An Emergent Ethnomedicine: Rastafari Bush Doctors in the Western Cape, South Africa Item Type text; Electronic Dissertation Authors Philander, Lisa Erin Publisher The University of Arizona. Rights Copyright © is held by the author. Digital access to this material is made possible by the University Libraries, University of Arizona. Further transmission, reproduction or presentation (such as public display or performance) of protected items is prohibited except with permission of the author. Download date 07/10/2021 05:55:20 Link to Item http://hdl.handle.net/10150/194334 AN EMERGENT ETHNOMEDICINE: RASTAFARI BUSH DOCTORS IN THE WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA By Lisa Philander Copyright ©Lisa Philander 2010 A Dissertation Submitted to the Faculty of the GRADUATE INTERDISCIPLINARY PROGRAM IN ARID LANDS RESOURCE SCIENCES In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements For the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In the Graduate College THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA 2010 2 THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA GRADUATE COLLEGE As members of the Practice Inquiry Project Committee, we certify that we have read the practice inquiry project report prepared by Lisa Philander entitled “An Emergent Ethnomedicine: Rastafari Bush Doctors in the Western Cape, South Africa” and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the dissertation requirement for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. _______________________________________________Date: August 27, 2010 Paul Robbins-Professor and Head, School of Geography and Development _______________________________________________Date: August 27, 2010 Mark Nichter-Regents' Professor and Professor of Anthropology, Public Health, Family Medicine _______________________________________________Date: August 27, 2010 Suzanne Fish-Professor of Anthropology and Curator Arizona State Museum _______________________________________________Date: August 27, 2010 Leslie Gunatilaka-Professor; Director, Natural Products Center Final approval and acceptance of this practice inquiry project is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of the final copies of the practice inquiry project to the Graduate College. I hereby certify that I have read this practice inquiry project prepared under my direction and recommend that it be accepted as fulfilling the practice inquiry project requirement. _______________________________________________Date: August 27, 2010 Dissertation Director: Paul Robbins- Professor and Head, School of Geography and Development 3 STATEMENT BY THE AUTHOR This dissertation has been submitted in partial fulfillment of requirements for an advanced degree at The University of Arizona and is deposited in the University Library to be made available to borrowers under rules of the Library. Brief quotations from this dissertation are allowable without special permission, provided that accurate acknowledgement of source is made. Requests for permission for extended quotation from or reproduction of this manuscript in whole or in part may be granted by the copyright holder. SIGNED: Lisa Philander 4 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Many people helped to make this work possible but I would like to begin by acknowledge those who contributed to this research with their expertise on local plant uses: Sista Herbs; Doctor Gad Fluffy; Hirathito Roltland; Josheph Angelo; Ruben, Levite Enoch, Congo Dada and Isaac Lormore of Kraaifontain, Appollis Levi Morris Isaac Lorimore, Ras Judah Jonathan, D. Zebulon Silwer, Freddie Asher Davids, Wayne Benjamin Klassen, Morkel, John Ontong, Simon Fire Eyes Swartz and Christopher Zebulon Warries from Paarl, Jean Pierre James, Sarel Botha, Paul de Bryun, and Franz Judah Martinez of Franschoek; Christopher Naftali Saayman, Gad, Brian Dan, Simion of Atlantis; Neville and Ruben van Schallwyk of Hillview; Johnnie Malgas Bobo Asher, Rubern, Judah of Knysna; Craig Joubert, Brian Olsen, Carlo Randall, and “Mama” Dorothy Williams from Cape Town; Johannes Asher Ewerts, Beano Ewerts, Warrior from Oudtshorn, Isacc and Asher of Clotesville, Bobo Black, Daniel Ocean, Levi- Benjamin and Zebulon from Ocean View, Kelvin (Gad) Ferguson of Delft, Patrick (Ruben) Cornelius of Groverwatch; Johnny Vercuil of Pieketberg; Martinez (Levi) Daniels of Porterville; Naftali Green and Judah Bobo Brown of Citrusdahl; Leonard Vilijoen of Vredenburg; Lionel Cloete, William Cloete of Nabeep; Brian Korah Damonse and Gustav Mowers of Stellenbosch. I thank my PhD committee members at the University of Arizona: to Professor Paul Robbins, my committee chair, thank you for teaching me to extract the theoretical from the details and for your dedication to the facilitation of this research. To Dr. Barron Orr, who helped me focus on the research design, implementation and analytical verification. 5 To Professor Suzanne Fish, thank you for mentoring and motivating me regarding the breadth of ethnobotanical discovery. Your creative mentoring has inspired me to continue this work further. To Professor Leslie Gunatilaka, thank you for a broader and more global background in medicinal plant science with an emphasis on horticultural applications. I also appreciate your attention to detail surrounding the plant materials in this work. To Mark Nichter, thank you for your enthusiasm and continued demand for excellence, which I found particularly inspiring. I would also like to recognize my committee at Stellenbosch University who provided assistance and direction while I was in the field. To Dr. Nakwanda Makunga, thank your for your through provoking questions and encouragement to improve my research. To Professor Karen Esler, thank you for your insightful contributions to this dissertation. To Dr. John Manning, thank you for helping to identify hundreds of botanical specimens. To Rupert Koopman, thank you for helping to organize confirmation meetings between SANBI and the bush doctors. I would like to thank my colleagues from the University of Arizona for contributing to discussions and revisions of this research. In particular, to Kim Kelly, whose continued insight and motivation was inspirational, and for her revisions on Chapter 4. To Tim Aston, whose revisions polished the entire document. I would like to thank my research assistants, Carlo Randall, Ruben Van Schalkwyk, and SistaHerbs, for their tireless identification of plant names, Afrikaans translations and for facilitating countless meetings with Rastafari. 6 I thank those who made this research was made possible through a fellowship from The Science Foundation of Arizona and with funding from the National Research Foundation of South Africa and Stellenbosch University. I am very grateful to my family who supported me throughout this process, many of whom I stayed with throughout my fieldwork. To Marlene, Heidi, Guido, Laylaa De Villiers, Auntie Sybbie Philander, Auntie Leshia Jacobs, Gail Jacobs, Kay Von Willingh, and Melissa Von Willingh. I most graciously thank George and Hilda Philander for opening their house and their lives to me. My most sincere and heartfelt thanks to my family, especially my parents Eileen McKee and Dennis Philander, Chris Kaczor, Ryan Philander and Ali Philander for their continued support, encouragement and inspiration. 7 DEDICATION For my new husband. 8 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT...................................................................................................................... 15 CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION............................................................................... 17 CHAPTER TWO: RASTAFARI IN THE WESTERN CAPE......................................... 25 Introduction....................................................................................................................... 25 What is Rastafari?............................................................................................................. 27 A Socio-Spiritual Movement ............................................................................................ 29 Ethiopian Symbolism........................................................................................................ 31 Syncretic religions in Jamaica .......................................................................................... 33 Obeah............................................................................................................................ 33 Myal .............................................................................................................................. 34 Revivalism..................................................................................................................... 35 Jamaican Zionists ......................................................................................................... 36 African Zionist .............................................................................................................. 38 Kumina (Cumina).......................................................................................................... 38 Convince ....................................................................................................................... 39 History of Rastafari........................................................................................................... 41 Garveyism ..................................................................................................................... 41 Repatriation .................................................................................................................. 42 Haile Selassie visits Jamaica.......................................................................................