The John Frum Movement and the Legacy of World War II in the South Pacific

The John Frum Movement and the Legacy of World War II in the South Pacific

In the remote South Pacific, on the rugged island of Tanna in what is now the nation of Vanuatu, one of the most fascinating and misunderstood religious movements of the modern era continues to endure. Known as the John Frum Movement, it is often described as a cargo cult. That’s a term used by anthropologists to explain belief systems that arose when Indigenous societies encountered the overwhelming material power of industrialized nations. Yet…