Pimento

Pimento is an essential ingredient of Rastafarian cooking. Most people call the tree "pimento' and the berries 'allspice'. Because the pimento berry has the flavor and aroma characteristic of cloves, nutmeg, cinnamon and pepper, all combined in one spice it is called allspice.

 

 

 Scotch Bonnet

The Scotch bonnet pepper is an essential ingredient of Rastafarian cooking because of its distinctive flavor. It looks almost identical to a habanero pepper but it has its own unique flavor. To get the flavor of the scotch bonnet without the heat, which is mostly in the seeds, you can use the skin sparingly. Or use it whole in soups and remove it without breaking the skin after the soup is cooked. Scotch bonnet peppers are available at Jamaican food stores, but be careful and ask questions, because many times regular habanero peppers are sold as Jamaican scotch bonnet.

 

Callaloo

You could say that Callaloo, of Illaloo, according to Rastafarians, plays a role in the Rastafarian diet that is similar to the role Spinach plays in the American diet. But that would understate the importance of callaloo in the Jamaican and Rastafarian diet. And those who have had both agree callaloo has more going for it than spinach. Steamed callaloo is often served with breakfast, lunch and dinner. It is cooked with codfish and used in soups.

 

  Ackees

 

 

 Coconuts

Coconuts are essential to Rastafarian cooking providing both oil and flavor. The coconut is crushed and coconut milk is extracted and distilled by boiling to remove water leaving a very flavorful oil.

 

 Breadfruit

 

 Roasted Breadfruit

 

 Avocados

 

Susumba

Susumba is small green and bitter berry, but when cooked and eaten as a side dish, or cooked with salted codfish, or in the rice, has an edgy taste that transforms many dishes. It is supposed to be good for high blood pressure and the leaves are sometimes used as a home remedy for flu and colds.

Susumba should be cooked separately and the water discarded.

 

 Green Bannanas (used for cooking)

 

 Green Plantains (used for cooking)

 

 Sweet Potatoes

CULTURE

In the 1920’s, the people living in the slums of Kingston, Jamaica had little to celebrate or look forward to. They lived in grinding poverty and felt that their culture was being destroyed by white imperialism. A man named Marcus Garvey changed that when he began to preach a new philosophy called “Back to Africa.” This black self-empowerment movement taught that all blacks should move back to the home of their ancestors—Africa, but even more specifically, Ethiopa. “Look to Africa,” Garvey proclaimed in 1920, “where a black man shall be crowned king, for the day of deliverance is at hand!”

His prophetic statement resonated with Jamaicans when, in 1930, a black African named Ras Tafari Makonnen was named Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopa. His followers in Jamaica proclaimed themselves “Rastafarians” and Selassie the “Conquering Lion of the tribe of Judah.” Rastafarians believe themselves to be one of the twelve tribes of Israel. Haile Selassie claimed to be a direct descendant of King David, and as time went on, he came to be regarded by Rastafarians as a manifestation of God, or “Jah” as they call him, on earth. In Rastafarianism, there is no afterlife, and so the Kingdom on earth becomes very important.

In the beginning, Rastafarianism was much more radical than it is today. Early Rastas despised white people and taught that their culture was “Babylon”—impure, greedy, and avaricious. However, in later years, the prophet Gad, with his Twelve Tribes of Israel movement, included all men, of whatever race, in salvation. Whites can never be Rasta leaders, though, because the divine lineage comes down through the Ethiopian Monarchy: “The scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from beneath his feet, until Shiloh comes and unto him will be the gathering of the people.”

The death of Haile Selassie in 1974 shook the Rasta world. How could Jah on earth die? Some were shaken in their beliefs, while many others, especially the elderly, refused to believe his death at all and insisted it was a white media conspiracy.

Rasta culture has only grown stronger in the years since Selassie’s death, however. A major proponent of Rastafarianism in the Sixties and Seventies was Bob Marley. First with his band the Wailers and then in his solo career, this talented musician became for many the voice of Jamaica and was the first Jamaican superstar. The music of Rastafarianism was at first ska, which then mutated into reggae. Reggae music has been used for the last four decades to express the joy of Jah and Rasta and also to protest the injustices the Jamaican people have had to endure.

The average Rastafarian eats a diet of I-tal food. I-tal food is natural food that has not been preserved or chemically altered in any way. Most Rastafarians are vegetarians, though they do eat fish. Even those who do eat meat never touch pork. Alcohol is forbidden, and coffee and salt are strongly discouraged. A diet of vegetables, fruits, and seeds is considered one that will keep impurities out of the body and ward off sickness.

