I and I
Also spelled: i-n-i, ini, iyah an iyah
Meaning
A Rastafari pronoun that can mean 'I', 'me', 'we' or 'us', but always carries the idea that the speaker and Jah — and the speaker and other people — are one. It deliberately replaces 'me', which is felt to make a person an object rather than a divine 'I'.
Examples
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“I and I nah partake inna dat.”
I will not take part in that.
Singular sense, affirming the self as a divine 'I'.
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“Jah live inna I and I.”
God lives within us / within me and God together.
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“I and I a one people.”
We are one people.
Plural sense, stressing unity.
Origin
A construction of Rastafari Iyaric. Where English separates 'I' (subject) from 'me' (object) and 'you' from 'I', the doubled 'I and I' asserts that all people share one divine self through Jah.
How it's used
One of the most recognisable features of Rastafari speech. It is a theological statement as much as a pronoun — using it lightly or as mere slang misses its meaning.