Leonard Howell

Leonard Howell was a leader from Jamaica.

He helped start a faith called Rastafari. He traveled to many places like Panama and New York. He came back home in 1932.

Howell spoke about a king in Ethiopia. He believed this king was very special. He even wrote a book about his ideas.

He started a town called Pinnacle. This was a place for his followers. His message helped many people feel proud.

Today, people follow his faith all over the world. He is remembered as a hero. Do you like to learn about leaders?

Leonard Howell was a leader from Jamaica.

He helped start the Rastafari faith. He was one of the first preachers of this movement. Many people call him "The First Rasta." In his youth, he traveled to Panama and New York. He lived abroad for about twenty years. While in New York, he met a leader named Marcus Garvey.

In 1933, Howell began to preach new ideas. He believed Haile Selassie I was the king of Ethiopia. He also believed the king was a divine being. This means he thought the king was God on earth. Howell wrote a book called "The Promised Key." This book shared his beliefs with the world.

His ideas made the leaders in Jamaica uneasy. They thought his messages were a threat. Howell was arrested and sent to jail for two years. He also spent time in a mental asylum. Later, he built a town called Pinnacle. This was a place for his followers to live. Today, the Rastafari faith is found all over the world. In 2022, the government gave him an award for his life.

Leonard Percival Howell was a very important religious leader from Jamaica.

Many people call him "The First Rasta" because he helped start the Rastafari movement. He was born on June 16, 1898, in a village called May Crawle River. His father was a tailor and his mother worked in farming. As a young man, Howell traveled to many different places. He spent about twenty years living in places like Panama and New York City. While in New York, he met a famous leader named Marcus Garvey. This meeting helped shape the ideas he would later share with his own followers.

In 1933, Howell began to share a very special belief. He told people that Haile Selassie I, the Emperor of Ethiopia, was a divine being. He believed the Emperor was the Messiah returned to earth. Howell spoke about how Ethiopia was a beautiful and sacred land. He thought the culture and language there were perfect. He wanted people to see the strength in their own African identity. To share these ideas, he wrote a book called "The Promised Key." This book explained his view of a new civilization based on the power of the Ethiopian king.

Howell's ideas were very bold and caused a lot of trouble with leaders. The authorities in Jamaica were worried about his messages. They thought his words might cause people to rebel against the colonial government. Because of his preaching, Howell was arrested and charged with sedition. This is a word for speech that is seen as a threat to the government. He was sent to prison for two years starting in 1934. Later, he was even sent to a place called Bellevue Asylum in Kingston. Even though he faced many hard times, his movement continued to grow.

To give his followers a place to live, Howell formed a commune called Pinnacle. This was located in the Saint Catherine Parish. Pinnacle became a very famous place for the Rastafari community. Howell also started a group called the Ethiopian Salvation Society in 1939. He wanted this group to help members save money and help each other. He often used the name G.G. Maragh when he was acting as a spiritual teacher. This name is thought to come from Hindi words for wisdom and virtue. He was a very strong leader who cared deeply for his people.

Today, the Rastafari faith is found in many different countries all over the world. Howell's life had many ups and downs, including a very difficult attack when he was 83 years old. He passed away in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 1981. For a long time, the government in Jamaica treated him harshly. However, things changed over the years. In 2022, the government gave him an Order of Distinction. This was a way to honor his legacy as a hero and a leader. His ideas about identity and freedom still matter to many people today.

Leonard Percival Howell was a foundational religious figure in Jamaica.

He is widely recognized as "The First Rasta" for his role in starting the Rastafari movement. Born on June 16, 1898, in May Crawle River, he was the eldest of ten children. His father, Charles Theophilus Howell, worked as a tailor and peasant cultivator. His mother, Clementina Bennett, worked as an agricultural labourer. Howell's early life involved significant travel outside of Jamaica. He spent approximately twenty years living abroad in places like Panama and New York City. During his time in New York, he joined the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). There, he met the revolutionary leader Marcus Garvey in person.

Howell's religious teachings focused on the divinity of the Ethiopian Emperor. In January 1933, he first publicly stated that Haile Selassie I was a divine being. He believed the Emperor was the Messiah returned to earth, as predicted by biblical prophecy. Howell used the coronation of Haile Selassie to validate this claim. He believed the Emperor was a descendant of King David, King Solomon, and the Queen of Sheba. This connection was supported by the medieval Ethiopian text, the Kebra Nagast. Howell taught that Ethiopia was a sacred land with a perfect, uncorrupted language. He viewed the country as a place where true social order and character were preserved.

To spread his message, Howell used various names and writings. He often used the pseudonym G.G. Maragh, or Gangunguru Maragh, to represent his spiritual side. This name is thought to combine three Hindi words: gyan (wisdom), gun (virtue), and guru (teacher). Maragh also means "great kings" or "king of kings" in Hindi. He published a book titled "The Promised Key" to explain his doctrines. In this book, he argued for a new civilization based on the power of the "Supreme Black King." His teachings emphasized a positive black racial identity. He believed Ethiopian culture would eventually overcome the Anglo-Saxon forces that had caused slavery.

Howell's bold ideas led to intense conflict with Jamaican authorities. The colonial government viewed his anti-colonial messages as a threat to public peace. In January 1934, Howell and Robert Hinds were arrested for sedition. Sedition is the act of inciting people to rebel against a government. During his 1934 trial, Howell defended himself by using a photograph of Haile Selassie. The chief justice, Robert William Lyall-Grant, sentenced him to two years in prison. Later, in 1938, Howell was sent to the Bellevue Asylum in Kingston. This happened after he was certified as insane due to his inflammatory writings. In "The Promised Key," he had even referred to the Roman Catholic Pope as "Satan the Devil."

Despite these hardships, Howell worked to build a community for his followers. He established a commune called Pinnacle in the Saint Catherine Parish. Pinnacle became a famous center for the Rastafari movement. In 1939, he also founded the Ethiopian Salvation Society (ESS). The ESS aimed to help members through collective savings and self-help. He used these secondary goals to protect the group from being seen as purely political. However, the Jamaican governor banned an ESS meeting in 1940. This was due to pressure from colonial leaders who feared the movement's international growth. Howell's leadership helped unite the working class and the peasantry against oppression.

Howell's influence extended far beyond the borders of Jamaica. His messages of Pan-Africanism and black liberation resonated with people globally. He collaborated with other important figures like Marcus Garvey and George Padmore. While many Rastafari wear dreadlocks, Howell himself never wore them. His movement grew from a local group into an international faith. Even though Jamaica gained independence in 1962, Howell remained disappointed. He had advocated for a complete severance of all ties with Great Britain. He continued to promote the idea that Africa was the true home for black people.

In his final years, Howell faced significant personal hardship. At the age of 83, he suffered a violent attack in Tredegar Park. He was badly beaten and slashed in the face. He eventually died in Kingston, Jamaica, on January 23, 1981. For many years, the Jamaican government persecuted him and his followers. However, his legacy as a hero of anti-colonialism eventually took root. In a major shift, the Jamaican government awarded him an Order of Distinction in 2022. This honor recognized his historical significance to the nation and the world.