The most controversial aspect of Rastafarianism is probably the fact that its adherents smoke “ganga” for religious purposes. The “herb” that they smoke is an Indian strain of hemp, as opposed to the Mexican variety that is familiar in the United States. This Indian strain is much stronger, causing hallucinations and spiritual visions, and Rastafarians believe that they become one with Jah when they smoke it. This habit has always caused a lot of friction between Jamaican authorities and the followers of Rasta.

Some Rastafarians can be recognized by the long “dreadlocks” they sport. These dreadlocks represent the Lion of Judah, or Rastafarian manhood. They also speak a distinct form of the English language. Instead of saying, “you and I,” a Rastafarian will often say, “I and I,” for he truly believes that all men are one.

MUSIC

Music has long played an integral role in Rastafari, and the connection between the movement and various kinds of music has become well known, due to the international fame of musicians like Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.

Nyabinghi Music

Nyabinghi music is the most integral form of Rastafarian music.

It is played at worship ceremonies called grounations, that include drumming, chanting and dancing, along with prayer and smoking of ritual ganja. The name Nyabinghi comes from an East African movement from the 1850s to the 1950s that was led by people who militarily opposed European imperialism. This form of nyabinghi was

centered around Muhumusa, a healing woman from Uganda who organized resistance against German colonialists. The British in Africa later led efforts against Nyabinghi, classifying it as witchcraft through the Witchcraft Ordinance of 1912. In Jamaica, the concepts of Nyabinghi were appropriated for similar anti-colonial efforts, and it is often danced to invoke the power of Jah against an oppressor.  

The drum is a symbol of the Africanness of Rastafari, and some mansions assert that Jah's spirit of divine energy is present in the drum. African music survived slavery because many slaveowners encouraged it as a method of keeping morale high. Afro-Caribbean music arose

with the influx of influences from the native peoples of Jamaica, as well as the European slaveowners.

Another style of Rastafarian music is called burru drumming, first played in the Parish of Clarendon, Jamaica, and then in West Kingston. Burru was later introduced to the burgeoning Rasta community in Kingston.

Maroons, or communities of escaped slaves, kept purer African musical traditions alive in the interior of Jamaica, and were also contributing founders of Rastafari.

Popularization and recording

The first recording of Rastafarian music was perhaps made by Count Ossie. This was followed in the 1950s by various recordings of burru, as well as music of other Jamaican religions such as Pocomania. In 1953, Ossie introduced akete drums to Rastafarian communities in West Kingston, using styles and rhythms adapted from burru.

Ossie then recorded with the Fokes Brothers on "Oh Carolina", a song produced by Prince Buster. "Oh Carolina" was the first popular song from Jamaica, and the same recording session produced the ska hits "They Got to Go" and "Thirty Pieces of Silver". Ossie later became well known for other recordings (with his band, The Mystic Revelation of Rastafari) - especially 1974's Grounation, featuring roots percussion and musical styles. Ossie also recorded albums that fell solidly into the jazz category, incorporating roots percussion and traditional Rasta influences into avant-garde jazz along the lines of Sun Ra or Archie Shepp, prior to his death in 1976.

Reggae Music

Reggae was born amidst poor blacks in Trenchtown, the main ghetto of Kingston, Jamaica, who listened to radio stations from the United States. Jamaican musicians, many of them Rastas, soon blended traditional Jamaican folk music, American R&B, and jazz into ska, that later developed into reggae under the influence of soul.

Reggae began to enter international consciousness in the early 1970s, and Rastafari mushroomed in popularity internationally, largely due to the fame of Bob Marley, who incorporated nyabinghi and Rastafarian chanting into his music. Songs like "Rastaman Chant" led to the movement and reggae music being seen as closely intertwined in the consciousness of audiences across the world (especially among oppressed and poor groups of African Americans and Native Americans, First Nations Canadians, Australian Aborigines and New Zealand Maori, and throughout most of Africa). Other reggae musicians with strong Rastafarian elements in their music include Toots and The Maytals, Burning Spear, Black Uhuru, Ras Michael, Prince Lincoln Thompson, Bunny Wailer, Prince Far I, Israel Vibration, Bad Brains and literally hundreds more.

Some orthodox Rastas disdain reggae as a form of commercial music and "sell-out to Babylon." To others, it is "JAH Throne Music".

