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor
eat moist grapes, or dried.
4 All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk.
5 All the days of the vow of his separation there shall no rasor come upon his head: until the days be fulfilled, in the which he separateth himself unto the LORD,
he shall be holy, and shall let the locks of the hair of his head grow.
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1943
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Upon release from prison Howell returned to Pinnacle, but lead a much subdued existance, hardly known by the authorities.
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1954
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Pinnacle was raided again by the police and was broken up permanently. At this time many of the Rastafarians who had been living at Pinnacle came into the
city and took up residence there. This emergence from isolation helped to increase their numbers. At this time there were twelve groups of Rastafarians, operating
independently having memberships ranging between 20 and 150.
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1955
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The Ethiopian World Federation was given new life by a visit of some officials from the united States and a grant by H.I.M. of 500 acres of fertile
Ethiopian land for any Africans who whised to repatriate.
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1958
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Prince Emmanuel Edward, a prominent Rastafarian, held a 21 day convention in Back o' Wall, a kingston shanty town and Rastafari stronghold. It was estimated
that 3000 brethren attended. Because of several clashes with the police, this convention was a significant milestone in the deterioration of relations
between the Rastafarians and the authorities.
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1959
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Thousands of people mistakenly believed that the cards distributed to them by Rev. Claudius Henry, a Rastafarian preacher, would gain them passage on ships leaving
for Africa on October 5th. Many sold their possessions and assembled at Henry's church as the day approached, but alas, no ships came.
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1960
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Claudius Henry was charged with treason; several small arms were found in the church. He and several others were sentenced, during a long and stormy trial, to
lengthy prison terms. Later that year Henry's son arrived from New York City with several American blacks and allegedly set up a guerrilla base in Red Hills.
They were captured and several executed.

Following these events, there was much fear and consternation concerning the Rastafarians. Some Rastafari leaders requested that a study be done in order to
give the public some reliable information on the peaceful nature of the Rastafari movement and to allay the confusion caused by the Henry affair. A team of
three researchers from the then University College of the West Indies made an intensive two-week study of the brethren and published their findings in a forty
page report which first appeared serially in the daily newspaper. The report made by M.G. Smith, Roy Augier and Rex Nettleford and called "Report on
the Rastafari movement in Kingston Jamaica", was quite positive in its appraisal of the Rastafarians and made a series of recommendations regarding how best
to help them.
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1961
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As a result of one recommendation of the University Report, a team of eight, toured Ethiopia and four other African countries for the purpose of studying
the feasibility of migration of Jamaicans to Africa. The African Mission comprised of: Dr. L.C. Leslie, Adviser; Mr. V. S. Reid, Co-Advisor; Hon. E. H. Lake (Antigua)
Ministry of Social Welfare; Dr. B. M. Douglas, Mr. Z. Munroe-Scarlet, Afro-West Indian Welfare League; W. Blackwood, U.N.I.A.; Cecil Gordon, Ethiopian Worlds
Federation. D. Mack, Filmore Alvaranga, Rases of Eastern and Central Kingston, Mortimer Planno “Togo Desta”, representing the Rastafarian Movement.
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1966
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On April 21, H.I.M. visited Jamaica.

In July Back o' Wall was razed in rather abrupt fashion to make way for new housing. This displacement caused the Rastafarians to become more scattered than
before throughout the city.
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1969
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The Ethiopian Orthodox Church set up a mission in Kingston, to which many Rastafarians flocked.

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Today
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About 115.000 Rastafarians in Jamaica  (estimated) (total population 2,868,380 - June 2011)
About 1 million Rastafarians worldwide (estimated) (total population 6,924,000,000 - June 2011)

Bibliography:

- "Dread - The Rastafarians of Jamaica" Joseph Owens, Sangster 1976

- "Report on the Rastafari Movement in Jamaica" M.G. Smith, Roy Augier and Rex Nettleford, Institute of Social and Economic Research
  University College of the West Indies 1960

- "The Rastafari - Roots and Ideology" Barry Chevannes, Syracuse University Press 1994

- "The Rastafarians" Leonard E. Barrett, Beacon Press Boston 1997