JAMAICA: ITS ETHOS

"A nation without the knowledge of its past history is like a tree without its roots."

To have a pellucid understanding of the Rastafarian emergence in Jamaica, we must delve into the roots and origin of the Jamaican society. A brief history of developments in the island, will take us along that path of human understanding which allows a people to survive.

"Xyamaca" (pronounced Yamaca) was occupied by the Amerindian Tribe of Arawaks in 1494, when the Nina, Pinta, and Santa Maria sailed over its horizon and landed with Cristopher Columbus and his crew. This was perhaps the first recorded contact by Europeans and the Arawaks. Columbus' ships were depleted of supplies. Destitute without food, water, and hope the crew began to rebel agains the navigator. Fortunately they stumbled upon a beautiful verdant island. The Arawaks observed the hostility and "hooliganism" of the Spaniards, and refused to assist them in replenishing their supplies. So Christopher Columbus in his dire situation, devised a plan to trick the Indians into helping him.

The story goes that Columbus remembered that there was to be a lunar eclipse that night. He told the Arawaks taht unless they brought him food and water, his God would be angry and would block the light of their moon from them until they relented. The Arawaks superstitious and ever so cautious, still refused. Later that night, the lunar eclipse began and the shadow crept across the moon. A great fear enveloped the Arawaks and they quickly brought large clay pots of water and food, including limes, coconuts, mangoes, roast coneys, roast pig, fish, cassava, yams, and other edibles. The eclipse soon passed and Columbus, with his ship full of vital supplies, sailed on ahead with a horde of Arawaks in hot pursuit.

Years later, following Columbus' visit, the Spaniards came in multitudes to "Xyamaca" (name given to the island by the Arawaks meaning "the land of wood and water"). The name was chosen for the island because of its numerous rivers, streams, and forestry of cotton, mahogany, mahoe, guango, and cassia trees. The Spaniards captured and colonized Jamaica (Xyamaca), slaughtering the Arawaks in the process. Soon after, the Spaniards brought in shiploads of slaves captured from the west coast of Africa. The slaves were used to work the sugar plantations.

The Spanish established Saint Jago De La Vago as the capital city of Jamaica. The Spaniards ruled Jamaica until 1665.

In 1665 the English invaded Jamaica. The Paniards fled to Cuba with some of the slaves who fought with them against the British invaders. Some slaves fought against the Spaniards and remained under the English conquerors who later colonized the island.

Under the British ruling, Port Royal became the capital city until 1692, and was the notorious home of pirates, earning a reputation of being the "wickedest city on earth". The notorious pirate - Sir Henry Morgan was commissioned as the first English Govenor of Jamaica. It wasn't until Port Royal was destroyed by a terrible earthquake of 1692, that Kingston became the new capital of Jamaica. Queen Elizabeth I of Engladn and the notorious pirate John Hawkins, established the West India Slave Trading company. Queen Elizabeth I bestowed knighthood upon John Hawkins. She commissioned a fleet of ships to Sir John Hawkins to increase the slave trading between Africa and the British West Indies. The flag ship was the Slave Ship (S. S.) Jesus of Lubeck. Another was the The S. S. Zong.

During the Atlantic voyage (the Middle Passage), any slave that was ill or became weak due to severe whippings and hostile conditions, was simply tossed overboard and fed to the sharks. After much suffering and forceful subjection to learning the English Language, slaves were told to work until "Jesus" came. The Slaves thought that meant S. S. Jesus of Lubeck, would return to take them back to Africa. But the S. S. Jesus of Lubeck and the S. S. Zong were scuttled on the Spanish Main, during one of the wars with the Samiards. Many slaves continued to hope for its arrival, which never came.

The slaves worked endless hours producing sugar, molasses, rum, mined copper, built houses, and roads. They transformed Jamaica into a salubrious resort for the English gentry. But the British wsa soon to make their first big mistake.

British slave masters concentrated a large number of slaves from Ghana, then called the "Gold Coast". They were brought in from the Fanti and Ashanti Tribes, and spoke a common language. The British named them the "Maroons". Over time they bonded and rebelled against the British. The Maroons took to the hills and mountains and won many battles over the British for decades. Led by many courageous warriors such as Cudjoe.

Quaco, and Accompong Nanny, these Ashanti natives won their independence; having a treaty signed by the British upon instruction from Queen Victoria, Sovereign of England at that time. Accompong Town became the capital for the Maroons.

August 1, 1834 Queen Victoria proclaimed the emancipation of all slaves throughout the British Empire. Queen Victoria nominated 20 million British pounds as reparation to assist the freed slaves of the Caribbean. However, the slave masters seized the money and divided it up among themselves. The ex-slaves received nothing in recompense. One could only imagine how elated the slaves were at the Proclamation of Emancipation. Some were awarded small lots of land while other were now paid a stipend for their labor.

The African slaves in Jamaica were never educated by the Spaniars and only to some extend by the English. Prior to 1834, most slaves were mainly illiterate. Now with post freedom, and faced with servicing the needs of a population overwhelmingly African, the British devised a system to keep the African-Jamaicans at the bottom of the society. They began to import immigrant workers called "indentured servants" from India and China.

The Indians were employed to maintain the sugar factories, and as proprietors of cloth, and jewelry stores. They brought with them the East Indidan mangoes, the Bombay mangoes, callaloo, engentail, bal and dahl, mango chutni, curried goat, and the renowed remarkable herb called Indian hemp or ganja" (canabis sativae).

This herb was proliferous along the banks of the river Ganges in India. The Chinese were brought in to establish the services of laundry, grocery, and restaurants. They brought with them their Chinese culture, including bok chow, chop suey, peaka pow, mahjong, and the opiate opium.

The British enacted a law instituting that only the Chinese were allowed to sell groceries. The freed African slaves were to be fish mongers and charcoal vendors.

During 19 century Jamaica, only the English were allowed to vote and Jamaica was governed by an English legislative council. The African-Jamaicans, Chinese, Indians, and many of the English citizens bonded together and became very disenchanted with the political, social, and economic conditions. Afro-Jamaicans held only menial positions, mainly to plant sugarcane for the sugar factories. There were scores of factories producing sugar, rum, and molasses. (George Washington, first president of the United States, used to trade slaves for West Indian rum). Former slaves, although emancipated, were finding it increasingly difficult to exist. Soon there were uprisings against the British. In 1865 the Morant Bay Rebellion was led by Deacon Paul Bogle from Stony Gut, St. Thomas, along with Reverent George William Gordon, a clergyman of mixed blood.

English constabulary unjustly arrested a number of Deacon Bogle's congregation in Stony Gut. They were tried and found guilty of sedition and instigating riots. Paul Bogle and his parishioners then stormed the Morant Bay Courthouse. In the ensuing battle, the custos of Saint Thomas, Baron Von Kettleholt was killed, along with many of the English gentry. The courthouse was burned to the ground and many British owned properties were destroyed. The English governor called on the British troop reserve from Kingston to quell the uprising. Deacon Bogle and Reverent Gordon were captured, hastily tried, and immediately hung. The hangings did not stem the tide of the freed slave march for justice.

Other rebellions followed. There were uprisings in Saint James, the north western part of the island, where Montego Bay, its capital city, saw much turbulence. The agitation was led by a staunch non-violent leader know as Sam Sharp.