A Tool For Understanding The Evolution Of Modern Jamaica

When people think of Rastafarian culture, they think of people with dreadlocks, or even individuals with dreadlocks smoking ganja, and smoking ganja without knowing its serious philosophy. Analytically, the culture defines a helpful tool for understanding the evolution of modern Jamaica. It originated among the socially disenfranchised and impoverished Afro-Jamaican communities in the 1930s. Its ideology was mostly an irritant on the then British colonial backside, and thus a unique perspective to comprehend historical developments in Jamaica. Through their language, dreadtalk, they typically regard words having intrinsic power, and it reflects their own experience.

Many of their beliefs include: sharing, using no medication, eating organic foods, unity, and no drugs. Rastafari is created by Jah, and everyone can embrace it.

The emergency of Rastafarian culture in the Caribbean was a response to, and outcome of slavery. It defines a malevolent drill that endeavored to do away with the attempts of slavery and forge a cultural identity. Comparably, its emergency during apartheid and colonial periods contributed to the emergence of social movements.

Rastafarianism formularization and its acceptance in the aftermath of apartheid are due to various factors. Rastafarian’s process of constructing novel or alternative form of identity indicates that even though its language and symbols were for challenging the colonial oppression, their advent took a form of fashion statement. Africa Reclamation in the nineteenth and early twentieth century can be attributed to this culture as popular conceptualizations such as Ethiopianism, vindicationism, and pan-Africanism emerged.

Rastafarian cultural structures are necessarily inclined to the formation of signs and symbolic actions such as adoration of Star of David, Haile Selassie, and Ankh dreadlocks, ganja, and Rastafarian colors.

Get quality help now

Writer Lyla

Verified

Proficient in: Cultural Identity

5 (876)

“ Have been using her for a while and please believe when I tell you, she never fail. Thanks Writer Lyla you are indeed awesome ”

+84 relevant experts are online

Hire writer

Considering their ability to be organized in languages and symbolic nature, they are becoming popular to the extent of being difficult to lay-people to distinguish non-Rastafarians from Rastafarians. Their ideology affirms that black individuals in Jamaica were not uprooted tangibly from their original motherland, they form a blend of colonial, native, and African cultures. Their culture is thus from cultural resistance and lack of political freedom. Rastafarian slave identity or absence of cultural identity emanates from slavers belief.

Another outstanding trait of this culture is the biblical symbolism located in its belief’s system. Most symbols in this culture are given in biblical origin. Biblically, they identify themselves with Ethiopian ancestry. Ethiopian biblical symbolic significance, Psalms 68: 31, honors Emperor Haile Selassie as the key figure of the Rastafarian ideology. The name Haile Selassie explains The power of the Trinity, hence the title Lord of Lords, the conquering lo of Judah, and King of Kings. Haile Selassie, the 225th Solomonic Dynasty’s restorer, and the oldest throne signify not only the beginning of the Rastafarian movement but also the black political power in early Black Nationalism. To some extent, some Jamaican’s denotes him as a promised Messiah. Symbolically, Rastafarians graft God as an African hence the identity of the black people. Furthermore, it indicates Africa as a place for salvation and spiritual homeland and communal self-sufficiency.

Dreadlock speculations can be dated back from the biblical times to current times including the Turkana, Maori warriors, Sadhvis and Sadhus mystics. Despite the 1940s’ speculations that it originated from Kenya, many communities with nearly every major religion claim it as a fashion hence, a symbol of religious practice. Same as the Nazarite vows, Rastafarians believes in Numbers 6:1. In this culture, dreadlocks denote the divinity dwelling, a more spiritual self-declaration, among its people and visibly demarcates out-group and in-group distinctions, thus group membership’s external appearance. They also defiance Rastafarians against the Babylonians. Long hair sets them apart from industrial works and invokes a complicated and troublesome relationship with the Babylonians as well as invoking Black Nationalism sentiments.

As many aspects of Rastafarian culture is borrowed from other cultures, hence some similarities. For instance, the religious symbolism can be attributed to the pre-existing African cultures and their religious organizations. Christians are applying dreadlocks as their hairstyles while Rastafarians believe in Nazarite vows. The fashion statement of dreadlocks is popular, especially among Christian business people. In South Africa, for instance, dreadlocks are used as signs, and as personal daily communication and interaction mean. Symbolism identified Rastafarian culture is substantially applied to create a shared cultural identity. However, both cultures are losing their identities. Originality and identity are vital in preserving culture as they communicate to novice members of a given culture when lost culture is lost too.