Patriarch Henry Archibald Dunkley was a seaman with the US owned United Fruit Company. After returning to Jamaica in December 1931 he changed professions and started to preach the message of Rastafari as the Son of God. He is said to have arrived at this conclusion after two and a half years of Bible study that allowed him to see and interpret the emergence of Haile Selassie as the "Messiah whom Garvey had prophesied". In the middle of 1933, Dunkley came to public attention while preaching this message in downtown Kingston particularly in the slums of West Kingston where he resided.

 

Dunkley and Hibbert are known to have worked together sometimes and jointly founded the EWF - Local 17, which subsequently dissolved, to facilitate the early teaching of this message concerning The Emperor. Perhaps one of the most unique features of Dunkley was his use of a sword at meetings, a feature more characteristic of Revivalism and Orisha religious traditions than Rastafari. Oddly enough, it was reported that Dunkley was averse to Revivalist practices. Dunkley, as did Howell and Hinds, experienced a number of police arrests and imprisonments because of the message he was advocating.