The Religions Book

311

See also: Making sense of the world 20–23 ■ Social holiness and evangelicalism

239 ■ The African roots of Santeria 304–305

W

estern trade and

colonialism during the

19th century brought

modern goods in abundance to the

islands of the Pacific and, despite

the work of Christian missionaries,

this had an unexpected impact on

indigenous belief systems. Islanders

came to believe that this material

wealth, the cargo of the Western

traders, was of supernatural origin,

and had been sent to them as a

gift from their ancestral spirits, but

had been seized by the white men.

They developed the idea of a golden

age to come, when—by propitiating

their ancestors and deities with

religious rites—the cargo would be

restored to them, and the Westerners

would be driven out of their lands.

These cults sprang up in parts

of Melanesia and New Guinea,

and proliferated in the 1930s as air

transport increased. Their spread

accelerated during World War II,

when the islands were used as

bases by American and Japanese

forces, bringing in large quantities

of equipment and supplies. The

cult figure John Frum, revered

on the island of Tanna in Vanuatu,

is often depicted as an American

serviceman. As well as developing

special religious ceremonies that

frequently mimicked military drills,

with flags and uniforms, cult

followers built wharves, landing

strips, and sometimes even life-

size models of aircraft to attract

the bringers of goods.

Cargo cults persist in some

remote areas of the Pacific, but

have been largely superseded as

Western influence has spread. ■

MODERN RELIGIONS

THESE GIFTS

MUST BE

MEANT FOR US

CARGO CULTS OF THE PACIFIC ISLANDS

Followers of the John Frum cult

figure “drill” with model weapons to

attract well-stocked military vessels.

Some say the name “John Frum” was

originally “John From” America.

IN CONTEXT

KEY BELIEVERS

Pacific islanders

WHEN AND WHERE

Late 19th century, Pacific

BEFORE

Precolonial times Tribes

in Melanesia, Micronesia, and

New Guinea hold a variety

of beliefs involving ancestral

spirits as well as deities.

1790s The first Christian

missionaries arrive in the

Pacific islands.

AFTER
1945 The term cargo cult
is coined in the colonial news
magazine Pacific Islands
Monthly, and is popularized
by anthropologist Lucy Mair.

1950s Some Tanna islanders
in Vanuatu start to worship
Prince Philip, husband of
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth II,
believing him to be John
Frum’s brother, who “married
a powerful lady overseas.”