Posted: Mon 11 Sep 2006 16:54 Post subject: Hinduism's Influence on Rastafarianism
There was a paper authored by an Indian scholar, which unfortunately is no longer on line, that goes into more detail on this. Many are unware of the East Indian influence throughout the Caribbean in general and on many aspects of Jamaican culture in particular. In any case, here's a link and an excerpt from an on-line article, in the Rastafarian Consciousness
Hinduism's Influence
Rastafarianism began as the beliefs of four men: Leonard P. Howell, Robert Hinds, H. Archibald Dunkley and Nathanial Hibbert. All were clergymen and all claimed to have had a revelation that the coronation of Haile Selassie signaled that he was the black messiah foretold of in the scriptures who would lead Africans out of Babylon into redemption. Howell was the most outspoken of the group and proclaimed the divinity of Selassie to all that would listen (Clarke 33,1986.) Howell's main goal was the establishment of a community of followers. In 1940 he formed the Pinnacle community in St. Catherine's. This was the first Rastafarian community. One of Howell's early followers was an Indian man remembered only as Laloo. It has been suggested that has influences on Howell may account for some of the similarities between Hinduism and Rastafarianism. Howell preferred to be referred to as Gunggunguru Maragh. The name is a combination of the three Hindi words gyan, wisdom, gun, virtue, and guru, teacher ,or translated to teacher of famed wisdom. Maragh means king (Bishton 105,1986.)
An account of the possible influences of Hindu philosophy on early Rastafarianism thought has been given by Dr. Ajai Mansingh in an article in the July 18, 1982 Daily Gleamer. Dr. Mansingh states that roughly 36,400 indentured servants were brought to Jamaica from India between 1845 and 1910, bringing with them a new religious, cultural, and social outlook. He also hypothesizes that because the Indians had a similar outlook on nature and its forces in terms of faith healings, herbal medicine, and animalism as the Afro-Jamaicans that it sparked an interest in Hindu philosophy. It has also been noted that within the Afro Christian religions there is a great respect given to the"Great Book of Magical Arts, Hindu Magic and Indian Occultism (Bishton 105,1986.)
The Rastafarians like the Hindus believe in a system of reincarnation . Rastas believe that from one birth to another the same spirit persists. Therefore, all the prophets from Jesus to Garvey to Selassie are in a sense the same. This belief is central to the understanding that they, as Africans in exile, are the chosen people- the Israelites of the old testament (Clarke 69,1986.) Dr. Mansingh also reflects on the relationship of Rastafarians to ganja, or marijuana, which was brought to Jamaica by the Indians who had used it for herbal medicine and as a hallucinogen to be used as a meditation aid for centuries. Rastafarians often refer to it Kali- a Hindu goddess whose name means"great black mother whose invoking is usually associated with the lifting of sagging spirits (Bishton 116,1986.)"Also, Reddington (1995) states that"the dreadlocked, ganja-smoking saddhu or wandering ascetic is a well known figure in India, and bands of saddhus often live in Rasta-like camps and smoke marijuana from a formally-blessed communal chalice pipe."The influence of Hinduism on Rastafarianism, though most likely not as significant as the African influences, definitely should not be overlooked when considering the development of the movements ideology.
Joined: 10 Aug 2006 {Posts: 110 } Location: Somewhere...
Posted: Tue 12 Sep 2006 13:13 Post subject:
Interesting indeed. I certainly believe that there is influence to some extent. Many of the religions in West Indies have impacted each other to some degree. From the similarities described above, this particular subject is something that deserves much more research…
Joined: 10 Mar 2006 {Posts: 235 } Location: Atlanta
Posted: Wed 13 Sep 2006 00:14 Post subject:
I recall reading an article about this in Jamaica Journal back in the seventies. There were some photographs of dreadlocked saddhus in early twentieth century Jamaica.
The founder of Rastafarianism, Leonard Howell, wrote (or redacted, since it was based on an earlier work The Royal Parchment Scroll of Black Supremacy ) his book The Promised Key under the name G.G. Maragh, a clearly South Asian name.
There is a book I have at home, whose title and author escape me at the moment, about East Indians in Jamaica. In it there's a picture from the early 20th Century of an East Indian cane cutter with dreadlocks. I'll post a picture from the book.
There are many East Indian practices that have filtered into mainstream Jamaican society, the most infamous one being the smoking of marijuana, a common practice in India. The terms ganja, kali weed, or coolie herb are used an alternative names for marijuana. All of these are Hindi or East Indian-influenced words. The penchant for jewelry, especially bangles, are said to be an East Indian influence, and of course you have the culinary influences.
If memory serves, the obeah man character from the movie “Country Man” was called Sadhu Bamba. Good cult film.
Joined: 10 Mar 2006 {Posts: 235 } Location: Atlanta
Posted: Thu 14 Sep 2006 15:50 Post subject:
G-Man wrote:
There is a book I have at home, whose title and author escape me at the moment, about East Indians in Jamaica. In it there's a picture from the early 20th Century of an East Indian cane cutter with dreadlocks. I'll post a picture from the book.
There are many East Indian practices that have filtered into mainstream Jamaican society, the most infamous one being the smoking of marijuana, a common practice in India. The terms ganja, kali weed, or coolie herb are used an alternative names for marijuana. All of these are Hindi or East Indian-influenced words. The penchant for jewelry, especially bangles, are said to be an East Indian influence, and of course you have the culinary influences.
If memory serves, the obeah man character from the movie “Country Man” was called Sadhu Bamba. Good cult film.
I think that book was the source of the article in the Jamaica Journal to which I referred. My memory insists that the author was a Dr Varna.
Abstract: Seeks to correct the many misconceptions about Indians and to highlight their significant contributions to Jamaican life. Argues that the first immigrants from India arrived in Jamaica in 1845 under indentureship contracts to work on the sugar plantations. Today, Indo-Jamaicans are to be found in every area of Jamaican cultural, professional, political and spiritual life. But the Indians remain a much-misunderstood part of Jamaican society, viewed by predominantly Christian society as heathen and generally thought of as passive and uneducated.....
Here is the picture from the book of an Indian agricultural worker wearing dreadlocks. It's from the early 1900s.
Joined: 10 Aug 2006 {Posts: 110 } Location: Somewhere...
Posted: Thu 21 Sep 2006 13:10 Post subject:
Nice pictures, here are more...
Since the first set of East Indian Indentured Labourers arrived in Jamaica between 1845-1917, Indian music, art and dance have been an integral part of the Jamaican culture. The Raja Sarangie Group was found by the late Johnny Mykoo in 1974 to promote and sustain Indian folk music and dance in Jamaica.
An acquaintance of mine who is a self described rastaman sat down one sunday while cooking some ital soup and enlightened us on the hidden past of rastafari. After graduating college he took time off to travel and ended up living in Ethiopia in a ras community with his Ethiopian girlfriend. From there he went to India which aside from being the land of his ancestors, it also was the root of rasta. From India to Jamaica throughout the Caribbean and then back to Africa in the land of Selassie. That was something new to all of us.
Curiously while in India he picked up a bug (literally) that attacked his scalp so badly he was forced to cut off his dreads in order to treat it.
'
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