The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of RastafarianismGoing far beyond the standard imagery of Rasta--ganja, reggae, and dreadlocks--this cultural history offers an uncensored vision of a movement with complex roots and the exceptional journey of a man who taught an enslaved people how to be proud and impose their culture on the world. In the 1920s Leonard Percival Howell and the First Rastas had a revelation concerning the divinity of Haile Selassie, king of Ethiopia, that established the vision for the most popular mystical movement of the 20th century, Rastafarianism. Although jailed, ridiculed, and treated as insane, Howell, also known as the Gong, established a Rasta community of 4,500 members, the first agro-industrial enterprise devoted to producing marijuana. In the late 1950s the community was dispersed, disseminating Rasta teachings throughout the ghettos of the island. A young singer named Bob Marley adopted Howell's message, and through Marley's visions, reggae made its explosion in the music world. |
Contents
1 The Footsteps of a Spirit | 1 |
2 The Bird Hunter | 9 |
3 En Route to New York | 19 |
4 Harlem | 27 |
5 Athlyi Rogers Forerunner of the Rasta Movement | 37 |
6 Early Companions | 45 |
7 The Ethiopianists | 53 |
8 First Sermons in St Thomas | 63 |
19 Like Children of God in Paradise Interview with Blade Howell | 169 |
20 A Stroll in Paradise | 177 |
21 Howell and Bustamante | 183 |
22 The 1954 Raid | 189 |
23 The Ghettos | 201 |
24 Pinnacles Last Days | 211 |
25 God or the Devil? | 221 |
26 The New Culture | 227 |
9 Jail House | 81 |
10 The NyaBinghis | 89 |
11 The Hindu Legacy | 97 |
12 From One Prison to Another | 109 |
13 Bloody 38 | 119 |
14 Pinnacle | 125 |
15 Life in the Hills | 135 |
16 The First Raid | 145 |
17 Howell and the Women | 153 |
18 Ganja Plantation | 161 |
27 Rasta MusicKumina or Burru? | 233 |
28 Count Ossie | 241 |
29 The 1960s | 255 |
30 Reggae Stars | 275 |
31 Twelve Tribes | 283 |
32 The End | 291 |
Notes | 297 |
Index | 302 |
Back Cover | 307 |
Other editions - View all
The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism Stephen Davis,Hélène Lee Limited preview - 2012 |
The First Rasta: Leonard Howell and the Rise of Rastafarianism Stephen Davis,Helene Lee Limited preview - 2012 |
Common terms and phrases
African arrested asked Athlican Athlyi Balintine became began Blade Bob Marley boys Brother Burru Bustamante called church colonial Count Ossie culture Daily Gleaner drummers drums Ethiopia father ganja ganja trade Garvey’s ghetto Gladdy Gong Haile Selassie Harlem hélène lee hills Holy Piby Howell’s Howellites Indian island jail Jamaica journalist King of Kings Kingston knew Kumina land later leader Leonard Howell lived look Lord Marcus Garvey Marley’s Morant musicians mystical National Negro never night Nya-Binghis Ossie’s Panama Perry Henzell Piby Pinnacle Pinnacle’s play police political preaching raid Ras Tafari Rasta Rasta movement Rastafarians reggae remember rhythm road Selassie’s slaves Smith Village Spanish Town spiritual Street Thomas told took Tredegar Park Trench Town Tyneth UNIA village walk wanted Wareika West woman women yard York