How to Write a Rastafarian Memorial
Writing a memorial for a Rastafarian loved one is a chance to give thanks for their livity (the way they lived their values) and to honour their relationship with Jah, their House, and their community. This guide offers structure, prompts, and gentle suggestions to help you write something honest and lasting, whether you are working alone or gathering reasoning and memories from family and fellow Rastas.
Writing a memorial within Rastafarian tradition
Rastafari teaches that livity (right living, in harmony with Jah and creation) continues beyond the physical body. The death of a Rasta is not understood as an ending so much as a return: a return of the soul to Jah (the One Divine, often named through Haile Selassie I), a return toward Zion, and a continuation of the inner being among the ancestors. The bond is not broken; it is kept by reasoning, by remembering, and by living on in the way they showed.
Rastafari is a decentralised faith with several Houses: most prominently the Nyabinghi, the Bobo Shanti, and the Twelve Tribes of Israel: and beliefs around death and the afterlife vary between them. Some Rastas hold to reincarnation for the righteous, some speak of the inner essence continuing as a spiritual force, some look to a literal Zion in Africa, others to a spiritual one. Write to the particular House and family you are writing for, not to a generic idea of Rasta belief.
Scripture sits close to the heart of Rasta life, and the King James Bible (especially the Old Testament) is the text most often returned to. Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Psalm 121 are particularly cherished and often appear in memorials, reasoning sessions, and farewell rites. The tone is one of giving thanks: thanks for the life lived, thanks for the works done, thanks for the love shared.
What to include. Rasta elements
Begin with their livity: the way they lived out Rasta values in ordinary days. The honesty of their dealings, the dignity they carried, the kindness they showed strangers, the example they set for the children. Livity is not an abstract idea; it is a thousand small choices, and a memorial that names those choices honours the person better than any title or label could.
Name their House if they were affiliated (Nyabinghi, Bobo Shanti, Twelve Tribes of Israel, or another) and the elders, brethren, and sistren who walked alongside them. Mention their relationship with Jah in their own language: how they spoke of Jah at the kitchen table, the prayers they made, the way Selassie I featured in their reasoning. Their Ital diet often belongs in the memorial too: the food they cooked, the discipline they kept, the meals they fed the community.
The reasoning sessions they took part in are worth remembering by name and setting. A particular reasoning that changed the way they thought, a debate that ran late into the night, a younger Rasta they patiently taught: these specifics bring a Rasta life into focus. So does scripture they cited: the Psalms they recited from memory, the Proverbs they used to settle disputes, the verses they wrote on a wall or kept folded in a pocket.
Their music (singing, drumming, Nyabinghi chanting, reggae they loved) is a part of who they were and deserves space in the memorial. So does the way they handled prejudice, of which most Rastas have known some share. Their role in the community: as elder, as teacher, as cook, as drummer, as quiet support: finishes the picture of a life that was lived among others, not alone.
Memory prompts
Use these to gather material before you start writing, or share them with brethren, sistren, family, and fellow Rastas who knew the person and want to contribute.
- Their livity, how they lived their values in ordinary daily choices.
- Their House and community, Nyabinghi, Bobo Shanti, Twelve Tribes, or another, and the elders who walked with them.
- A reasoning session that mattered, what was discussed, who was there, what changed.
- Scripture they returned to, the Psalms, Proverbs, or other passages that lived on their lips.
- Their Ital diet, what they cooked, the discipline they kept, the meals they fed the community.
- Their relationship with Jah, how they prayed, how they spoke of Selassie I, the moments their faith carried them.
- How they handled prejudice or misunderstanding about Rasta during their life.
- Their music or drumming, songs they sang, beats they kept, recordings they wore out.
- Their teaching, anyone they mentored, especially the youth they guided into livity.
- The way they faced their final days or the end of their life.
Structure suggestions
A simple shape that holds up well, whether the memorial is a paragraph or several pages.
- Open with "Give thanks" or with a line of scripture they loved (Psalm 23, Psalm 91, or another) and a short scene from their life that anchors who they were.
- Move into their story, where they grew up, how they came into Rasta, the family they made, the work they did, the House they called home. Keep it factual but warm.
- Spend the most words on character and livity. What was it like to share a meal with them, to sit in reasoning with them, to be raised by them? Specifics are everything.
- Name their faith plainly. Jah, Selassie I, their House, the scripture they kept, there is no need to translate it for outsiders; truthful naming is enough.
- Include the voices of brethren, sistren, family, and friends. A line from a fellow reasoning brother, a memory from a daughter or son, a sentence from someone they fed at a hard time, these widen the picture.
- Close with a blessing for Zion, a wish for their soul to find rest with Jah, a line from the Psalms, or simply "more love, and rest well". Let the ending breathe.
If a blank page is too much
Writing about someone you have just lost is hard, and a blank document is sometimes the hardest part. If that is where you are right now, Cherished Book offers a free, respectful first draft built from a few short questions you can then shape with your own words and invite family and the House to add to. The AI is calibrated to take Rastafari seriously (livity, Jah, the scripture they returned to, the House they belonged to) and nothing publishes without your review. Many families find it easier to edit something gentle than to start from nothing.
Including others
A Rasta life is rarely lived alone, and a memorial is richer when it carries more than one voice.
- Ask their House first. Brethren and sistren who reasoned with them often hold stories the family never heard, and reasoning together is itself part of how Rasta mourns.
- Reach out to people they fed and helped. Anyone they cooked for, supported through a hard stretch, or quietly guided will usually want to write something.
- Invite children, grandchildren, and youth they mentored to contribute, even just a sentence each. A young person's memory of an elder's livity often carries weight no adult writing can match.
- Give people a clear prompt. "One thing you remember about how they lived their livity" works better than "send me a memory", specifics give people a way in.
- Set a soft deadline. Grief makes deadlines feel cruel; let people contribute over weeks rather than days if you have the time.
- Cherished Book lets House members, family, and fellow Rastas add their own memories, photos, and short tributes to the same memorial, so you do not have to gather everything yourself.
Frequently asked questions
Should I quote scripture in a Rastafarian memorial?
A passage that meant something to the person you are remembering is more powerful than a list. The Psalms (especially Psalm 23, Psalm 91, and Psalm 121) are particularly cherished in Rasta, and quoting one they returned to is a fitting way to anchor the memorial.
Should I mention the House they belonged to?
If they were affiliated with a particular House (Nyabinghi, Bobo Shanti, Twelve Tribes of Israel, or another) naming it plainly is more useful than vague references to "Rasta belief". It tells the reader who walked alongside them and shapes the memorial truthfully.
How long should a Rastafarian memorial be?
There is no required length. A few paragraphs that capture their livity, their House, and the people they loved is enough. Cherished Book lets you keep adding over time as more brethren, sistren, and family contribute.
Last reviewed June 2026.
Preserve their memory, together.
A collaborative memorial lets family and friends share stories, photos, and announcements, all in one place. It’s free to create.
Something not right?
We work hard to keep this content accurate and respectful. If you spot anything that could be improved, let us know.