The objective of this thesis is to examine the patterns of residence and inheritance of rural Rastafarians of Jamaica. A historical materialist perspective is used to investigate the development of the matrifocal rural peasantry and the Rastafari movement, focusing on major economic changes which laid the foundation for the present cultural patterns. Ethnographic fieldwork was carried out from January to June 1995, in which a participantobservation methodology was used to gather data concerning patterns of residence and inheritance of 22 Rastafarians. The findings demonstrated that rural Rastas have difficulty practicing their ideal patrilineal patterns due to economic and material conditions; poverty and limited access to land impose limitations on patterns of residence and inheritance. Following a period of isolation after converting to the movement, Rastas generally must return to their mother's family to gain access to land and gardens or continue to squat in the mountains on government or private land. / Department of Anthropology