The Twelve Tribes of Israel is a Rastafari religious group and one of the Mansions of Rastafari. Its headquarters is on Hope Road in Kingston, Jamaica. The group was formed in 1968 by Vernon Carrington. The twelve tribes are based on the teachings of The Holy Bible, particularly the Books of Genesis and Numbers in the Torah (the first 5 books of the Old Testament/Tanakh in the Christian Bible). It is the most liberal of the Rastafarian orders and members are free to worship in a church of their choosing. Each member of this sect belongs to one of the Twelve Tribes (or Houses), which is determined by Gregorian birth month and is represented by a color, a part of the body, and a character trait, often called a "faculty." The standard Israelite calendar begins in April; the twelve tribes being Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph, and Benjamin. Although the twelve representations apply to male and female alike, Dinah, though not considered a tribe, is representative of the feminine. Members of this order are not required to be turbaned, however, they do wear red, gold, and green banners at meetings and, by male members, during prayer and Bible readings as a holy garment similar to the Jewish Tallit. The Twelve Tribes of Israel functions internationally and has "churches" in many different countries.
Bob Marley was a noted member. Other artists associated with the group include Sangie Davis, Fred Locks, Little Roy, and Pablove Black. The group had an association with the Jah Love sound system in the 1970s.