Tag Archives: vanuatu

The Cargo Cult in Tanna

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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.

Touring Tanna: Part I

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A group of our cruiser friends decide to take a tour of Tanna.  This beautiful island is famous for several things:

  • Mt. Yasur which we will dedicate a blog post to
  • The “World’s Largest Banyan Tree”
  • Tanna’s Baha’i House of Worship
  • John Frum’s cargo cult village (separate blog post)

We start our tour by driving below the majestic Mt. Yasur active volcano.  This is the world’s most accessible live volcano and we plan to visit it up close and personal soon.  It was so very interesting to see the change in the landscape.  It went from lush green foliage to desolate lava land.

I was in awe of the volcano and its surroundings and cannot wait to share our adventure as we hike to the caldera.

The Fresh Market

We stop in Lenakel which is the “main town” in the southern tip of Tanna.  We pick up some fresh produce at the market, local currency, and some SIM cards.  I love how they make their baskets out of leaves and everything is locally harvested.

After a leisurely breakfast and shopping we hope back in our Ute and head to what they claim to be the “world’s largest banyan tree.”  I will say it truly is a massive tree which spans across 200 meters and stands 80 meters tall.

World’s Largest Banyan Tree

Our guide walks us down a small, dirt path into the valley where the natural surroundings and undisturbed ecosystem send chills up your spine.  All you hear are the birds in the trees, you smell the flora, and see the beauty.  

The tree is located near the Leitouapam villages (there are two and they take turns giving tours) which is about 15 minutes from the town of Lenakel.  You pay a $2000VT fee for the 30-45 minute tour.  

Nobody really knows how old the tree is but rumors are that this tree was immense long before Captain Cook arrived in 1774.

Interesting enough, there are male and female banyan trees.  Male trees grow as one large trunk whereas a female has one main trunk which then grows branches that grow out and descend to take root in the ground.  These air branches can grow hundreds of meters wide, like our beauty below.  

It looks like a lot of unique trees in the photos, but in reality it is one beautiful, old female tree with thousands of air branches that have embedded themselves into the ground to feed the entire tree.

Tanna Baha’i House of Worship

Baháʼí Houses of Worship are open to both Baháʼís and non-Baháʼís for prayer and reflection. All Baháʼí Houses of Worship have a round, nine-sided shape and are surrounded by nine pathways leading outwards and nine gardens. Baháʼí literature envisages Houses of Worship surrounded by a number of dependencies dedicated to social, humanitarian, educational, and scientific pursuits.  There are currently 14 Baha’i Houses of Worship as of 2023.

The Tanna Baha’i House of Worship has no windows and now walls.  As is custom, it has 9 doors (entryways) and 9 paths leading to unique gardens.  It is truly a peaceful and breathtaking setting.

They select the locations based on peace and spiritual settings.

There are no priests and they welcome all religions into their sanctuary.  It is said that only one house of worship is allowed in each continent. They also believe in total equality for men and women.

Here is a website for the Baha’i House of Worship in Vanuatu.

Our last stop is the very unique john Frum Cargo Cult Village.  This required it’s own blog post so stay tuned and learn why they believe an American WWII veteran is believed to bring untold riches to this tiny village on Tanna.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred in early June.  Learn more about the beautiful island of Tanna from our last blog post.

The Island of Tanna

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Our first port of call in Vanuatu is Port resolution on the island of Tanna.  It is beautiful, green, and full of friendly people!  As we were approaching Tanna, her beautiful, active volcano, called Mt. Yasur was showing off.

The top photo shows the volcano and the little bay (to the right) where we are anchored.

Port Resolution is a beautiful bay with black sand beaches, hot pools, and smoking caves.  We go ashore to the Port Resolution Yacht club (also known as Nipikinamu Yacht Club) first because we have to clear in.  Lucky for us it gives us a chance to walk around afterwards.  In the lower photo you can see the school on top of the ridge.

The Nipikinamu Yacht Club was recently destroyed in a cyclone so they have a temporary space set up for gatherings.  This is Werry and he and his brother, Stanley run the Yacht Club and its services.  Super nice people.

The new yacht club has the foundation set.  They are making progress but it is difficult and expensive to get supplies to Tanna as it is such a remote island.

There are several bungalows that are part of the yacht club.  But these have been damaged during the cyclone as well.  Their priority is to finish the yacht club and then begin work on the bungalows.  A few of these bungalows have amazing views of the anchorage.

The Locals

Lots of fishermen were out and about in the bay.  They fish from their homemade outriggers using nets. It is really a beautiful process and an act of patience.

We walk through a few of the villages but there are not many people out and about.  Evidently there is a large wedding that most of the locals went to today.

We stop by the school and medical clinic to drop off donations.  Ben is the principal and he was thrilled to receive the glasses, books, and medical supplies.

Super cute little boy.

Exploring the Island

Matt and I take off down a path hoping to do some exploring.  There are lots of paths on this island.  We ended up on the opposite side of the island on a beautiful beach.

Along our walk, we stumbled across White Beach Restaurant which looked vacant but well kept.  Surprisingly, we ended up meeting the owner back at the boat (he was fishing) and he said it is very much open.  We did not expect to find restaurants in Port Resolution, Tanna.

You will encounter loads of cows, some pigs, a few happy locals and beautiful settings no matter which direction you explore.

Across the bay are several hot pools spewing steam and smoke.  We had to go investigate.  

It was a super amazing first day on the island of Tanna.  We are so excited to be in Vanuatu and we look forward to sharing our experiences with you.

Our blog posts run 10-12 weeks behind actual live events.  This blog post occurred during the end of May.  Did you read about our passage from New Zealand to Vanuatu in our last blog post?