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Revision as of 10:23, 2 April 2009 by Thinktankdrinkdank (talk | contribs)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff)Famed Jamaican outlaw Ivanhoe 'Rhyging' Martin, died of gunshot wounds sustained during a shootout with police officers on September 9, 1948, in Lime Cay, Jamaica.
Though the name inherited by the infamous criminal/anti-hero is spelled Rhyging (as seen in print ripped from the headlines of the Jamaican Gleaner.) The legendary name Rhyging is often pronounced in Jamaican patois (patwa) as Rhygin' (pronounced as though the letter 'g' at the end were silent)
The story of Rhyging as it appears in Jamaican folklore is more like a fairy tale as told by retired policeman Eustace Wade who is also the neighbour of football legend Norman Smith as well former Arnett Garden's intelligent midfielder affectionately nicknamed 'Senna',and may also be credited as the leader of the raiding party on the Cay.
He was the inspiration for the film The Harder They Come starring Jimmy Cliff as Ivanhoe Martin and directed by Perry Henzel although not many people realised that Ivan as played by Jimmy Cliff was actually short for Ivanhoe
Rhyging is a Jamaican word meaning as much as 'hot', 'bad'. Though often (dis)regarded as the initial rude boy, ahead of his time, Jimmy Cliff refers to him rather as a kind of Jamaican Robin Hood, who was "very much on the side of the people".