Reggae Music on the move

Reggae may be used in a broad sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, including ska, rocksteady, dub, dancehall and ragga. The term may also be used to distinguish a particular style that originated in the late 1960s. Reggae is founded upon a rhythm style

which is characterized by regular chops on the back beat, known as the "bang", played by a rhythm guitarist, and a bass drum hitting on the third beat of each measure, known as "one drop." Characteristically, this beat is slower than in reggae's precursors, ska and rocksteady. Reggae is often associated with the Rastafari movement, which influenced many prominent reggae musicians in the 1970s and 1980s. However, the subject matter of reggae songs deals with many subjects other than Rastafari, with love songs, sexual themes and broad social commentary being particularly well-represented.

Roots Reggae

Roots is the name given to specifically Rastafarian reggae music. It is a spiritual type of music, whose lyrics are predominantly in praise of Jah (God).

Recurrent lyrical themes include poverty and resistance to government oppression. The creative pinnacle of roots reggae is arguably in the late 1970s, with singers such as Johnny Clarke, Horace Andy, Barrington Levy, and Lincoln Thompson teaming up with studio producers including Lee 'Scratch' Perry, King Tubby, and Coxsone Dodd. The experimental pioneering of such producers within often restricted technological parameters gave birth to dub music, and is seen by some music historians as one of the earliest (albeit analogue) contributions to the development of techno.

Roots reggae was an important part of Jamaican culture, and whilst other forms of reggae have replaced it in terms of popularity in Jamaica (Dancehall for instance), roots reggae has found a small, but growing, niche globally.

Reggae Music Fesitvals

Jamaican reggae music festivals

Reggae Sunsplash, Ocho Rios, Jamaica, Sting reggae music festival, Kingston, Jamaica Reggae Sumfest, Montego Bay, Jamaica

Rasta Music

Bob Marley (1945–1981), musician and singer (converted to Ethiopian Orthodox Church before death)  

Damian Marley (1978–), musician and singer  

Ziggy Marley (born 1968), musician and singer  

Peter Tosh (1944–1987)  

Bunny Wailer, reggae singer (born April 10,1947)  

Burning Spear (born 1948), musician and singer  

Joseph Hill, musician and singer  

Lincoln Thompson, (1949-1998), musician and composer  

Prince Far I (1945-1983) Toaster  

Cedric Myton, composer and musician  

Buju Banton (born 1973), dancehall and ragga musician and singer  

Ras Michael, musician and singer  

Sizzla, musician and singer  

Bad Brains (1977-), hardcore punk band  

Wadada Leo Smith, jazz musician and composer  

Jah-Cure, Reggae singer  

Gentleman, German Reggae Singer  

Everton Blender, Reggae Singer  

Anthony B, Reggae Singer and DJ  

Richie Spice, Reggae Singer  

Mutabaraka, Poet and Reggae Musician  

Augustus Pablo, Reggae Musician

CLOTHING

The black is for Africa. The red is for the blood of all living things in the world. The gold is for all of the treasures in the world that people cherish. The green

is for the earth that people walk on, to which Rastas feel a special connection. These colours represent the Rastafari way of life. They were often proudly displayed by Bob Marley, one of the leading people in the rastafarian movement.

The clothing worn in the West Indies is very comfortable yet the designs are very elaborate. As the weather is quite hot most people wear light clothing. There are different typed of clothing for different styles. The people of West Indies almost always dress traditionally.      

  Rastafarians are a modest and deeply religious set of people. They mostly wear the traditional African type clothing, done mainly in the Rasta colours, khaki or white. The men generally wear loose fitting pants and African or military styled shirts. These are usually made from cotton, crocus bag or other natural fabrics. Badges are used to decorate the clothing, mostly of Marcus Garvey, Haile Selassie or Bob Marley. Head gear is often worn by both males and females in the form of tams or turbans. The Women wear long skirts and dresses, most of their clothing are self-made and their tams and sandals are usually hand knitted in the rasta colours. Rastafarians are very self reliant, the men usually make brooms, mats, baskets and other item out of straws. Many of them are farmers. The women usually make ethnic jewelry and knit tams, shoes and other articles of clothing for sale.

          . All Rastafarian clothes are the colours green, red, and gold which are the colours of the Ethiopian flag. It is modelled from the Ethiopian flag because many West Indians traced their roots back and found that they were originally from Ethiopia. A lot of west Indians were encouraged to do this by the emperor of Ethiopia. The tam is considered one of the most precious Rastafarian clothing items; the tam is used as a hat for dreadlocks. Rastafarian clothing has to be made out of natural fibres. In the summer you can also catch Caribbean people wearing normal shorts, sandals, hats, and shirts.       

               Rastafarian Clothing                         The Tam

                                              

 

   

Submitted by: Dana-Lee Andrews

Submitted to: Mrs. I. Dillon

Class: Commercial Food Preparation 1