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Re: Rastafari and controversial teachings

"Can someone tell the meaning of Ras Teferi and Fatari."

In Amharic the word Ras means head and Teferi means one to be greatly feared and Fatari means creator. Do not confuse the two words as they are separate and apart with their own separate meanings.

For example if the I had a headache in amhamric it translates to rasmatat. Matat meaning ache or pain and of course ras meaning head.

"Can someone tell the reason why His Majesty was crowned Emperor Haile Selassie I."

In Ethiopia there are many by the name Haile Selassie but H.I.M. was the first to be crowned Emperor with that name, hence Emperor Haile Selassie I.

"Can someone tell the first time H.I.M. was given the name Haile Selassie and why H.I.M. became Emperor Haile Selassie I. Note the difference. There was a time when he was Haile Selassie and then he became Emperor Haile Selassie I. This is important to clear up a lot of misunderstandings."

When H.I.M. was born on the 23rd of July 1892, he was given the name Teferi Makonnen. One will note that his fathers first name is Makonnen. In Ethiopia the child always gets the first name of his father as his last name, hence Teferi Makonnen. That name was given by his parents. Forty days after his birth he was baptised by the Ethiopian Orthodox Church which by the ways is customary and was given the Christian name Haile Selassie which means Power of the Holy Trinity. It is important to note that names are given by the church according to the time of the month or period during which the child or adult is babptised. In the case of the Emperor he was baptised during a time of the Holy Trinity.

For example the runner from Ethiopia that won the gold medal at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, Australia. His baptismal name is Haile Gabre Selassie, which means Powerful servant of the Holy Trinity. It is obvious that Gabre means servant. I hope I brought some clarification here.

"Is Lords of Lords an Ethiopian title or is it just an Isrealite title from the bible?"

It is not an Ethiopian title and has never been an Ethiopian title and it is certainly not one of the titles given to the Emperor at his coronation

"Is it right to call H.I.M. Lords of Lords if it is not an Ethiopian title and he certainly was never given that title at his coronation?"

If we intend to get rid of the controversy, I am contending that we refer to H.I.M. by his titles according to Ethiopian customs and not by folkloric customs.

"What is the meaning of Nyahbinghi? Does it really means death to black and white oppressors?"

This is probably the most controversial word in the history of the Rastafari Movement. First off let I state that it does not mean death to black and white oppressors. That term(death to black and white oppressors) was first uttered by the Mau Maus in Kenya during the uprisings of the 1930's just around the time of the rising of the Rastafari Movement in JA. The term Nyahbinghi first came to the Movement when they read of the Mau Mau uprising in publications by Marcus Garvey who reported on any events that were pertinent to the upliftment of the black race.

The Mau Maus actually employed the spirit of Queen Nyahbinghi who was a warrior woman from Rwanda who fought valiantly against the slavers and colonialist during the 18th century. During that time she said "death to all white oppressors". We see during the Mau Mau rebellion that they had come to the realization that their oppressors weren't only white but also black. I would suggest that ones and ones do an in depth research on the Mau Maus and all this will come to light.

Now in the 1930's when the early brethrens and sistrens of Rastafari heard this term they immediately took it on as a slogan against the colonialist that ruled the island of Jamaica and rightly so said "death to all black and white oppressors". Many of those early brethrens and sistrens do know the true meaning of Nyahbinghi which is "woman who possesses many things/everything". There are brethrens who will tell you that "I naw sey Nyahbinghi because I naw give praise to no ooman". That in itself will tell those who don't really know that Nyahbinghi is a woman's name. It is an Afrikan name. It is used in 5 states on the Continent. Namely Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. In Zimbabwe it has two spellings. One is Nyahbinghi and the other is Nyameche. This variation of the name Nyahbinghi can also be found in Kenya. But it means the same "woman who possesses many things/everything".

"Do people realize that the Oromo people are the majority in Ethiopia?"

Yes they are and will be for a long time. At this present time they are seeking their nationality. I know that there are a group of Oromo people gathered here in the US, particularly based in Minnesota that is receiving 'aid' from the US govt. to eventually assume power in Ethiopia. But I'n'I know that if you lie in bed with dogs you must get up with fleas. And we know who are the ticks and fleas that can take over. I am not saying that the Oromo people are ticks and fleas. I am saying they ought to be careful of who is coming to dinner.

Unlike some reports we have seen, where the Oromos are claiming that H.I.M. was cruel to them, ones can speak to some sensible and reasonable people from said tribe and will hear a totally different story. If one was to speak with an elder Oromo person they would tell you in a heartbeat that during the time of His Majesty's reign it was the best time for Ethiopia. A lot of what we see happening in Ethiopia and that is politically, stems from outside manipulation by American and European powers whom are getting ready to plant themselves in the horn of Afrika to rob its wealth and to do so they must instigate a civil/tribal war in Ethiopia. At present it is the Tigrean govt. that is in power. They are a minority compared to the Oromo people. The Tigrean govt. has been persecuting the Amhara, the Galla, etc. and in particular the Oromo people. Many of them have had to escape Ethiopia in fear for their lives because of the tyranny of this present Tigrean govt. And trust I, I am not naive enough to think that if the Oromo people gains power they in turn will persecute the weaker tribes in Ethiopia also. However one must realize that it is not the sum total of the Oromo people whom are like this and agrees with this tribal conflict. Many of the Oromo people still see everyone as Ethiopians and they do have a huge amount of respect for the Rastafari people in Shashemane.

"Why did H.I.M. grant us land in a predominantly Oromo territory? Was H.I.M. trying to show us something? What could that be?"

Him knew their would come a time when this conflict would arise. He knew without a doubt that the Oromo people would seek their nationality. I mean he had to know that their were some resentment building after he changed the national language to Amharic, etc. He also knew the nature of the tribal leaders. They weren't always in agreement with everything he did for the upliftment of Ethiopia. The I them know that the tribal cheifs they fought hard against H.I.M. when he tried to end slavery in Ethiopia. The Oromo of course being the majority would of course possess the most amount of slaves, so therefore they would have been the most antagonistic towards H.I.M.'s policies. So today we see a lot of propaganda coming from factions of the Oromo people especially those who reside in the US.

We as Rastafari people should listen carefully to what these people have to say but never at anytime should we take sides. We have a tendency to beLIEve because His Majesty is Amhara that only they have a right to Ethiopia. Well if we follow H.I.M's teachings we will see that he advocated for Ethiopians and not just the Amhara people. It is only because customs gave the Emperor the right to conduct the business, politics and religion of Ethiopia in HIS language why Amhara became the national language. If the Emperor was of the Oromo people he would have made Oromorigne the official language also. H.I.M. was just going by tradition of rule and order.

One Perfect Love from the Blackhearted Ithiopian.

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Rastafari and controversial teachings
Re: Rastafari and controversial teachings
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Re: Rastafari and controversial teachings


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