Unique to Tanna, the John Frum cult or religion believes that an American dressed in a WWII uniform, named John Frum will one day shower their remote island with cargo containers full of untold riches.
John Frum first appeared to them in 1930’s, then again dressed in a WWII uniform, and is still believed today that he will return to shower them with planeloads and shiploads of cargo from America. Houses, clothing, food, transportation, entertainment, and coca cola.
They truly believe that if they pray to this mysterious John Frum, he will reappear from the Volcano with which he lives. Evidently he moves between Vanuatu and America by going down thru the volcano and under the sea.
How did the Cargo Cult Get Started?
The “cargo cult” started in villages in the South Pacific during World War II, when hundreds of thousands of American troops poured into the islands from the skies and seas. Which makes sense why they believe more Americans will come in the same manner.
They celebrate John Frum day in February which is a huge celebration spread over 6 days. With much dancing, singing, eating, and kava.
We Visit the John Frum Village
They are known to perform one-of-a-kind song and dance that is extremely rare to witness. The John Frum village is located in Sulfur Bay which is just one bay over from Port Resolution where we are staying.
Dances are held on Friday nights, when songs of praise are sung to the tunes of American battle hymns. Unfortunately, we were not able to attend a Friday night celebration, but we did organize our own celebration.
We asked our tour guides to organize a visit of this very unique village. They don’t get many visitors here, so when a truck load of white show up we were entertainment for the children.
The Village
The homes are very modest, home made with thatch roofs. Their dinner roams freely including tons of chickens and pigs.
Their loved ones are buried in their yards as is the custom in Vanuatu. The kids of all ages play freely outside with lots of laughter echoed through the small village.
The Hardly Heard Song of the John Frum Villagers
As dark descends upon us we are called to the center of the village where a few elders and the children gather. They tell us that they will sing for us but because they were not prepared they cannot perform their dance. With much disappointment we manage to put on our smiles to encourage them to sing. It was really lovely to hear them harmonize with each other using a simple guitar.
Check out God is American video all about the John Frum movement.
I know this is not for everyone and you may have to suspend your beliefs, but it was truly wonderful to meet these villagers whose beliefs are strong.
They are a very loving and welcoming tribe full of joy and happiness. They may not have much but it doesn’t seem to matter because they have one another.
Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events. This blog post occurred in early June. In our last blog post we share our adventures across Tanna.