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John Frum is given his marching orders
More articles on this topic: Cargo CultsFOR 60 years, the people of Tanna island shunned Christianity in the belief that a mysterious saviour called John Frum would bring them boundless wealth.
Now, in the flower-filled heartland of Vanuatu’s cargo cult, the Bible is making a comeback. Even Sulphur Bay, the village that was for a long time the site of weekly celebrations in John Frum’s name, is in the grip of a Christian conversion.
A Presbyterian pastor has persuaded the villagers to attend Sunday church services and allow their children a Western education.
The turnaround has split John Frum believers and put in doubt the future of the main religious belief among Tanna’s 26,000 islanders.
Squatting in his village meeting hut, Chief Isaac Wan pondered the predicament of the movement he has led for 30 years. So incensed is Chief Wan by the incursion of Christianity that he moved cult headquarters half a mile away to the village of Lamakara.
Chief Wan and his followers believe that Christian influences threaten Tannese kastom; that children should not go to school, and that John Frum will arrive.
“When he comes we will have riches,” he said. “We will have lorries, iceboxes and concrete houses. We will have education. We will be free.
“But many villages are getting Christianity, and Christianity will destroy us. John told us to stand for our custom and culture. Possibly the people are tired of waiting.”
The cult is virtually exclusive to Tanna, one of the southernmost islands in the South Pacific nation, formerly the New Hebrides, which gained independence in 1980 from its joint rulers, Britain and France.
Accounts of John Frum’s origins are as copious as they are colourful, but it is broadly agreed that he first appeared in human form in the late 1930s or early 1940s.
He told the islanders to throw down the Bible and keep kastom – Bislama pidgin for preserving their traditional ways. Those who heeded his words would be rewarded with wealth.
The movement snowballed after the Second World War when the Tannese returned to their villages after working for American forces. They were stunned by the aircraft, jeeps and refrigerators, cigarettes, canned food and Coca-Cola.
They decided that John Frum was American – perhaps John frum America. To encourage his return, they engaged in rituals, and twice daily hoist the American and US navy flags.
On Feb 15 – John Frum Day – men stage military-style marches, with “USA” emblazoned on their backs and spears slung over their shoulders to represent rifles.
The red cross – first seen on American first aid tents – became a powerful symbol for the group, with dozens erected across the island.
But the missionaries stayed and John Frum cult leaders are seeing their influence wane as Presbyterians, Catholics and Seventh Day Adventists make gains.
Some say John Frum has already delivered in the shape of an airport, a wharf and plentiful vehicles. Vanuatu people fly planes and run businesses in line with John Frum’s prophecies. Others say the movement was doomed when the John Frum political party won a seat in parliament.
Sulphur Bay, a village of 200 people, lies beside a black sand beach in the shadow of Mount Yasur, an active volcano. To reach it, visitors must cross a volcanic plain, ford a lake and endure a bone-rattling ride down a pot-holed track.
Chief James Thru, the community leader, endorsed the return of the Presbyterian church and chose Maliwan Taruayi, 27, a great-nephew, to train as the village pastor.
“Many people have mixed up John Frum’s messages over the years,” said Chief Thru. “Now we are trying to correct the mistakes of our ancestors. In the 1940s, Christianity was destroyed and people turned to John Frum. Now the young people know that times are changing and the movement must develop.
“The Bible says you must sweat to receive. You cannot expect things to fall from the sky. People still hope the riches will come, but maybe they have been delivered.
“John and Jesus speak the same message. Perhaps they are the same person.”
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