Mansions of Rastafari

Mansions of Rastafari is an umbrella term for the various groups of the Rastafari movement. Such groups include the Bobo Ashanti, the Niyabinghi, the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and several smaller groups, including African Unity, Covenant Rastafari, Messianic Dreads, and the Selassian Church. The term is taken from the Biblical verse in John 14:2, "In my Father's house are many mansions."

Many individual Rastas are only loosely affiliated with these Mansions, or not at all, in keeping with the principle of freedom of conscience, a general distrust of institutionalism shared by many, and the teachings of Haile Selassie I as Emperor that "faith is private" and a direct relationship requiring no intermediary. Beliefs differ between the mansions, with varying views on the Bible, dreadlocks, diet, and ganja.

The Bobo Ashanti (or Bobo Shanti) group was founded by Prince Emanuel Charles Edwards in Jamaica in 1958 (prior to Jamaica's independence in 1962). The name combines 'Bobo', meaning black, and 'Ashanti', the name of a tribe from Ghana of which many of the slaves that were taken from Africa to Jamaica were members. The Bobo Ashanti advocate repatriation of all black people to Africa, and that black people should be reimbursed monetarily for slavery (reparations). The Bobo Ashanti use Revelations 5 to justify Prince Emmanuel as the reincarnation of Christ, the reincarnate Black Christ in a priestly state. By most members of the Bobo Ashanti, he was called "Prince Emmanuel Charles Edwards, without Mother or Father, a Priest of Melchezidek, the Black Christ in the Flesh." Prince Emmanuel is called "Dada" by his followers, who see him as part of a holy Trinity, in which Haile Selassie of Ethiopia is King/God (Jah), Marcus Garvey is prophet, and Emmanuel is high priest after the priesthood order of Melchizedek. Almost all sacred songs and tributes to their ancient trinity of prophet, priest, and king ends with the phrase "Holy Emmanuel I Selassie I Jah Rastafari".

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