Roots Archives Forum

Although this is not a forum about Rasta, a lot of contributors are Jamaican with knowledge about the subjects usually sung about. Yesterday I was re-reading the booklet for Yabby You's "Jesus Dread" (BAF) and I started to wonder about the Ites culture mentioned:

"You 'ave the Rasta culture, you 'ave the Bobo culture and you 'ave the Ites culture. Like you 'ave the Rasta man now, who call 'imself the wholesome Rasta man, dem worship Haile Selassie, Rasta Far I. My first home was with the Ites (heights) people - we use to 'ave a belief that the Almighty is a power wha' create Creation an' live within man. The Rasta man 'ave a belief that Haile Selassie was the returned Messiah, so you always 'ave a conflict between reasonings."

Correct me if I am wrong but I think Skelly also mentions the Ites culture in "Reggae in Holyland" during the interview.

It is not clear to me if the Ites Culture is the same Jesus Dread philosophy which Yabby adheres to, or is it just his first approach to a Rasta or near-Rasta concept of life. I do understand he is not a Rasta, or as Rough Guide of Reggae says "a rastaman of a highly individualized kind", anyway I would like more insight about the Ites culture and obviosly if you know about any other artist adhering to this.

Bless from Chile.

of course, Im not talking about Gospel Reggae, which is sth completely different, I hope you get the point...

Jah Knows !

Always remember something when you talk about Yabby You : he is one of a kind. Being a wandering child, sleeping outside, being sick from a young age, he has always live on the outskirts of the system. He has his own philosophy - that started with the "I" thing, the theory of the One and Universal "I" that lives within everyone and everything thing upon Earth. Yabby You's nickname was Youth I-an (for Iron, because he was making iron pots in a handmade furnace that almost killed him)and all the Rastas he used to live with at Waterhouse had a "I" name. This belief (Waterhouse in the 50's was like an experimental ground for rasta philosophers) brought Rasta to replace the head of positive words by "I" : I-man, I-tal food, I-ration etc....

But then again, Yabby You is Yabby You the guy who sings: be you, yabby ya be-you (be yourself).

blessedlove not from jamaica but Iman know some

yes it is true i believe the I culture was the first movement of Rastafari.Not believing Rastafari is god or anything just that the higher force was within him, just like its in InI.

I also read what you quoted once, and got interested.

I don't think it is a jesus movement.

Their center focus was on the Higher I!

Like a type of gnostic focusing on Reality which was before the creator.

You might get more information by looking to interview on youtube Mutabaruka. He said when he lived in the bush the Rastafari he lived with didn't have no bible or book and they talked about the Higher I!

I believe the Ites culture was lost after time, by new developing believes in Rastafari movement. And also you must check out Septon explains the Iniverse. He has allot of the I culture. He says there is I-world and the U-world. The open-I and blind-I ofcourse! Ites mon!

He comes in the I-world. We are all I! Haile I!

So the Ites Culture was first then they took the teaching of the Ites Culture and mix it in Rastafari culture.

And Selassie I!

H.I.M is also I!

One Love! II!