Iziz!

Again this article or thread is full of the same prejudice that I expect from Trinidadians primarily that they are some EXOTIC mixes of Indian, Chinese, Egyptian, Portuguese and some black. The idea that the Indians introduced the smoking of marijuana is Outrageous! Were there Indian slaves in Trinidad back in the 16th century? The ganga herb came with the Africans and may have even been there prior to colonization. Various ones have documented the use of some herb that the Aawaks and Tainos smoked for spiritual purposes. These were folks from South America where so-calle hallucinegents are commonly found.

I don't mean any disrespect, but the author takes the power away from the Jamaicans and gives it to EAST Indians who are known for their prejudice and downright racist attitudes against Blacks. In all of my interactions with dark skin Others the East Indians are some of the worse ones. They hold on steadfastly to racist notions of black intellectual inferiority in contrast to their superior intellectual ability that places them as MODEL minorities. This piece should have been accompanied with an APPOlogy to Adam and Eve who so far as I know were born in the HOrn of Africa somewhere closer to Kenya between there and Ethiopia. I doubt that their skin was brown! They were deep dark skin black folks who smoked from the TREE OF LIFE...Please do some research on the topic of the history of the marijuana plant or herb before making these allegations.

And then again, I hesitate before I defend the enlightement of Trinidadian blacks. They are for the most part a priviledge minority of Caribbeans who were well placed with a so-called diverse and multiracial society. This has often given them the heads up and so they are often placed in higher positions to DOMINATE other blacks such as Haitians and working class African Americans. Please let's consider all of the facts before writting these outrageous claims. Also, the East Indians may have reintroduced the herb to certain ones in the ex-slave community of blacks but it seems to me that they probably help to legitimize its use. As ligther skin non-African blacks they were probably closer to the Whites and so black folks welcomed their seeming acceptance of a lifestyle stereotyped as pathological and/or deviant. I see it everyday amongst Rastas here who seek acceptance and acknowledgement from more powerful Others even baldhead black folks.

The Indians have given us a great deal but I doubt that they were as instrumental in the Rasta trod in Trinidad or anywhere else in the Caribbean. Why would they of all people encourage BLACK power and pride? In fact, even though HIM is lighter skin and there is a connection between Ethiopia and India or Indians are numerous in parts of AFrica they still hold very anti-black attitudes and see themselves as being better. I am thankful that HIM was invited to Trinidad and visited the Caribbean at the bequest of the Trinidadian prime minister. This is a historical fact, but we cannot forget why black folks may have been hesitant to invite HIM to their countries that were just beginning to experience independence even in Haiti. Black pride was popular throughout the black world in the Western hemisphere and I imagine HIM was not necessarily the image or representation of an African man that most sought to identify with!

No bad feelings but this site is for black Rasta folks to commune and learn from each other. When Others tried to distort the truth with their own misguided inputs it puts a sour note on our SOUNDS!

blessings.